Raw Onion to Quell Pain of Sting

You may have simple ingredients in your kitchen cupboard that can ease pain in an emergency. Perhaps you have read about using soy sauce or yellow mustard to cool the pain of a burn. No doubt you are aware that baking soda can be used as a quick antacid. Maybe you have even tried pouring ground black pepper on a cut to make it stop bleeding. But what about a sting? Have you tried raw onion on a bee or wasp sting to stop the pain fast?

Raw Onion for Insect Stings:

Q. My daughter was pulling weeds and vines from around a tree when something flew up and stung her. I remembered reading about raw onion for stings. It immediately seemed to help. Thank you for writing about this!

A. We have heard from numerous readers who have applied raw onion to a bee or wasp sting and gotten relief. Decades ago, we spoke with Dr. Eric Block of the State University of New York. This world-renowned chemist told us that fresh-cut onions have ingredients that can break down the chemical in insect venom that causes pain and inflammation.

Not all stings respond to onion, although it seems to work pretty well on bee and wasp stings. Try it out if you have the unfortunate occasion to do so. Let us know how it works for you.

NB: A serious sting reaction requires immediate medical attention since sting allergies can be deadly.