Itching for a Remedy!

I was out wandering the hillside after the latest rainstorm when I met up with the largest "swarm" of mosquitoes that I have ever seen!  It seems that the rainy weather has caused every mosquito in a radius of fifty miles to seek out my Bayou!  (Ok..so perhaps I exaggerated a tad but I was being eaten alive!)  My arms itched like crazy!  I headed to the herb garden for a quick fix to this annoying problem.  First, I grabbed a few leaves to relieve the itching and then a sprig to ward off any future bites!  Yep..it does work but some folks just refuse to believe it!

Serrata Basil grows well in the rainy weather we have been having lately!

My "instant" remedy for the itching of the insect bites was merely a handful of basil leaves.  If the tender plant parts are vigorously rubbed over the bite, within a few seconds the itching starts to abate.  Then after a minute or so, the itching stops completely.  My sweet grandniece, Aero, told me once that she loved my "Magic Plant".  She was here and covered with bites.  I showed her how to pick the topmost leaves and rub them on each welt.  Sure enough, in minutes she was itch-free!  Magic Plants, indeed!

The Thai Basil has flowered and will soon make seeds for next years crop!

The other plant is Rosemary.  I should have had the foresight to rub a bit of this on my arms and face before setting out on my hike.  Usually, a stop to the herb garden can prevent a number of bites from ever happening in the first place.  Rosemary is extremely good at preventing bug bites if it is applied liberally.  Recently, I was told that this did not work at all against fly bites!  It seems that deer flies do not mind the smell as much as mosquitoes!  This evening, I decided to test the Rosemary.  My left arm was covered with the herb while the right was left scent-free.  After strolling about the garden, nary a bite on the left.  The right received five more bites almost instantly.  Ok..enough of that test!  I grabbed another sprig of Rosemary and rubbed down the right arm as well!  I was bug-free and happy! Legend has it that a Rosemary Bush planted by the garden gate will protect the home against evil.  This proves that mosquitoes are evil!  Rosemary does a good job protecting me against them!

Plant a Rosemary Bush by your front gate..legend says that it will protect the home from evil!

Just as a note, the herbs have to be garden fresh.  I have tried the same thing with "store-bought" dried herbs and they fail miserably!  Ahh, the pleasures of having an herb garden!