As beautiful as they are underwater, every summer, holidaymakers dread the appearance of jellyfish on our beaches. Overfishing and rising water temperatures are the cause of this invasion.Jellyfish cause large burns. Their tentacles are made up of filaments that remain on the wound and diffuse the venom. The pain caused by a jellyfish sting is similar to an electric shock. It is immediately accompanied by a burning sensation, of varying intensity depending on the person and the species, followed by itching. However, there are natural remedies for jellyfish stings.
The three types of jellyfish in France
Three species live mainly on French shores:
- The jellyfish “aurelia” mainly populates the English Channel. It is distinguished by its blue or pink color and its hundred tentacles, slightly stinging;
- The “rhizostoma” jellyfish nests in the Atlantic. It is characterized by its bluish reflections and four weakly stinging arms, which divide themselves into eight arms welded at the end;
- The “pelugia noctiluca” jellyfish, orange or violet, is speckled with red. Evolving in the Mediterranean Sea, it is by far the most stinging of the three.
Jellyfish live at the bottom of the water. To feed, they rise to the surface, propelled by their tentacles. There, they find themselves carried away by the sea currents and finally fail on our beaches. So here are the natural remedies against jellyfish stings.
Natural remedies for jellyfish stings
1- Rinse with seawater, and cover the wound with sand
Immediately after the sting, dip the stung part into the seawater and rub gently to try to remove the filaments. Don’t rinse with fresh or clear water, as this can stimulate the venom and make the stinging phenomenon worse.
After rinsing, take a handful of sand and rub lightly on the sting until there are no more filaments. It is the stinging filaments that cause the severe pain of the wound. Seawater is in fact in the list of natural remedies against jellyfish stings. Cover the wound with sand and let it dry. Then remove the sand with a rigid cardboard to remove the stinging cells still present on the skin. And rinse again with seawater.
2- Aspic Lavender Essential Oil, the best natural remedy against jellyfish stings
The organic essential oil of lavender aspic is the essential oil when you go on holiday. If it is known to calm a mosquito bite, it can also very well soothe that of the jellyfish. After rinsing the sting with seawater, apply 1 to 2 drops of pure aspic lavender essential oil and renew 3 to 4 times within half an hour.
Aspic’s organic lavender essential oil is therefore second in the list of natural remedies against jellyfish stings.
3- Organic Shea Butter
Jellyfish stings are treated like burns. To soothe and reduce inflammation it is therefore advisable to apply fatty corns after rinsing the sting with seawater.
Shea butter can be applied if there is a slight burn on the plate until it disappears. Very nourishing and containing vitamins A, E, F, and oleic and stearic acids. In addition, it intensely nourishes and moisturizes the epidermis, prevents dry skin, promotes cell renewal, softens and softens the skin while protecting it from external aggression.
What not to do in the event of a jellyfish sting
In case of a jellyfish sting, do not:
- Rinse the sting with fresh water as this would burst the remaining cells and release the venom;
- Don’t suck the stinging liquid with your mouth.
- Rub.
- Move the part of the body that has been stung.
- Incise or seek to bleed the wound.
- Lay with tourniquets.
- Put alcohol on it.
- Approaching a lifeless jellyfish: even dead, the jellyfish remains stinging for several weeks.
Good swimming and good summer!
Sources
1- Medusa: what to do in case of sting?
2- Jellyfish sting: the remedies that relieve
3-Jellyfish stings the gestures to be made
4- Jellyfish stings
