I recieved an email that this guy got stung by a bee and his doctor said next time tape a penny on it. He said he tried it, and it took the sting out, and it was gone by morning.
2007-05-02 11:54:44 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ General Health Care ➔ First Aid
Is it possible that the copper content of a penny could somehow "counteract" the effects of a bee sting? Maybe, though it seems unlikely. There are medical studies touting the succesful use of skin creams containing "copper peptide complexes" -- mixtures of copper and amino acids -- to accelerate the healing of wounds, but these carefully formulated ointments are a far cry from the random grimy penny dug out from the bottom of someone's coin purse. And unless it was minted before 1982, the typical U.S. penny in circulation today consists of a mere 2.5 percent copper. The rest is zinc.
Copper pennies, bee stings, and folk medicine
We do find copper coins mentioned as a curative in traditional folk medicine sources, though it is rarely in the context of insect bites or stings. In western countries the medicinal use of copper has generally been confined to the treatment of rheumatism ("Place a penny in the shoe or wear a copper bracelet around the wrist to relieve chronic pain") and warts ("Rub a copper penny over a wart 20 times and it will disappear"). The practice of rubbing copper coins on the skin, called "coining," is even more common in Asian folk medicine, which holds it to be helpful in treating fever, coughs, colds, and other mundane complaints.
For bee stings in particular, topical home remedies of every conceivable kind have been tried and sworn by, including raw garlic, onion juice, chewing tobacco, wet tea bags, dill pickles, and even store-bought meat tenderizer. The latter actually works, believe it or not, because it contains an enzyme called papain which breaks down the toxins in insect venom.
Ironically, bee stings themselves -- the very affliction we seek to cure -- are believed to have curative powers by practitioners of Chinese folk medicine, who for 3,000 years have prescribed bee venom to relieve arthritis, back pain, and even liver disease. Bee sting therapy has also become popular of late in the United States as an alternative treatment for multiple sclerosis. According to proponents, bee venom contains melittin, an anti-inflammatory substance believed to be 100 times more potent than hydrocortisone. Please note, however, that no major clinical studies have yet been published to verify the treatment's effectiveness. Moreover, some people are allergic to bee stings and risk a severe reaction, even death.
2007-05-02 12:01:30 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not sure copper and zinc in the penny can treat a bee sting. I'd go with the more modern treatments.
2007-05-02 13:51:01 · answer #2 · answered by flashpoint145 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
money is really dirty and you do not want to do that. I always knew it was dirty, and i could feel the dirt after counting out the drawers at Hallmark (does not get a lot of cash). vinegar is supposed to be good for stings, and baking soda. ice can help prevent inflammation
2007-05-02 12:03:20 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
no, but you can make a paste of baking soda and water to put on it and it will draw out the venom. A penny won't do anything.
2007-05-02 11:59:39 · answer #4 · answered by Squirrley Temple 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Maybe a nickle will work five times better?
2007-05-02 12:00:00 · answer #5 · answered by jon_mac_usa_007 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Only if it's covered with mud.
2007-05-02 12:02:26 · answer #6 · answered by kyle.keyes 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No
2007-05-02 12:48:24 · answer #7 · answered by LoganXXX 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No.
2007-05-02 11:59:36 · answer #8 · answered by michele 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋