Homeopathic Remedies for Tick Bites (and What to Do First)
Safe self-help and when to seek support
Ticks: tiny, sneaky and rather alarming. If you spend time in woods, on heathland, in long grass or even in a well-kept garden, in the UK or across Sweden, you have probably had a tick moment. You spot a little dark dot on your skin, you wonder how long it’s been there, and you start to Google.
Take a breath. Most tick bites are harmless. But a small number of ticks carry infections, so the sensible first step is not a remedy. It is removing the tick properly and keeping an eye on the bite. We’ll start there, then look at what homeopathy can and can’t offer.
Important note
This article is for general educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment. Homeopathy cannot prevent or treat Lyme disease or tick-borne encephalitis, and nothing here suggests otherwise. If you have been bitten and feel unwell, please see a doctor.
Where ticks lurk, and how to avoid them
Ticks live in woodland, heath, moorland, long grass, parks and gardens, and are most active from spring to autumn. They range from the size of a poppy seed up to a small pea once they have fed, and a bite is usually painless, so you often won’t feel it.
Stick to paths where you can, and avoid brushing through long grass and bracken
Wear long sleeves and trousers tucked into your socks. Light colours make ticks easier to spot
Use an insect repellent containing DEET on skin and clothing
Check yourself, your children and your pets after being outdoors. Look behind the knees, in the groin and armpits, around the waist, behind the ears and along the hairline
Shower and wash clothes afterwards
How to remove a tick
The sooner a tick is out, the lower the risk of infection, so don’t wait.
Use fine-tipped tweezers or a tick-removal tool, available from pharmacies and vets
Grip the tick as close to the skin as you can
Pull steadily upwards without twisting, squeezing or jerking, so the mouthparts don’t break off
Clean the bite and your hands with soap and water or antiseptic
Make a note of the date and where on the body it was, and take a photo if you can
Skip the folk tricks: petroleum jelly, alcohol, heat and nail varnish don’t work and can make things worse
Lyme disease and TBE: what to watch for
Lyme disease is caused by bacteria carried by some ticks. In parts of Europe, including Sweden, ticks can also carry tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), a viral infection.
In the weeks after a bite, which can range from a few days to several weeks and occasionally longer, watch for:
a spreading red rash, often around the bite. It can look like a bullseye but doesn’t always, and it can be harder to spot on darker skin
a flu-like illness: fever, headache, aching muscles and joints, and tiredness
If you notice any of these, see your doctor promptly and mention the tick bite. Lyme disease is much easier to deal with when it is caught early.
Seek urgent medical help for a severe headache with a stiff neck, confusion, weakness or drooping of the face, heart palpitations or fainting.
Commonly used homeopathic remedies for tick bites
What homeopaths do describe are remedy pictures traditionally associated with the local reaction to bites and punctures: the sore, swollen or bruised-looking area. Those are what follows, and they come after the tick is out, never instead of removal, watching and medical care.
Below are three remedies but Ledum is the most often given. However, this is one circumstance where you don’t want to leave things to luck so if you have all three in your kit, take all three. Combination homeopathy is sometimes not only effective but warranted and this is one of those times.
Ledum palustre
This is the number one remedy that homeopaths tend to prescribe and you can take a 30c or a 200c at the time and then daily for three days and weekly for the next 4 weeks.
Ledum, made from marsh tea or wild rosemary, is the remedy most closely linked in homeopathic tradition with puncture wounds and bites. The picture is of a bite site that looks puffy, bruised or purplish, feels cold to the touch, yet is soothed by cold applications.
Ledum may be considered where a bite or puncture looks bruised or mottled, feels cold and is eased by cold.
Apis mellifica
Apis, made from the honeybee, is associated with stinging, burning swellings: pink-red, puffy and shiny, hot to the touch, better for cold and worse for heat and pressure.
Apis mellifica may be considered where a bite is puffy, hot and stinging, and is eased by cold.
Hypericum perforatum
Hypericum, or St John’s wort, is linked in homeopathic literature with injuries to nerve-rich areas such as the fingers, toes and spine, with sharp, shooting pains.
Hypericum may be considered where a bite is in a nerve-rich area and brings sharp, shooting pains.
A bite that becomes increasingly red, hot, swollen or painful needs medical attention rather than a remedy. It may be infected.
How to use homeopathic remedies sensibly
Use them only for the bite site, after the tick has been properly removed. Never in place of removal, monitoring or medical care
Remedies are chosen for the whole person, so a remedy that fits one person’s picture may not fit another’s
Tell your doctor and your homeopath about everything you are taking
If symptoms continue, change or worry you, seek medical advice
Related information
If you would like to know more about the remedies homeopaths often talk about for everyday mishaps, see A Homeopathy Home Kit: Ten Remedies Homeopaths Often Talk About and Getting to Know Arnica.
Individual Support
A consultation is never a substitute for medical care after a tick bite. But if you would like a homeopath’s whole-person view of how you are, I would be glad to talk it through, alongside whatever your doctor advises.
In a first consultation, I would explore:
When and where you were bitten, and what happened afterwards
How the bite site looks and feels, and anything else you have noticed
What makes things better or worse, including heat, cold, touch and movement
The wider picture: energy, sleep, mood, appetite and general health
What medical advice you have had, and anything you are taking
How it all fits together as one whole-person pattern
If you would like to talk it through, I offer a free intro call, in Malmö or online, with no obligation.
This article is for general educational purposes only and describes how remedies are understood within homeopathic philosophy. It is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, and it is not a claim that any remedy prevents, treats or cures Lyme disease, tick-borne encephalitis or any other medical condition. If you are concerned about your health, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Sharon McAllister — UK-qualified homeopath, former Registered Nurse of 35 years, and former Vice Principal of a homeopathy college.
