Watching a wasp fly around the front porch reminded me that we are out of meat tenderizer. No, I have no desire to tenderize and eat a wasp. It is just one of those home remedies that my parents used and it seemed to work.
In case you are not familiar with it, here is how it works:
1. Get stung by a bee, wasp, hornet or some other stinging creature.
2. Grab the meat tenderizer from the pantry.
3. Pour a liberal amount into a bowl or cup.
4. Add a small amount of water to make a thick paste.
5. Apply paste to area that was stung.
Relief should follow very shortly. You’ll want to allow the paste to dry and remove it after it seems to either stop working or the pain is gone.
Do not use this method if you are allergic to anything in meat tenderizer; I think that would just make things worse.
Meat tenderizer replaced toothpaste as the preferred treatment when I was growing up because they changed the toothpastes so much. I suppose the paste (not gel) may still work if you get a very basic type.
Okay, my husband reminds me that you can substitute baking soda for the meat tenderizer, so I am not going to run out to the store just yet.
WARNING: IF YOU TRY IT, YOU ARE DOING SO AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION. I GUARANTEE NOTHING. MOREOVER, I HAVE NO MEDICAL TRAINING WHATSOEVER!
When I read that first paragraph, I was visualizing one of those wooden mallets with all the ridges on the end, and grinding it into the wasp sting. Your idea sounds way better.
Also, I wonder if ammonia would work, just like on jellyfish stings.
That is too funny…I never thought of a mallet. I think you are right about the ammonia as well.