Q. Several years ago, my son’s pre-school teacher told me to use natural vanilla extract on mosquito bites, as well as minor bruises. It’s amazing how fast the vanilla takes the itch away, even on old bites!
A. There may be science to support your remedy. The skin contains specialized vanilloid receptors that sense pain and itching. They react to vanilla and capsaicin (the hot stuff from chile peppers).
You may be interested in other remedies to ease itchy mosquito bites, from plain hot water or saliva to Listerine, Vicks VapoRub and hydrogen peroxide.
There has been quite a debate about how best to repel mosquitoes. DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus all have been tested and are FDA approved.
