I sincerely hope no one is deathly afraid of spiders out there… if so, scroll down quickly!
Late in the day of our second day camping, Mr. Crumbs noticed a spider bite on his leg.
Totally.Not.Surprised.
He must have some sweet-smelling skin or something, because in all the years of his childhood – growing up outdoors in woods and dirt and bugs – he had never been bit by a spider.
Yet during the few years he’s spent out here in California, he’s been bit three times in three years.
Can you believe it?! We consider him our resident pro when it comes to spider bites.
Each time a brown recluse got him, we tried a few different home grown remedies.
First was a paste of baking soda and water. He applied fresh paste every few hours or so, but over a few days, the bite got worse, the wound got bigger and the muscles in his leg started to seize. He could barely walk after a few days and we ended up seeing a doctor for meds.
The next time involved a garlic paste, applied just like the baking soda treatment. Unfortunately, the end result was the same.
This time around, we ventured into something with substance – a potato.
Dun dun dun…
We figured it couldn’t hurt it, right? Worst case, he goes to the doctor… again.
So he cut off a piece, taped it to his leg and waited.
And waited.
And waited some more.
And then a couple of days later, the bite gradually looked smaller. In fact, the swelling went down and he was walking just fine. No seizing or even a cramp!
Could it be?
Did the potato work?!
We thought it had, but we weren’t sure. You see, about four days after treating the wound there was a dark spot around the bite. It was a toss up between the leg simply being dirty from the potato, or rotten flesh from the bite. To err on the side of caution (and to prevent his leg from falling off… you know, worst case scenario again…), we made a doctor’s appointment.
Want to know what the doctor said? “Wow, a potato?! Well, I’m gonna have to write that down for future patients because your leg looks fine. I can see where the spider bit you, but it’s nearly healed. Keep it up for a few more days, just in case. Great job!”
Using raw potato to heal a spider truly worked! Amazing!
Mr. Crumbs graciously reconstructed this how-to since we didn’t take any pictures from the beginning (we honestly didn’t think this would work either, but gave it a shot anyway, lol).
How to Heal a Spider Bite with a Potato
1. Gather supplies and clean the wound. (Potato chips optional.)
2. Using a knife, cut off a large slice from a raw potato. (Ours had a bad spot, but yours can be a “good” potato if you want it to be. It really doesn’t matter.)
3. Using medical tape (or scotch tape, or duct tape… whatever you have on hand that’s strong enough), secure the potato to the bite with the potato flesh on the wound.
4. Repeat every 12 hours or so (once in the morning, once before bed). Warning – you may experience some pain as you remove some body hair along with the tape.
5. Continue this process for one week and pocket your co-pay!
Do you have any successful home remedies to share?
More Ways to Heal & Care for Your Body Naturally, at Home
Disclaimer: We are not medical professionals, nor should this post be construed as medical advice. This is simply our personal story of how we healed a spider bite with a potato. If you make a similar attempt on your own, we applaud your efforts to take reign of your health. However, we are not suitable for consultation nor advice should this method not work for you. Please read my full disclaimer here.
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This potato method also works for boils. I have hydradenitis suparativa (nasty skin condition) and I’ve suffered from boils for years. My mom often taped a potato to me. It drew the infection out and eased the pain/pressure.
I chopped up a bunch of veggies and tied them to the bite. Just for good measure I dropped some salad dressing on it.
Presto😉
Seriously when I was a boy. I was stung by scorpions three separate times. My mom cut a tomato in half and put some baking soda on it. She just rubbed it on the affected area. Never went to the doctor.
Except for pain and discomfort, this worked pretty nice. Thank God for my savvy loving mom.
I can tell you from experience 3 other home remedies that work for other problems. My Grandmother’s recipe for coughs was honey mixed with a small amount of wiskey, just enough that you can barely taste it. 1 to 2 teaspoons as needed. I still use it today in my 80s. All natutal. As a kid I had severe ear aches. My mother who did not smoke would blow smoke in my esr immediately after she would stuff cotton in it. I had a severe first through third degree sunburn & a nurse told me to get Nupercainal a hemmroid salve and apply carefully. To my surprise I did not blister and tanned out nicely. Best of all it took all the pain away
My mom did that with glass shards from a window I jumped through she used fresh tomato onion and potato, the next morning all the glass was drawn out and my arm and leg smelled like I was ready to grill some veggies
Baking soda has been used commonly for deodorizing, soothing, and cleaning minor wounds, pains, and aches. Hence, it effectively works in the treatment of spider bites. It has anti-itch, anti-inflammatory, and antipruritic properties.
How long did you keep the potato on for each time?
Hello Christina!
Tiffany says to keep it on minimum 3-4 days, up to 7. As long as the bite looked better, we kept going. Hope this helps! 🙂
Does type/variety of potato matter, ie red vs white, etc. Thank you.
Hello Ann!
Any kind of potato will work. Hope this helps.
This potato method also works for boils. I have hydradenitis suparativa (nasty skin condition) and I’ve suffered from boils for years. My mom often taped a potato to me. It drew the infection out and eased the pain/pressure.
I chopped up a bunch of veggies and tied them to the bite. Just for good measure I dropped some salad dressing on it.
Presto😉
Seriously when I was a boy. I was stung by scorpions three separate times. My mom cut a tomato in half and put some baking soda on it. She just rubbed it on the affected area. Never went to the doctor.
Except for pain and discomfort, this worked pretty nice. Thank God for my savvy loving mom.
I can tell you from experience 3 other home remedies that work for other problems. My Grandmother’s recipe for coughs was honey mixed with a small amount of wiskey, just enough that you can barely taste it. 1 to 2 teaspoons as needed. I still use it today in my 80s. All natutal. As a kid I had severe ear aches. My mother who did not smoke would blow smoke in my esr immediately after she would stuff cotton in it. I had a severe first through third degree sunburn & a nurse told me to get Nupercainal a hemmroid salve and apply carefully. To my surprise I did not blister and tanned out nicely. Best of all it took all the pain away
Believe it or not. A raw potato will draw out an in grown hair.
I get bites all the time by spiders, trying the potatoe.
Thanks
My mom did that with glass shards from a window I jumped through she used fresh tomato onion and potato, the next morning all the glass was drawn out and my arm and leg smelled like I was ready to grill some veggies
Baking soda has been used commonly for deodorizing, soothing, and cleaning minor wounds, pains, and aches. Hence, it effectively works in the treatment of spider bites. It has anti-itch, anti-inflammatory, and antipruritic properties.