How To Treat Tick Bite? 11 Home Remedies

What are ticks?

Have you ever noticed a spider-like creature named TICK? There is a total of 800 kinds of ticks in the world. But only around 100 are known to cause diseases. Ticks harbour the infectious bacterium inside their stomach, and when they bite anyone, it affects the skin, heart, nervous system, and joints, which is termed Lyme disease.

Usually, ticks are seen in forest and grassy areas. Hence trekkers and forest/grass cleaners should be more careful. Ticks usually adhere to exposed skin areas. It is mandatory to cover the skin with long sleeves, long pants, shoes, and gloves. These ticks are present in the fur of animals, which become active mostly during the summer or spring season.

What are the Signs & Symptoms of Tick Bites?

The tick doesn’t bite. It sucks blood which one may not be aware of since its attachment is usually painless. If the tick is not removed within 2 days, the risk of Lyme disease transmission will be more. There occurs a visible rash that is clear in the centre having a bull’s eye pattern. These non-painful or non-itchy rashes get spread in all parts of the body. Other tick bite symptoms include fever, chillness, tiredness, body pain, and headache.

If not treated promptly, other severe symptoms like arm or leg numbness, temporary paralysis in one side of the face, joint pain, neck stiffness, and heart palpitations will occur.

Tick Bite Treatment

Tick bite treatment includes the administration of oral antibiotics like doxycycline, amoxicillin, azithromycin, and cefuroxime.

Preventive measures include the usage of insect repellents to protect from ticks. So remember that the ticks should not come into the home via clothes or pets.

11 Home remedies for tick removal

There are several tick removal techniques at home that can be followed easily.

1. Analyze the body completely to find out the region of the tick bite.
2. Once you locate the spot, don’t try to take it out using your fingers or tweezers. The tick might go deeper and release its toxins into the body.

Try these simple home remedies that will aid in tick removal.

1. 1. 1. 1. Dry heat (54-85°C) can kill the tick within 6 minutes.
         2. Blend 10 mint leaves with 10 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and two lemons. Apply its extract on the spot to remove the tick.
         3. Dish detergent can kill ticks by blocking their respiration.
         4. Diatomaceous earth can also kill ticks by dehydrating them to death.
         5. The mixture of 20 drops of rose geranium oil with 3 tablespoons of almond oil acts as an effective tick repellent.

6. Vaseline can also suffocate the ticks to death.

7. Boil clove powder, yeast powder, and garlic powder in water. Add a few drops of rosemary oil. Take out the extract and spray indoors to get rid of ticks.

8. If you feel that essential oils are too expensive, use a mixture of baking soda and salt to kill the ticks at once.

9. Spray an equal proportion of essential oils including eucalyptus oil, lavender oil, and lemon tree oil mixed in an equal ratio of alcohol and water to get rid of ticks.

10. Even mouthwash, turpentine, and astringent help effectively in tick removal.

11. If your pets are affected, use DMSO (Dimethyl sulfoxide), which helps in killing both egg and adult forms of ticks. But one should perform an allergy test for pets before opting for the DMSO test.

Safety Precautions

One should follow the below-mentioned precautionary methods before trying out the home remedies.

1. 1. 1. Don’t apply citrus or vinegar products directly on the wounded spot. Try out the remedies on a small portion of the skin and check for allergies.
      2. Never pour the hot oils directly on the wounded portion.
      3. When spraying the home remedies indoors, keep in mind that the place should be properly ventilated and airy.
      4. If you are having pets at home, remember to bathing them regularly.

Hope these 11 tips help you in the right direction before these ticks lean on you to suck everything you have. Still, if you are unable to remove the tick, visit your family doctor at once for immediate treatment.