Disclaimer. I am not a licensed health
practitioner. This is just another post on an item you might wish to
have available if needed so that a physician can treat you and your
family as best as possible. No medication, including those available
over the counter, should be taken without consulting a physician.
Information shared here is for educational and entertainment purposes
only. It is not medical advice nor a substitute for licensed medical
care. A qualified, licensed physician or other medical provider should
be consulted before beginning any herbal or conventional treatment.
About fifteen years ago, my father-in-law was marking out an orienteering course in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains for about sixty eleven-year-old Boy Scouts when he came across an old rattlesnake (how he knew that he was old, I'm not sure)
. He didn't think much of it. Rattlesnakes being rattlesnakes, he assumed the old snake would move on, especially with all the foot traffic of a bunch of scouts.
Except for the fact that that old snake didn't read the manual, or he was too old to care.
My son, KOTPE, was in the first group of scouts to use the course that day. In the lead. With the compass, and much more focused on the compass than on the ground in front of him. (Which is not what the scouts are taught to do, but they were eleven years old, after all.) And through the compass KOTPE sees that he is about to step on a rattlesnake. The same old rattlesnake that Grandpa left there an hour or so earlier. Apparently, it is entirely possible for a skinny boy to execute a standing long jump of about ten feet backwards and sideways. I don't recall whether they moved the snake or altered the course. I do recall that I was not pleased with my father-in-law that day.
There are two kinds of venomous snakes found in the continental US. All snakes are most active in warmer temperature and seasons, so that is when most bites occur. Unlike what is shown on TV, especially the old westerns, many snakes are active at night and they hide in logs, under rocks, and in old structures. Also, especially in contrast to what's on TV, snakes don't always leave the scene of the crime. (I guess the old geezer rattler got one thing right.) It may still have venom to inject. If it didn't flee the scene, the victim and everyone else should. Of course, if possible, killing the snake for positive identification is an idea. Just be aware that a dead snake is not necessarily harmless; it can still bite for awhile even after the head has been severed from the body. Oh, and a lot of people are actually bitten while trying to kill snakes.
Rattlesnakes are the most common venomous snake bite in the US, and generally the most dangerous. But there is a wide range of toxicity among the species of rattlesnakes. The pygmy rattlesnake is at the low end of the spectrum; the Mojave Green is more often deadly. Recent research has shown that as far as rattlesnakes are concerned, the larger the snake, the more toxic the venom.
Venomous snakes have hollow fangs through which they deliver their venom; however, not every bite is envenomating. That is, about 20-30% of bites are actually
dry. No venom, no ill effects. (Kinda like no harm, no foul.) Another 30-40% of bites are considered lightly envenomating because the snake either didn't inject much or some was lost in the air before or after the bite. Also, again with rattlesnakes only, denim for some reason reduces the amount of venom injected by 60%. Even full envenomation does not necessarily equal death. Beyond that, a lot will depend on the age and size of the patient. Younger children are more at risk than older children and adults.
So how do you know whether the snake bite was envenomating? The first clue is that there is a burning pain at the site almost immediately. And then within a few minutes swelling begins and starts traveling up the affected limb. Pit viper bites (rattlesnake, water moccasin/cottonmouth, copperhead) may cause bruising and blisters at the bite site. And the afflicted area may become numb. The lips or face may also become numb, and some bite victims will say they have a metallic or odd taste in their mouths. A serious bite may cause spontaneous bleeding from the nose or gums. The extremities may become numb or start tingling 30-90 minutes later, followed shortly thereafter by nausea, vomiting, and/or fainting. And during this time the swelling and discoloration of the limb bitten continues to spread.
Coral snakes have a different type of toxin, a neurotoxin, and thus affect the body in a totally different manner. Symptom onset is much later, from 4-6 hours up to 12 hours after the bite. Coral snake venom causes mental and nerve changes such as muscle twitching, mental confusion, and slurred speech. As the venom spreads, the central nervous system is affected, and there may be problems with swallowing and breathing, and even complete paralysis. Coral snakes are distinguished from non-venomous king snakes by the following ditty: "red touches yellow, you're a dead fellow; red touches black, you're ok jack" or something along those lines. As long as you're in North America. It's not necessarily true elsewhere.
Some of the distinguishing characteristics of each of the families of venomous snakes:
- Copperheads have the least potent venom and thus the lowest mortality rate. Supposedly they are not aggressive, but they account for the highest number of bites. Their bites result in localized tissue destruction.
- Cottonmouth venom is next in potency. They become aggressive when provoked. Unlike other, non-venomous, water snakes, they swim on top of the water.
- Rattlesnakes are next in potency, but it varies widely among the species. Pygmy rattlers are much less toxic than Mojave rattlers, which are more often deadly. Most snake bite deaths in the US are attributed to Eastern and Western diamondback rattlesnakes. Rattlesnakes are found throughout the continental US, and the bite causes toxicity throughout the body in addition to an ugly wound.
- Coral snakes possess the most potent venom but are the least aggressive, and death from their bites is rare.
Bites from non-venomous snakes and non-envenomating bites are still cause for concern. They are puncture wounds and there is still the potential for infection as with any other puncture wound. However, they are less likely to cause infection than cat, dog, or human bites, so antibiotics are not routinely prescribed in this situation. (Still, I have to admit, I'd prefer a cat or dog bite.)
The treatment, always, is to get to a hospital for anti-venin (yes, that is how it is spelled). Nobody carries it in a medical kit or an ambulance. About 10% of the people treated with anti-venin will have an allergic reaction to it and need to be at a hospital to be treated for the reaction to the anti-venin. Of course, post-collapse, anti-venin isn't going to be an option.
So, lacking hospitals and anti-venin, how does one go about treating a venomous snake bite post-collapse? Before getting into that, let's address the "DO NOT"s:
DO NOT:
- Cut the bite and attempt to suck out the venom.
- Numb with ice.
- Give the patient alcohol or caffeine.
- Apply a tourniquet.
- Use a stun gun.
What about using a Sawyer extractor? They're very popular among outdoor enthusiasts and survivalists. Dr. Joe Alton, the docs teaching my off-grid medicine classes, the authors of
Survival and Austere Medicine all pretty much agree: the Sawyer extractor does nothing. So what about claims from people who have used them and didn't suffer the ill effects of a snake bite? Remember that 20-30% of bites are non-envenomating. Another 30% are only lightly envenomating. That's what worked. However, if you've already got one, and if someone is bitten, they can still be used. While you are working to do other things to manage the patient and the bite, give the extractor to someone else. The patient will calm down because he feels something is being done. And that's the first thing that needs to happen for treatment.
The steps then for treating a snake bite are as follows:
- Keep the patient calm.
- Remove all jewelry and any potentially constricting clothing immediately.
- Immobilize the limb below the heart. The venom moves in the lymph. Any movement at all moves the venom into the body faster.
- Clean the wound thoroughly, irrigating copiously to remove venom that is not deep in the bite.
- Use a Sharpie to outline the edge of the swelling and do this frequently to track progression.
- Complete bed rest for 24-48 hours.
And that's it in the conventional world of medicine, other than offering OTC pain meds, and antibiotics if infection sets in. Recovery may take weeks to months.
However, in the alternative medicine world, there is a lot more that can be done. At least it has been done with animals, and with good results. Again, for emphasis, the below treatments have only been done with animals for snake bites, and some with humans and poisonous spider bites. No one has used these with snake bites in people (well, no one has gone on record as far as I can tell). In a functioning society with advanced medical care, snake bite victims are always sent to a hospital. The potential consequences of doing otherwise in a litigious society such as ours are too great.
- Activated charcoal. If the wound is open enough and fresh enough (less than 30 minutes have passed), make a poultice or plaster with water. If possible, make a little bath in a basin or small tub to soak the limb in. Bear in mind, that the activated charcoal has to get to the afflicted tissue to be effective. It will not work through intact skin. Do this for 30-60 minutes. Also, and this should not be done immediately, but just once a day for the next 5-7 days, give the patient 1 capsule (00 size) of activated charcoal per day, two hours before or after any herbs that are taken internally.
- Echinacea angustifolia, pallida and/or purpurea. The herbalists disagree on which is more potent. I suspect it could have something to do with their climate and region. Dr. Patrick Jones in Idaho favors purpurea. Sam Coffman of Texas favors angustifolia. Both recommend applying a plaster or poultice immediately and changing it every 2-4 hours. Both recommend giving an Echinacea tincture internally. Sam recommends 1 tablespoon 3 times per day for an adult; Dr. Jones advises 1 tablespoon every 2-4 hours for the first day, then twice per day for a week.
- Milk thistle seed, plantain, Joe Pye weed, nettles are all recommended by Sam Coffman for additional support to the body.
- Dr. Jones also uses dandelion root, echinacea root, plantain, and mallow in equal parts topically and internally every four hours. If the herbs are fresh, grind them up and apply. If they are dried, mix them up with a little water for a poultice. Change the poultice every four hours. Take the tea (or a tincture of these herbs) internally every 2-4 hours the first day, then twice per day for a week. This formula may not work for coral snake bites.
Links to related posts:
Dandelion
Echinacea
Plantain
Activated Charcoal
Spider Bites
Book Reviews--The Herbal Medic and The HomeGrown Herbalist
Book Review--Survival and Austere Medicine, 3rd Edition
Book Review--The Survival Medicine Handbook
For more information:
Dr. Patrick Jones,
The HomeGrown Herbalist, pp 123-26.
Dr. Joseph Alton,
The Survival Medicine Handbook, pp 327-30.
Survival and Austere Medicine, 3rd Edition, pp 194-97.
Sam Coffman,
The Herbal Medic, pp 80-91.
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