How to treat burns on the body of a hogweed. Burns from hogweed: how to treat at home? Symptoms of a burn from hogweed

Several decades ago, this plant was used to feed large cattle. With the development of agricultural science, this method of feeding has ceased to be relevant. However, this does not prevent the hogweed from spreading, covering huge fields with itself. Unfortunately, not many people know that upon contact, you can get burned from hogweed.

Secondary indicators: fever, problems with stool, heart palpitations, sweating.

First aid

Immediately after an accident, prevent re-contact between the victim and the plant. Try to perform the following actions as quickly as possible, which will allow the victim to recover faster. List of recommended actions:

• rinse the contact area with cold water (10-15 minutes at least);
• in the presence of large blisters, washing is not recommended;
• wash the wound (if one has formed) with peroxide or a weak concentrate of furacilin;
• use traditional preparations (Panthenol, Rescuer, Olazol);
• keep the patient calm and avoid direct sunlight;
• take any anti-allergic drug and painkiller;
• seek qualified assistance.

Even if you decide to be treated at home, you should not do the following:

• pierce the formed bubbles;
• apply fatty ointments or oil to the injury site;
• sunbathe in the sun or go to the solarium.

Treatment

A huge number of users are interested in how to treat burns from hogweed. Observing all the rules of traditional treatment, the recovery period will be reduced several times. Qualified specialists prescribe topical and oral preparations. Medicines have antibacterial, anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory properties.

How specifically to treat burns from hogweed:

• charcoal (activated) - oral use, removes toxins;
• Suprastin, Loratodin, Zodak are powerful anti-allergic agents (since the hogweed plant causes an increased production of histamine);
• Levomekol - antibacterial medicine, relieves inflammation, unpleasant symptoms and prevents purulent formations;
• Panthenol - a remedy for burns, cools the skin and promotes its accelerated regeneration.

Alternative medicine

Plants like hogweed often leave a burning burn, some patients prefer to fix this problem on their own. It is quite logical that the attending physician will give more recommendations and examine injuries better, but if you still decide to self-medicate, use the following recipes:

• apply a cold (previously brewed) bag of black tea to the affected area;
• a decoction of oak bark (after cooling) is suitable for washing;
• aloe juice is suitable as a basis for compresses;
• grated potatoes with sauerkraut are laid out on gauze and wrapped around the offended area.

Preventive measures

The main thing is to avoid contact with the plant, any (even minimal) contact can lead to unpleasant consequences. First of all, you should familiarize yourself and tell others about possible injuries and symptoms. Removing the plant from the site is easy with the help of garden tools, or by working with rubber gloves.

The most dangerous period is summer time, flowering hogweed is especially harmful.

After returning home, be sure to wash your clothes and wash your hands with soap and water. When the first symptoms appear, use special medicines (described above). Be careful and beware of unknown representatives of the flora.

Even if you have a strong desire to comb the burn, do not do it. Otherwise, an extensive inflammatory process and other dangerous pathologies await you. It is better to apply a dry bandage, and then apply cold to it.

- a plant common in the middle latitudes. There are almost forty varieties of it. However, the greatest danger to humans is hogweed, its poisonous species - Sosnovsky. Burns from this species of cow parsnip can lead to death.

What is a hogweed?

Hogweed is a plant that looks like dill. Its leaves are intermediate between burdock and thistle. Most species reach a height of only 30-40 cm, but Sosnowsky's hogweed is an exception. During the period of active flowering, which occurs in August, the height of the stem can reach 5–6 m, and the diameter of the inflorescence is 80. Plant sap can harm a person.

The produced liquid is rich in essential oils, which contain furanocoumarins in their composition - substances with sensitizing properties. When exposed to the surface of the skin under the influence of ultraviolet radiation, a burn develops. In fact, it is the result of a complex chemical reaction that hogweed juice undergoes when exposed to sunlight. This is taken into account when choosing a method of therapy.

Signs of a hogweed burn

In most cases, the first symptoms of a hogweed burn appear some time after contact with the plant. In the absence of direct sunlight, a burn may not occur. This is confirmed by cases when, in cloudy weather, persons who have been in contact with cow parsnip do not notice changes on the skin. However, in most cases, after 1-3 hours, a dark spot appears on the skin, then redness. This is how burns from hogweed initially look. The intensity of changes depends on the time elapsed since contact with the plant.

What does a hogweed burn look like?

A few hours after touching the plant, patients find a dark spot at the contact site. After a day, sometimes even a few, it is replaced by blisters with liquid. Over time, they increase and connect with each other. Outwardly, they resemble blisters that form during a second-degree thermal burn. After 3-5 days, the burn from the hogweed (photo below), the blister, becomes less pronounced.

If accidentally touched, the integrity of the bubble is violated, which bursts. Content flows out. At this stage, it is necessary to be attentive to the erosion that has appeared in order to prevent infection. Secondary infections with hogweed burns are common and significantly increase the period of wound healing. In its place, a crust forms, which lasts for two weeks.

Why are burns from hogweed dangerous?

A small burn from hogweed does not pose a health hazard. However, this does not mean that there is no need for its treatment. Patients with this type of burn should work off the damaged skin surface regularly, especially after opening the blisters. Otherwise, there is a risk of infection: a pathogenic microorganism can get into burns from hogweed, provoking or suppuration.

Doctors are concerned about hogweed burns, in which large areas of the body are affected. According to the observations of experts, with a burn of 80% of the surface of the skin, death occurs. Timely and competent medical care, proper treatment can eliminate such consequences of a hogweed burn.

First aid for burns with cow parsnip

What to do with a hogweed burn - most patients do not know. This problem often causes a late start of therapy. The duration of the recovery period depends directly on the timely measures taken and the well-conducted working out of the skin. If you get burned with hogweed, the victim often does not know what to do, what measures to take.

If contact with cow parsnip was not noticed, which often happens with children, and a stain or blisters appear, it is necessary to proceed as follows:

• the affected area is washed with an antiseptic solution (, Chlorhexidine);
• apply a dry gauze bandage;
• it is forbidden to open blisters - this will slow down the healing process.

Burn from cow parsnip - how to treat?

After a hogweed burn has occurred, home treatment begins immediately. At the same time, the features of therapy depend on the extent of the lesion and the location of the burn, the stage of the regenerative process. The following groups of drugs are used as medicines to cure burns from hogweed:

• antiseptic preparations;
• painkillers;

Ointment for hogweed burns

To speed up the process of recovery and healing, you need to know how and with what to smear burns from hogweed. The affected area throughout the entire period of treatment should be under a dry gauze bandage. Doctors recommend changing it at least 2 times a day so that the gauze is not wet, as these are favorable conditions for the reproduction of pathogenic microorganisms and the development of infection. Its accession may be evidenced by:

• clouding of the contents of the blisters;
• cloudy pus from the wound;
• golden crusts around the perimeter of the affected area;
• hyperemia of the wound edge.

To exclude the inflammatory process, when erosive surfaces appear, it is rational to use ointments with steroids. They can only be prescribed by a doctor. The duration of therapy is 5 days. Among the drugs used:

• Hydrocortisone;
• Locoid Crelo.

Cream for burns with hogweed

Not knowing how to anoint a hogweed burn, people try many creams and ointments in search of a medicine. However, not all of them are effective, helping the rapid healing of the wound. For each stage of therapy, a specific drug is needed for local treatment. So, after opening the blisters, the place of erosion is worked out with healing agents in the form of creams, including:

• Panthenol;
• Olazol.

In order to prevent infection of wound surfaces, agents with a pronounced antiseptic effect are used. These drugs prevent the development of secondary inflammatory and infectious processes. They must be applied regularly. Among the common ones:

• zinc ointment;

Tablets for burns with hogweed

In most cases, a hogweed burn is treated with local remedies. Ointments and creams, when used correctly and regularly, contribute to the rapid healing of erosions that form at the site of former blisters. However, with extensive burns, with damage to a large area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe skin, the patient's well-being can quickly deteriorate. In such cases, complex treatment is required.

Therapy is aimed at alleviating suffering. Often the formed blisters cause pain. Especially restless are children who have burned themselves with cow parsnip. In such cases, anti-inflammatory drugs in tablets are used to reduce pain:

• ibuprofen;
• Paracetamol.

In some cases, with body burns of the order of 30–40%, the development of allergic reactions is possible. In this case, antihistamines are used:

• Suprastin;
• Loratadine.

In order to reduce intoxication of the body, sorbents can be used that bind toxins and remove them from the body:

• Smecta;
• Activated carbon;
• Enterosgel.

Tsindol from hogweed burns

You can provide first aid for a burn with cow parsnip using Tsindol suspension. This product contains zinc oxide. This substance, when applied to the skin, has several effects at once:

• anti-inflammatory;
• drying;
• absorbent;
• antiseptic.

Zindol has a positive effect on the healing process, reducing the intensity and severity of inflammatory processes. The agent is applied to the affected areas of the skin with a cotton pad or gauze. The frequency and duration of use of the remedy are determined by the doctor. In most cases, Tsindol is applied 2-3 times a day, for a week. It is better to use the product after opening the blisters, in order to dry erosion and prevent infection.

Fukortsin for burns with hogweed

Answering the question of how to treat a hogweed burn, doctors recommend Fukortsin. This solution is effective for erosive skin lesions with the addition of a pustular infection. It should be used at the stage when the blisters have already opened and the contents gradually flow out. The drug is absolutely safe, well tolerated (among the contraindications, only individual intolerance).

The solution is applied to the affected areas of the skin, according to medical recommendations. To do this, use cotton swabs or a disk. Experts recommend applying the product 2-4 times to the surface of the skin during the day. The solution perfectly dries the skin, after which healing creams and ointments can be used.

How long does a hogweed burn last?

Completely burns from hogweed grass disappear after a month. This is due to the fact that, in addition to sensitizing properties, Sosnowsky's hogweed has genotoxic properties - it is capable of provoking mutations in the gene material. As a result, dark spots at the site of former burns can persist for several years. However, in the end, the skin restores its former color. When hogweed juice gets on the mucous membrane of the eyes, there is a risk of damage to it, which as a result can cause visual impairment and blindness.

Do scars remain after burns with hogweed?

If burns after hogweed are treated incorrectly, do not follow medical prescriptions, there is a risk of scarring. After the appearance of erosion, the process of regeneration of the skin begins. Constant contact of the skin with the external environment, frequent injury to the crusts formed on the surface increases the duration of the regeneration process and the risk of scar formation. The use of special creams and ointments avoids this cosmetic defect.

Is it possible to wash with hogweed burns?

Not knowing how to behave, patients, faced with a problem, ask specialists if it is possible to bathe with a hogweed burn. Doctors recommend that you wash yourself completely almost immediately after contact with the plant - this will help reduce the volume of the burn and the area of ​​\u200b\u200bdamage. If this is not possible, you can wash after the appearance of blisters. You have to be careful not to damage them though. After washing, it is necessary to immediately work out the burns with the drug.

Even in Russia, such a plant as hogweed was eaten, and was one of the ingredients of the progenitor of modern borscht. Over time, it began to be cultivated as a fodder crop for cattle. This idea failed, as the plant spread quickly and turned out to be poisonous not only for animals, but also for humans. You can poison yourself with essential oils, which it releases during flowering. In addition, burns from cow parsnip also cause very serious consequences.

General information about the plant

Common hogweed grows almost throughout Russia and the CIS countries. It is a poisonous umbrella crop with a dense, tubular stem. As an adult, it is a relatively tall plant with massive green leaves. During the flowering period, the hogweed plant throws up many small snow-white umbrellas, connected into one large inflorescence.

The main danger to humans is the leaves, stems and roots of the plant, which contain a huge dose of a substance called furocoumarin. It makes the skin more sensitive to ultraviolet rays. It is for this reason that it does not appear immediately after touching it, but only after being under the rays of the sun for some time.

The consequences of interaction with this dangerous plant can occur even in bad weather, since a small amount of ultraviolet radiation is enough to activate furocoumarin.

The period of active flowering of hogweed begins from July to August, it is at this time that it is most dangerous for people. The plant emits toxic substances into the air, and for poisoning it is enough just to be near it. The hollow stems of cow parsnip attract the attention of children, who most often get poisoned and burned after they make a whistle or spitting pipe out of it.

Protect yourself and read the article about the burn with another plant:

Symptoms

After a person has been burned with hogweed, they may experience symptoms of varying levels of complexity, ranging from mild redness to deep ulcers. The affected areas of the body will be characterized by itching and burning. General symptoms: lethargy, chills, headache, in rare cases, fever. An acute reaction is usually observed in fair-haired people with white skin and in children.

A mild degree of damage is represented by a pigment spot. A more severe burn from this plant is accompanied by inflammation, the appearance of blisters and vesicles, which, without proper treatment, can turn into sluggishly healing ulcer formations.

If more than 80% of the skin has undergone burns, then the probability of death is high.

An allergic reaction to the essential oils secreted by hogweed manifests itself in the form of rhinitis, cough, skin swelling at the site of the lesion, an attack of bronchospasm, and even systemic edema.

First aid

From how quickly and efficiently first aid will be provided after contact with the plant, the success of the subsequent treatment of burns with hogweed envy. Once you have discovered that there has been contact with a poisonous crop, the following actions should be taken:

• Wash the damaged area of ​​​​the skin for a long time and thoroughly, using a soapy solution (this item can be performed only in case of slight redness, if blisters appear, contact with water is contraindicated);
• The burn should be disinfected, for example, with potassium permanganate, furatsilin solution or alcohol tincture;
• Anoint the affected area with anti-burn ointment (panthenol or olazol) - read "";
• Due to the high allergenicity of hogweed, any antihistamine should be taken;
• Avoid exposure to direct sunlight. The damaged area of ​​the skin should be covered with gauze;
• If the general condition worsens, then it will not be superfluous to take anti-inflammatory pills, such as panadol or paracetamol.

• Damage and intentionally break blisters. Such action can lead to infection of wounds;
• Treat the affected skin with oily solutions or ointments, including folk methods such as urine, milk or vegetable oil;
• Be in direct sunlight.

How to treat burns from hogweed, it is better to check with your doctor, especially when it comes to burns in young children, severe damage with confluent blisters, and also if the burn is accompanied by very high fever, vomiting, swelling of the nasopharynx, eyes, mucous membranes and skin more ten%.

Traditional Treatments

The main recommendation is that after contact with the plant, do not leave the building for at least two days to avoid ultraviolet rays, as well as lubricate the affected areas with special ointments. Since such a burn differs from injuries received, for example, from boiling water, then specific drugs are selected in this case.

How to treat burns from hogweed:

• Antibacterial agents - stop and prevent the spread of infection and germs;
• Adsorbents - remove poison and toxic substances from a person (activated carbon);
• Antihistamines - remove the primary allergic symptoms, such as swelling;
• Anti-burn aerosols, sprays and that have an anti-inflammatory and wound healing effect;
• Hormonal creams - improve the regeneration and restoration of the body as a whole.

Hogweed is a common plant from the umbrella family. In Russia, until about the 18th century, the leaves and stems of this plant were used to make liquid stew with vegetables - this is how borscht appeared. Eating gradually faded away, although the plant contains many useful substances - amino acids, vitamins, trace elements. In the last century, hogweed was cultivated as a fodder silage crop, but later abandoned because of its poisonous properties and rapid spread.

Hogweed is a poisonous plant. But not all of its species are equally harmful. Hogweed poisoning can occur when eating stems and leaves, if it is used incorrectly as a medicinal plant. But most often this plant causes the development of sunburn on the skin.

What does a hogweed look like

What is hogweed, how to recognize this plant? About forty of its species grow on the territory of the former Soviet Union. There are about seventy of them in all. Characteristic for them are umbellate inflorescences of small white flowers, tall growth and pinnate spreading leaves. The plant is unpretentious to environmental conditions, lives along the banks of rivers, in wastelands, along roadsides. The stem is thick, up to one and a half meters in height, the plant can occupy about 1 square meter in area. Hogweed is famous for its high growth rate - it can add 10-12 cm in height in a day.

Siberian hogweed is widely distributed in the European part of Russia and Western Siberia. It is not poisonous, it is eaten and used for medicinal purposes.

Another non-dangerous plant species is common hogweed. It grows in Eurasia and North Africa.

Of the poisonous species in Russia, Sosnovsky's hogweed grows. It is much higher than the first two species, the edges of the leaves are as if indented, the stem is covered with hairs with purple dots.

Some types of plants are used as ornamentals, planting them in park areas or summer cottages. These include Mantegazzi (phytotoxic), Colchis hogweed (not poisonous), pink hogweed and others. Most non-poisonous ornamental species have yellow or pink flowers.

What is dangerous hogweed for humans

How does cow parsnip act on a person? The juice of the plant contains a poisonous substance - coumarin bergapten. When in contact with the skin, it increases sensitivity to ultraviolet light. This property of plants is called phototoxicity.

The danger lies in the fact that the hogweed juice itself does not irritate the skin. You can get a significant dose of poison without consequences, but if you are exposed to sunlight within two days after that, a burn develops. The degree of burn depends on the amount of juice that has fallen on the skin, the intensity and duration of exposure to sunlight.

Hogweed is most dangerous during the flowering period, which lasts almost all summer. Also, the likelihood of burns increases on clear sunny days.

Allergy to hogweed is a fairly common occurrence. The plant produces many essential oils, has a sharp characteristic odor that can be felt several meters away. The reaction can occur both by contact and by inhalation of the allergen.

Children often get injured playing with the stems of Sosnowski's hogweed, which reaches several centimeters in diameter and has a hollow structure - they make spitting pipes or whistles from it, which leads to a burn of the mucous membrane of the mouth and lips.

Symptoms

If you get a hogweed burn, the symptoms will depend on the degree of exposure of the poison to the skin:

• slight redness;
• blisters;
• deep ulcers.

In the affected areas of the skin, a person experiences itching and burning. Common symptoms include lethargy, chills, dizziness, and headache. Sometimes the body temperature rises.

People with blond hair and white skin react more strongly to burns. Children often suffer from burns.

With a mild degree of damage, a pigment spot remains on the skin. If the juice caused severe inflammation, blisters and vesicles, then slowly healing ulcers form in their place later. If more than 80% of the body surface is burned, death is possible.

In case of allergic reactions, a runny nose, cough, bouts of bronchospasm, skin edema - at the site of injury or systemic (Quincke's edema) are possible.

First aid for burns with cow parsnip

What to do with a hogweed burn to prevent the development of severe damage? Wash off the juice of the plant from the skin as soon as possible. To do this, it is better to use soapy solutions or with baking soda - the essential oils of the plant are difficult to remove with plain water.

Then the affected area of ​​the skin is smeared with any emollient cream.

It is necessary to consult a doctor in the following cases:

• the appearance of allergic reactions - swelling of the skin, nasopharynx, bronchospasm, etc.;
• burns of a large area (more than 10% of the body);
• severe burns with confluent blisters;
• burns of the eyes, mucous membranes of the mouth and nose;
• burns in young children;
• severe general reaction: fever, vomiting.

Minor burns can be treated at home.

Burn treatment with hogweed

If a hogweed burn has already been received, the treatment consists in lubricating the damaged areas of the skin and avoiding exposure to sunlight, even through clothing. It is recommended not to leave the house for two days after contact with the plant.

How to treat a burn from cow parsnip:

Or you can use any other pharmacy remedy for the treatment of burns. It is impossible to open the formed blisters, otherwise you can bring the infection. Wash the burns with a solution of furacilin or a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

Treatment of a burn with cow parsnip at home with folk remedies

Lotions are made every 2–3 hours, wetting gauze or a piece of clean cotton cloth with a decoction and applying it to the affected area of ​​the skin for 5–10 minutes.

How to avoid poisoning

The best way to prevent burns from cow parsnip is not to come into contact with the plant. Unfortunately, in practice, this advice is rather difficult to implement. The hogweed grows rapidly, occupying those places where it was not previously. Contact with the plant does not cause discomfort, so you can simply not notice the hogweed in the grass.

Summing up all of the above, it can be noted that severe burns from hogweed are not so common. Mostly children and workers employed in agriculture or in a private courtyard suffer from it. If a poisonous plant grows in your area, show it to the children and explain why it is dangerous.

In case of poisoning with cow parsnip, symptoms appear after a few hours, provided that the affected skin is exposed to sunlight. There is redness, in the future, blisters may appear, turning into ulcers.

In mild cases, the affected areas of the skin are washed with an antiseptic solution and lubricated with any anti-burn ointment. In severe situations (burns of more than 10% of the body, contact with the juice of the plant in the eyes or mucous membranes, the development of an allergic reaction) - consult a doctor.

There are plants that you should avoid getting close to. If nettle has been known to everyone since childhood, then only summer residents are well aware of hogweed. The long-awaited outdoor recreation sometimes ends in failure: close contact with the juice of this weed causes severe irritation. This poisonous herb is extremely dangerous for children and adults with sensitive skin. Burns from hogweed heal reluctantly, and scars or pigmentation remain after treatment. The reason for such consequences is furanocoumarins (furocoumarins) contained in the juice and provoking severe photodermatosis.

What does a hogweed look like

This poisonous plant belongs to the umbrella family. About 40 species grow on the territory of the former CIS, but only one is dangerous - Sosnovsky's hogweed. The inflorescences are similar to dill, the flowers are small and white. Harmless plants have a height of 30-100 cm, and the poisonous variety is easy to recognize by its gigantic growth - from more than a meter to four.

The diameter of the inflorescence often reaches 80 cm, the length of the spreading leaves is up to 1.9 m. Another sign of poisonous hogweed is a fleecy, rough and thick stem covered with purple spots. Its growth rate is striking: 10 cm per day.

Symptoms of defeat by hogweed

The first sign is redness of the skin. It will not be possible to quickly determine a burn with a cow parsnip, since, unlike similar household injuries, thermal or chemical, touching the plant does not immediately cause discomfort. They show up later. The rate of onset of symptoms depends on how long the injured person has been in the sun. With intense exposure to ultraviolet radiation, a burn appears quickly at the site of contact of the skin with the plant, the damage in these cases is very strong.

A day or more after contact with cow parsnip, small but numerous blisters with liquid form on the burned skin. They are no different from similar manifestations of a thermal burn of the 2nd degree. Then the bubbles begin to rapidly increase in size, merge, blisters appear with serous contents, they sometimes reach a height of 1 cm. If the integrity of the cover is not broken, there are still no unpleasant symptoms.

Any damage to the bladder leads to an instant onset of severe pain, this symptom does not depend on what caused the violation of the skin. Therefore, it is recommended not to injure the affected area. After 4-5 days, the blister begins to gradually subside, then its upper part sticks to the skin, a crust forms at the site of the wound. This process is also accompanied by pain.

It takes about 3 months to treat burns from the poisonous hogweed Sosnowski. Reminders of dangerous contact remain on the skin for years - dark spots.

What to do with a hogweed burn: first aid

The emergency treatment of such wounds includes several stages:

1. First, the area in contact with the hogweed is washed with soap and water, usually household. If the area is large, take a shower, carefully lathering the body three times. The appearance of blisters is a contraindication for these actions.
2. A burn from hogweed with or without blisters is disinfected - treated with a solution of potassium permanganate or Furacilin.
3. The affected area of ​​the skin is covered from sunlight using a gauze bandage. It is forbidden to leave the house even in cloudy weather.

After these manipulations, it is necessary to consult a doctor, since only a physician can correctly assess the degree of damage, and therefore prescribe the appropriate treatment. Self-activity is completely unacceptable when:

• the burn is accompanied by a high temperature;
• the child received a burn;
• more than 10% of the skin is affected;
• the injury is severe - large blisters, ulcers formed;
• the wound is localized on the mucous membranes, head or feet;
• cow parsnip caused a severe allergic reaction.

How and how to treat a hogweed burn: further therapy

House arrest of a cow parsnip victim for at least two days is a mandatory requirement for successful therapy. Traditionally, the treatment of burns with hogweed at home is carried out by a variety of means: both medicines and folk methods. Recent prescriptions require doctor's approval.

Pharmacy funds

Grass burn is a photochemical species. For their therapy, the following drugs are used:

1. Activated carbon, Smecta, Enterosgel, ridding the body of toxins.
2. Antibacterial agents to prevent secondary infection: Vibramycin, Doxycycline, Xedocin, Tetracycline.
3. Antihistamines that relieve inflammation, itching. For example, Suprastin, Tavegil, Loratidine, Ketotifen, Ebastin.
4. Analgesics - Citramon, Pentalgin, Paracetamol, Nimesil, Analgin.
5. Steroid or non-steroid drugs, analgesic, anti-inflammatory. Nonsteroidal - Ibuprofen, Ketorolac, Nise. In the presence of ulcers and erosions, steroids are prescribed: Advantan, Beloderm, Hydrocortisone, Neoderm, Prednisolone, Triderm.
6. A regenerating, wound healing or antibacterial ointment for burns from hogweed is necessarily a component of treatment. More often Actovegin, Dioxysol, Levomekol, Levosin, Olazol, Tsindol, Zinc ointment are used.

Before smearing a wound, you need to consult a doctor, because self-medication will aggravate an already difficult situation. The affected area must breathe, so the dressings are changed at least 2 times a day.

Folk methods

Mild plant burn can be treated in several ways.

The most commonly used recipes are:

1. Oak bark. A teaspoon of raw materials is poured into a glass of boiling water, kept in a water bath for 25 minutes, left for an hour, filtered. Top up with water to the previous volume. A gauze napkin soaked in infusion is applied to the affected area three times a day. The maximum duration of exposure is 5 minutes.
2. Black tea or fireweed. Strong tea leaves of plants are used in a similar way.
3. Burnet. The roots are crushed, pour 200 ml of boiling water into them, cook in a water bath for 15 minutes. With a cooled and filtered broth, the burn is washed twice a day or lotions are used, they are kept on the wound for 3-4 minutes.
4. Fresh meat is used when blisters are present. Thin plastics of raw beef are applied to the skin after washing with soapy water. Fixing them is not needed, the meat sticks well. It is believed that after half an hour the blisters from the burn disappear.
5. Soda. It is slightly moistened with warm boiled water, a cake is formed, fixed with gauze. After half an hour, they change to a new portion. This is done in the first hours after receiving a wound. If a lot of time has passed, then a change is necessary every 4 hours.
6. Lavender or sea buckthorn oil. The product is lubricated with burns five times a day.

What not to do

Any burns with cow parsnip require correct treatment, otherwise complications are inevitable. Therefore, it is better to remember a small list of prohibited actions:

• it is not recommended to lubricate burns with fats, vegetable and animal, fermented milk drinks;
• urine compresses or rinses are prohibited;
• it is impossible to open blisters after cow parsnip in order to avoid infection and pain syndrome;
• tight bandages on the burn are not allowed: the skin must breathe, weeping wounds will lead to suppuration.

Only proper handling of a hogweed burn will shorten the healing time, as well as protect against complications.

What is dangerous plant: the consequences of a burn

The dangers that lie in wait for a person who has received such burns from grass are different. Deep lesions of the skin are fraught with ulcers that do not heal for a long time, dark spots that remain at the site of injury. Pigmentation is also possible if first aid after contact with hogweed is late. A similar result awaits those who have remained under the sun for a long time.

The consequences of getting its juice on large areas of the body are scars, scars that do not resolve for years, and sometimes remain forever. Opening large burn blisters increases the risk of infection. Microorganisms that have entered the wound will require longer therapy.

If a strong allergic reaction to cow parsnip is detected, then, in addition to Quincke's edema, anaphylactic shock is possible, which is a direct threat to life.

How to protect yourself

The best prevention of burns with toxic cow parsnip is the absence of contact with the plant. This may not always be the case, as the grass is taking over new territories at an astonishing rate. Most often, children, summer residents and agricultural workers suffer from burns.

In order not to endanger yourself and your family, you must adhere to the following risk minimization measures:

1. Conduct a preventive conversation with the children, showing the hogweed and explaining why its burn is dangerous.
2. If the plant unexpectedly settled in the country, it is necessary to destroy it in early spring. It is better to be well equipped - put on overalls, rubber shoes and gloves, wear a respirator or goggles. Before the operation, it is recommended to water the cow parsnip abundantly: it is believed that it becomes less poisonous, but this fact has not been proven. After removing the plant, a shower with soap, washing clothes, rinsing shoes is required.
3. When weeding the garden, you need to use tools to avoid contact of the cow parsnip with your hands. All work is best planned on cloudy days, early in the morning or in the evening.
4. When going out into nature or working on the site, it is always better to choose tight clothing.
5. You can only walk along well-trodden paths, be sure to look under your feet even in this case.

Burn first aid, provided instantly, is a sure way to avoid serious consequences. To combat poisonous hogweed burns, you should always have laundry or tar soap, magnesium permanganate, sterile dressings, and anti-burn ointments on hand. Such a camping set will save you from bad consequences.