Now that the weather has turned beautiful outside and all of the the plants and trees are coming alive we are venturing out of our homes and finding solace in nature. One thing that can be a hindrance to going into the woods for people is the chance of getting bit by a tick!
I walk in the woods everyday and I have found some tips that can be very helpful.
- First off always wear long pants
- Long sleeves and a hat can help too.
- Wear closed toed shoes like boots or trail shoes.
- Another option is to wear gaiters that cover from your pants to your shoes so the ticks can't crawl up!
- Use bug spray with essential oils especially with geranium, marjoram, lavender, and other essences that ticks don't like. Spray liberally from head to toe.
- Check out our bug spray! https://chiforhealing.com/products/bug-away-spray-aromatherapy-insect-repellant-tick-deterrant?_pos=1&_sid=6fb0942f0&_ss=r
- Avoid going through prickers like wild rose, barberry, or raspberries. These are homes for ticks and deer leave deposits of them on the prickers as they move through the woods.
- Always check yourself when you are done with your walk from head to toe.
- Use a lint roller or tape to pick up ticks if they are on you.
- If you do get bit by a tick, Take a deep breath! Get tweezers or one of those fancy removal tools and try to grab the whole head and body of the tick. Use some finesse and force if needed to remove.
- Some people add things like essential oils or bentonite clay. I usually just wash my hands and maybe wash the area that was bitten. If it itches as it is healing I may add some essential oils or healing salve.
I am in the woods all of the time and on average I get maybe 2 tick bites a year. I don't freak about it though. I have contracted lyme's disease before but I was able to heal it with herbal medicine, supplements, and food. Just like mosquitos and flies ticks are a part of nature. If we want to be outside in the elements we have to coexist with them. If we have the right tools at our disposal it can make it much easier to be safe.
To recover from lyme I used some of the herbs that are in the tick prevention tonic formula. Cat's claw, Andrographis, Japanese knotweed, Reishi mushroom, to name a few.
I adapted some of the ingredients from a fellow herbalist by adding a few herbs to the formula and found that this tincture really worked great to help my dog with tick prevention as well!
I never want to give my dog toxic chemicals and I have always wanted to find a holistic solution for tick prevention. So these are the some things I use. The best part about the tick prevention tonic formula is that it helps with prevention but also helps to treat the symptoms of lyme.
I give my dog 1 dropperful 2 times a day in her food and it really works!
I also give her earth animal internal powder that is yeast free. I found this one on amazon that I don't think is yeast free but just so you can see what it is! It has garlic, neem, spiralina, nettles and other ingredients that help to change the scent of the blood of the dog so the ticks don't want to bite them.
I also use its only natural pet topical easy defense applicator. I have plenty of essential oils at my disposal but I find using this concentrated version already in an oil base is really effective. I apply it once a month during peak tick season which is really spring and fall but I often use it in the summer also.
Stay safe out in the woods and enjoy this magical time of year!