The Sting Ray Plant - Planta de las Rayas

Posted by David Dagoli on February 4, 2013, 3:03 pm
187.146.106.171

Here are some photos of what the local people call the "planta de las rayas" - the sting ray plant. It can be used to treat the sting people can get when they step on a ray in the ocean. It's a vine that grows wild, in the sand close to the ground, in empty lots along the edge of the beach. The leaf is almost round in shape, an inch to inch-and-a-half in diameter. The leaves are very sturdy, almost waxy, like a laurel leaf. The vines have big bean pods right now,can be quite long as shown in the photo of 12-year-old Bertha holding one. Boil a good quantity of leaves in a pot for a few minutes. Some say to use ocean water, but any water will do. Apply the hot water to the sting by using a rag to drip the water over the area... as hot as the person can stand it, but cooler than boiling of course. You can have cool water standing by in case the person's skin gets too hot. While the injured person is waiting for the treatment, cover the sting in hot sand on the beach, so no air can get at it. The wound will bleed with the application of the hot water, and that will help remove some of the venom that causes the pain. Keep bathing the wound in the very hot leaf water until the pain dissipates - probably around 30 minutes. Afterward, the wound should be cleaned with alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, and an antibiotic cream applied.

392

Be sure to visit www.lamanzanilla.info