Roses are red and Druidry is cool, mosquitoes suck and plantain rules!

Baltimore mosquitoes have a reputation as relentless little bastards, and if they don’t, I’m giving them one now. I don’t ever remember them being this fierce in North Carolina, New York or Pennsylvania, or anywhere out West. Even with Caladryl and toothpaste dotted all over, my bites have awoken me in the middle of the night, itching like mad all over again. I even “kicked” one off – I scratched and dug at it with the heel of my sneaker throughout the day so much that I scraped it off my shin. Yep. It left a crater. But dammit, it stopped itching!

Then one day, my world changed. I had found a group of Druids to connect with, and share our pantheistic/pagan/fluffy bunny woo-woo/combat magical ways. Cedarlight Grove is an Ar nDroight Fein grove of like-minded light-wielding neopagans with kickass Senior Druid Caryn (ha! We have the same first 2 and last 2 letters of our names).

One afternoon after Sunday service, we were hanging out. As I was scratching away, we talked about the best natural remedies for insect bites and stings. Caryn is a Master Herbalist, and long story short, Eric went out and found me a young leaf of plantain from the yard. I was very glad as I chewed it* that it has an inoffensive flavor similar to grass. The magic really began as I pasted the poultice on my bites.

Within moments, all itching stopped. Dead. Just like that! This is way more effective than anything I’ve ever gotten over the counter! Amazing!! I defeated the mosquitoes! Flooded with relief, I wanted Caryn to teach some classes on making tinctures and poultices and other herbal magic. Well at least it feels like magic!

Over the next few days, I noticed how those bites healed much more quickly than anything treated with pharmaceuticals, and never commenced to itching like Satan’s own personal practical joke. It also works on older bites. I had one on my wrist that was at least 3 days old, although the poultice didn’t work quite as quickly.

As I reflect on the abundance of mosquitoes, I’m equally aware of the abundance of plantain. It’s endemic, and somewhere in the hallows of my memory, an echo creeps out, something about however abundant an ailment or poison is in nature, its treatment is equally abundant, and found in the same places. The abundance and symmetry of nature is itself magical and prolific. “If you want to know the Creator, get to know the creation.” As above, so below, eh? 😊

Mosquitoes are no longer my nemesis.

* No it’s not poisonous; otherwise this would be titled “Roses are red, Druidry is cool. Mosquitoes SUCK and aaaarggghackthphthptt!! Hospitals rule”.