Natural salves and ointments vs. chiggers
“Right on time,” I said after a morning in the garden. “Chiggers. Must be June.”
Chiggers are tiny spider relatives, and the result of their existence is whelps on body parts which itch. They are so tiny you need Marvel character vision to see them, and we should acknowledge chiggers for figuring out tiny, tiny can work to preserve their heritage. The conflict for me is how they feed.
Chiggers do not burrow into your skin. Instead, they wander over your body till they find a spot soft enough for a picnic. The little buggers then salivate on us with a vile secretion which dissolves a spot on the skin, and that is where a chigger settles down for dinner.
To that point, the host hasn’t felt anything. The host body eventually hardens itself around the bite to contain the dissolving. Remaining in the middle of the hardened area is a narrow tube called a stylostome, which is where the chigger continues to gorge itself. It is also the stylostome that irritates the skin and causes the itching which might continue until the body breaks down the saliva and stylostome.
I should be clear. I do not have the equipment nor the inclination to watch this behavior, so I am counting on the experience of others. Somebody with a big magnifying glass and plenty of time apparently watched a chigger scramble from an ankle to the waist area (takes about 15 minutes), grab on and then the stylostome stuff. Takes perseverance and patience to be a scientist.
Chiggers prefer less-manicured areas which makes my garden a paradise. They live in clusters, scramble toward movement and latch on to birds, rodents, snakes or your friends and neighbors. Clever humans have noticed that certain plant products will deter chiggers to a degree, and we include them in potions, creams, ointments, tinctures, balms and oils or just rub on fresh plant parts and hope for the best.
The recipes and products for repelling chiggers often include combinations of peppermint, citronella, lemon grass, lavender, eucalyptus, thyme and lemon. You can mix a splash of witch hazel with a few drops of an essential oil in water, stir, stir, and apply to your skin. Won’t work if you don’t try it.
Tea tree oil mixed with olive or jojoba oil is also a recommended repellant. Apply your favorite smelly smell all over yourself, but common sense reminds us also to dress for the occasion. Get your garden boots all smelly to start with and you’ll sniff peppermint everywhere you go.
A determined pack of chiggers might dodge your splash of citronella leaving little neighborhoods of itchy whelps (O Woe!), but some people are naturals at making soothing, healing googoos and here’s what they know.
Calendula-infused oil has street cred for relieving itches. Easy to make but takes a while. Let calendula petals lay in olive oil for a month or so, shake often, then strain the petals and apply as needed. Another reason to include calendula in your garden plan. You can also use lavender flowers to infuse the oil.
Also, slowly cook leaves of comfrey and plantain in olive oil for an entire ballgame, strain the infused oil into a jar and add beeswax pastilles. Stir the pellets until melted and then add your favorite essential oil. You just made a salve to soothe your chigger wounds. I make it sound so easy.
Apple cider vinegar is acidic which helps reduce the swelling and itching where chiggers have been, but once applied, that is what you smell like.
I purchased a roll-on salve which features jewelweed mixed with oil infused with comfrey and mullein, both of which grow in my garden. Seems to work, so maybe now I should grow jewelweed.
Chiggers don’t bite – they spit and slurp. They’re hard to see so they’re hard to understand, and if it weren’t for the spitting and itching, they might command more respect. Apply your salve.