Consequences after cow parsnip. What to do and how to treat a burn with cow parsnip. Burns from cow parsnip: treatment

Some plants, so cute and harmless in appearance, can bring a lot of trouble to a person. Poisonous and dangerous, on contact they poison the body, harm health, and sometimes even threaten life. One of these "green enemies" was the cow parsnip.

What is this plant

Hogweed grows in many regions not only in Russia, but also in all CIS countries. Every year it grows to a gigantic size and, like an invader, spreads to new territories. It multiplies so quickly that people do not have time to uproot and destroy it. Some do not even know how dangerous herb hogweed is. The burns that this plant causes can provoke such severe intoxication of the body that a person ends up in intensive care.

The shoots of hogweed, its leaves and fruits contain a large amount of essential oil. It also contains furanocoumarins, a dangerous substance that increases sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation. Therefore, if you touch it, you can get badly burned. A person receives especially severe injuries on sunny, fine, hot days during the flowering of the plant. And then the question arises of how to treat burns from hogweed. There are several resources. It all depends on the duration of contact and the degree of injury.

How does a burn occur?

A person's skin will be affected if he, touching the plant, was at the same time in the sun. The injury does not appear immediately: from several hours to several days. The most dangerous thing is that the victim does not feel anything upon contact, he calmly goes home, goes about his business and does not suspect that an irreversible process in the body has already been started.

The action of hogweed is so strong that a burn can be obtained even through matter. Therefore, before sunbathing, carefully examine the ground: does this plant grow there, while not confusing it with ordinary harmless mugs. If you were careless, then you are guaranteed to get an injury caused by the components of the cow parsnip. This is usually a second-degree burn in the form of blisters filled with fluid. It is necessary to take the necessary measures immediately - on your own or after contacting a doctor. In any case, every physician knows how to treat burns from hogweed. Much worse if you have an allergic reaction to this plant. Pollen in this case causes swelling of the larynx, a person can simply suffocate. Therefore, if you are allergic, it is better to bypass the hogweed on the tenth road.

Main symptoms

After visiting a forest or a river, the first thing you should pay attention to is redness on the skin. If they are, then most likely there was contact with the hogweed. Perhaps this area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe epidermis was simply rubbed by clothes or you lay it on the grass. But it doesn’t hurt to play it safe, so that later you don’t puzzle over how to treat burns from cow parsnip.

Therefore, if, in addition to redness, there is still itching, it is better to take measures to avoid unpleasant consequences. If this is not done, then after a while bubbles will pop up - this is a signal that the burn is more severe than expected. These blisters take a very long time to heal. Sometimes it takes 3-4 months to achieve the effect of the treatment. If more than 80 percent of the skin is affected, the person may die. Hogweed is very dangerous for children because of their delicate skin. Allergic people and red-haired people, who are most susceptible to the sun, are also at risk. Therefore, be careful. For clarity, look in the medical encyclopedia how scary the injuries that the hogweed leaves look like. Photos, burns on them and comments of the victims will forever be imprinted in the mind. And, perhaps, in the future they will protect you from danger.

First aid

If you notice that you have touched a cow parsnip, stop contact with the plant immediately. If redness occurs, wash the affected area thoroughly. You can keep it under running cool water for 20-30 minutes. Then cover the burn with a thick cloth for several hours so that the sun's rays do not fall on the skin. There will be enough time to get home or to the nearest pharmacy.

Next, apply a thick soapy solution to the reddened epidermis. Hold for a while and rinse with vodka or plain water. Soak a napkin with a solution of furacilin and apply to the skin. After a few hours, prepare a lotion from the infusion of oak bark, black tea or burnet root and apply it on the body. Repeat the procedure every 2-3 hours until the burn dries up and the inflammatory process stops developing. This is the first aid that you must give yourself in this situation. Remedies for burns of hogweed of folk origin will help with not too much damage to the skin.

Medical treatment

Sometimes the wounds after contact with the plant are very deep, and a simple soapy solution will not help here. What to do with a hogweed burn if there are many large blisters? Of course, run to the hospital for qualified help.

Doctors usually prescribe activated charcoal. It should be taken three times a day, five tablets before meals. The drug "Doxycycline", which has an antibacterial effect, should be taken one tablet twice a day. Use "Fukortsin" ointment or other anti-burn agents in the morning and evening on the affected area. If the itching is very strong, Chloroquine is prescribed. Creams containing hormones will also help treat severe damage. In addition, drink vitamins, especially A and E, which have a beneficial effect on the skin, its recovery. If the burn is very deep and causes severe pain, the doctor prescribes an anesthetic gel or drug in capsules. The main thing is to follow the instructions of the doctors and take the entire course of treatment from A to Z.

other methods

There are other remedies, the instructions for which will tell you in detail how to treat burns from hogweed. They can be used as a standalone unit or as an adjunct to another course of treatment. For example, zinc ointment, which contains petroleum jelly, shows a very good healing effect in practice.

Some victims speak well of the homeopathic preparation "Tsindol", which is able to create a shell around the wound and prevent further damage to the epidermis. Such ointments are applied several times a day until the pain disappears and until the skin is completely restored. Lavender oil also helps. It has effective healing, disinfecting and restoring properties.

If none of the above brought the desired result, doctors will tell you how to treat a burn from hogweed. Most likely, they will offer to open the blisters in the hospital and draw out the fluid poisoning the body. After that, the "plaque" of the dried blister does not need to be removed. The skin is covered with an antibacterial bandage, which is periodically changed until complete recovery.

Hogweed: the consequences of a burn and an allergic reaction

They can be very different. It is worth remembering that if the skin lesion was too deep, then dark spots form in place of the blisters. Pigmentation is also possible if urgent measures are not taken: do not provide first aid and do not cover the burn from the sun. In very severe cases, this plant is able to leave traces in the form of scars and scars that cannot be absorbed and even cannot always be removed surgically.

If you are allergic to cow parsnip, then the consequences are even more terrible. The reaction can appear both in the form of a rash, and in the form of tearing, coughing and sneezing. In this case, you just need to leave the place where the hogweed grows. If the larynx swells when pollen is inhaled, there is a greater risk of death. Therefore, during the most dangerous flowering period of the plant (from July to September), carry anti-allergic drugs with you, which your doctor has prescribed for you and which absolutely help to eliminate anaphylactic shock.

Prevention

In order not to become a victim of hogweed, you need to be attentive and careful. Examine the appearance of this plant in order to accurately distinguish it from others. When you are in nature in close proximity to danger, it is better not to climb through the bushes, but to walk on already trodden paths. Before choosing a particular place for a picnic, inspect the ground: even if there are very young shoots of hogweed, leave immediately. Choose another clearing, let it be less beautiful and picturesque, but safer.

Wear thick clothes in the forest and on the river. Let it cover as much of the body as possible. If it is very hot, choose a light tracksuit, it will at least partially protect you from damage and soften the attack of the plant. Wear sunglasses, your eyes will be protected from pollen, which can also cause a burn of the mucous membrane of the visual organ. Remember that the process of prevention is much easier and painless than a long painful treatment and getting rid of the consequences of burns.

Hogweed was originally brought to our country as a fodder crop, but it turned out that it tastes bitter and has a dangerous side effect. Due to the biologically active compounds contained in it, it provokes strong and long-term non-healing skin with underlying tissues. Why is the plant dangerous, where is it common and when are burns possible?

General information about the plant

Hogweed belongs to a large family of umbelliferous, reaching a height of 150 cm during the period of active growth and with a leaf span of up to 100 cm. It has two forms dangerous to humans - Sosnovsky's cow parsnip and Mantegazzi.

note

Outwardly, they differ only in size, the latter reaches a height of up to 6 meters with a span of 200 cm, is dangerous at a young and mature age, and its seeds are also poisonous.

There is a dangerous plant in Russia, the CIS countries and Turkey, Eastern Europe. The fight against hogweed is difficult, as a typical weed is unpretentious and grows in any conditions.

Although the hogweed looks beautiful - a powerful green plant with large leaves and inflorescences of small white flowers collected in an umbrella, it is dangerous due to the presence of essential oil with furanocoumarins in the composition of the juice. These substances dramatically increase the sensitivity of the skin to ultraviolet radiation, which causes burns on the skin. It is dangerous to touch the plant, its burns lead to the formation of blisters on the skin from small and barely noticeable to extensive. Burns are especially dangerous for them in the summer, during flowering and sunny weather. The minimum contact of grass juice with the skin requires covering the body from the sun for 2 days, and if the burn has already occurred, its treatment is complex and lengthy, burns can be severe.

The development of burns from hogweed

Hogweed burns are insidious and very dangerous due to the fact that they can lead to the formation of pigmented spots and scars. Plus, they are often dangerous because plant burns do not give sharp pain immediately upon contact with them, and the process of burn formation goes almost imperceptibly at first, until blisters appear.

Sometimes it is possible to get burns from essential oils even through clothing, as essential oils soak it well and are resorbed by the skin.

No less dangerous is an allergic reaction to hogweed, or rather to the pollen that it spreads during flowering. It can manifest itself as swelling of the larynx, which threatens with an attack of suffocation, which is difficult to stop. In this case, you can not even come close to the places where the plant grows, and not what to touch them.

It is important to emphasize that the severity of burns depends on the amount of plant sap that has got on the skin and its concentration, the duration of subsequent ultraviolet irradiation, the localization of plant contact with the skin, and individual sensitivity due to age.

Sequence of events in burns

Burns from hogweed do not appear immediately, but it is important to recognize them at the very beginning in order to apply the full range of therapeutic measures and not lead to dangerous conditions. It is important to examine the skin immediately after contact with the plant, the affected tissues may turn red, burning and itching of the skin is possible in this area. After a few hours or a day, the skin becomes covered with blisters at the burn sites, which can merge into large blisters. If the burn deepens, the blisters may burst, the affected area is very painful for a week, and may form crusts and sores.

After 1-2 weeks, it dries up, with the separation of a scab (dense crust), healthy, but very thin delicate skin is exposed under it. In the development of skin lesions, 4 successive stages can be distinguished - redness, followed by swelling, blisters appear and all ends with crusts with a scab.

It is important to understand that the earlier the treatment of burns is started, the less their severity will be in the end.

Symptoms of a hogweed burn

Among the main manifestations typical of hogweed burns, one can single out a burning sensation that occurs a few hours after the juice gets on the skin. Blisters may appear after 1-2 days, filling with liquid. The site of the lesion first with essential oils, and then over them becomes red with ultraviolet light, general intoxication and the manifestation of bright pigmentation in the affected areas, up to life, are also typical. In the area of ​​​​the blisters, after opening them, deep ulcerative defects remain, which heal so badly, and if they suppurate, there are also scars.

There may be additional symptoms upon contact with hogweed in the form of fever, when the blisters become infected, a cloudy greenish liquid forms inside them, and intoxication increases.

There is evidence that the defeat of more than 80% of the body surface with hogweed juice provokes burns that threaten death.

If hogweed juice gets into the eyes, it threatens with irreversible loss of vision due to ulcerative lesions of the retina. If these are burns in children, it is imperative to consult a doctor and treat only under his supervision so that there are no scars and scars.

First aid for burns with cow parsnip

It is important to immediately and correctly provide first aid upon contact with hogweed so that the skin is as little affected as possible by essential oils with photosensitizers:

1. It is important to immediately place the injured person in a shaded area so that ultraviolet radiation does not enter. Burns are possible even in cloudy weather, clouds for UV rays are not an obstacle. Therefore, you need to bring the victim into a room or a deep shadow.
2. The skin in the areas of contact with the plant and its juice must be thoroughly and for a long time washed with a large amount of running water to wash away all the remnants of the juice. Cover the affected part of the skin with a dense cloth to protect it from radiation. In addition, when blisters form, dressings will protect against infection.
3. Affected tissues can be washed with soda or soapy water, and if blisters have formed, they cannot be rubbed or washed with soap, this threatens to open them and infect wounds.
4. Treat unopened blisters or red skin with vodka, a solution of potassium permanganate or furacilin, you can use a sunburn spray that is sprayed with foam (Panthenol, Olazol).
5. Inside for prevention, it is recommended to take the usual dose of antihistamines. For pain and swelling, malaise and fever, antipyretics are used (Nurofen,).

note

For the prevention of increased burns for 2-3 days, you can not go outside during the day, if it is summer and sunny weather, you can not sunbathe for two weeks.

When is a doctor needed immediately?

There are situations when you need to immediately contact a doctor for advice and help. This includes the appearance of blisters, especially large ones and merging with each other into a single vast burn space. In addition, a doctor is important if burns occupy more than 10-15% of the entire body, merge over the surface, inside them there is a cloudy greenish liquid, and affect the mucous membranes of the eyes or nasopharynx.

Hogweed burns in children always require a doctor's examination!

If the first signs of an allergy appear with swelling or suffocation, itching of the skin or fever, you should immediately consult a doctor.

How to treat burns with hogweed at home

Usually, after examination, the doctor prescribes treatment at home under the supervision of a doctor. First of all, in addition to dressings and covering the places of burns from the sun, the reception is shown in the first two days after contact with the plant. You can use sachets, Polysorb, composition in age doses.

In order to heal the skin and restore the integrity of the integument, use D-panthenol spray, zinc ointment or Rescuer balm. They are applied in a thin layer on the surface.

For itching of the skin, you can use the Fenistil gel, applied in a thin layer to the skin. In case of damage that is strong and significant, against the background of blisters, the use of creams with hormonal components may be indicated - Hydrocortisone or Akriderm, Triderm.

Burns can be sore, so it is acceptable to use painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs - Paracetamol or Ibuprofen.

Hogweed is a plant of the Umbelliferae family, which reaches gigantic sizes during the growing season. It is common in all CIS countries, including Russia. It is very difficult to fight this weed because of its rapid growth and active growth. Hogweed burn is especially dangerous, as many plant species are poisonous.

What is a hogweed

In Russia, the plant has appeared since the time of Stalin, when it was brought from America. At first, they wanted to cultivate hogweed as a silage crop, but the hopes were not justified, the grass turned out to be bitter in taste, and most importantly, poisonous properties were found in it.

Hogweed only looks beautiful, in fact it is a dangerous plant

What does a hogweed look like? These are umbrella inflorescences of small white flowers. The plant is quite unpretentious and can grow everywhere: on roadsides, fields and banks of water bodies. Its stalk is thick, it reaches a height of 1.5 m. The maximum distribution area is approximately 1 sq. m. Also, the grass is famous for its growth, in a day it can grow by 10-12 cm.

There are only 70 species of this plant: decorative, poisonous and edible - the last type of hogweed was added to borscht back in the 16th century, after which it received a "talking" name. A plant with pink and yellow flowers is planted for beauty, common hogweed, widespread in Eurasia and North Africa, is used for medicinal purposes.

Sosnovsky and Montegatsia's hogweed is considered the most dangerous to health - they leave burns. Siberian hogweed is not poisonous, it is advised to use it for medicinal purposes and add to dishes, it grows in the European side of the Russian Federation and Western Siberia.

What is the danger

Hogweed is a poisonous plant, its leaves and fruits contain ether oil, where there are furanocoumarins. These substances include photosensitizing elements that increase susceptibility to ultraviolet radiation. Therefore, it is dangerous to touch the plant - you can burn yourself, and then bubbles will appear on the affected area. This happens especially often in the summer during flowering, when it is sunny outside. But in general, grass juice will not cause serious consequences if a person has minimal contact with ultraviolet radiation for two days.

It takes quite a long time to treat a burn from hogweed, and even after healing the skin, spots and scars may remain. It is also dangerous that when in contact with the plant, a person does not feel anything and the process goes unnoticed. Often the victim is not even aware of the pathological processes in his body. The impact of the plant is so strong that a burn can be obtained even through the fabric. If a person has an allergy to hogweed, or rather to its pollen, this can lead to swelling of the larynx, which can lead to suffocation. In this case, contact with the grass should be avoided as much as possible.

The toxic properties of the giant umbrella weed associated with the action of furanocoumarins, which are contained in its stems and leaves. These substances dramatically increase the sensitivity of the skin to ultraviolet radiation, and a person receives severe photoburns after contact with the plant.

Usually, treatment begins late, because the first signs appear only after a few hours. In the initial period, the burn resembles allergic reaction. The most vulnerable are children, fair-skinned people. The most dangerous thing is getting juice into the eyes, mucous membranes, and into the stomach.

In dry, hot weather and at the time of flowering in July-August, the largest amount of poison accumulates in the hogweed. Clothing made of thin fabric may not protect against burns.

The poison is also transmitted through objects that have come into contact with the plant. Susceptibility to the effects of caustic juice is different for everyone, the longer a person, without noticing symptoms, stayed in the sun, the longer the period of his rehabilitation.

Symptoms

Among the typical signs of a burn, there are redness, burning and itching. The affected area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe body is covered with painful blisters that increase in size and number, small bubbles merge into large ones.

There is swelling. At the last stage, there is exfoliation of the skin. The more severe the symptoms (fever and choking) and the larger (more than 10% of the body) affected area, the less reason to self-medicate.

Assistance on the spot

You should wet the caustic juice with a handkerchief, without smearing it on the surface of the epidermis. Then cover the sunburn with a thick cloth or bandage. The casualty should return to a closed area, keeping in the shade if possible.

At home

Straightaway wash the affected areas thoroughly running water with thick soapy foam. Sometimes it is advised to add baking soda to this solution. Soap is better to choose without fragrances and dyes.

Wipe the skin with a cloth moistened with ethyl alcohol or vodka to degrease and dry the skin. If there is no alcohol, a weak solution of potassium permanganate or Furacilin will do.

Try at least 2 days don't go out in the sun, avoid the light of fluorescent lamps. After about 48 hours, the poisonous substances that have entered the body will be destroyed.

A diet is provided with the exception of fatty, salty, spicy. Banned carbonated drinks, honey, chocolate, citrus fruits. You can't take alcohol.

Pharmacy preparations

Lubricate the affected skin anti-burn agents: Panthenol, Rescuer, Olazol, Levomekol. They have a pronounced wound healing and antimicrobial effect, accelerate the process of epithelization, strengthen collagen fibers, and relieve pain.

Well proven in the treatment of zinc ointment. For weeping areas, it is possible to use the antiseptic Fukortsin: this is a disinfectant that can stop the inflammatory process that has already begun. It is applied pointwise so as not to cause an overdose. Softens the skin and reduces irritation Bepanten.

Growing blisters should not be moistened with water and should not be opened on their own, so as not to infect. Moreover, the contents of the bubbles contain burning hogweed juice rejected by the skin. You will need the help of a dermatologist or surgeon, due to the threat of sepsis.

As a rule, in the morning before meals - taking activated charcoal, which absorbs harmful substances and removes them from the body. From antihistamines - Suprastin or Tavegil tablets, since the disease is often accompanied by allergies.

After the acute stage of the disease use external agents: sea buckthorn, olive and lavender oils, cedar resin, Contractubex gel, Akriderm ointment, Tsindol suspension.

They promote regeneration, resorption of scars, reduce the intensity of pathological processes, help remove scars and age spots at the burn site. Often these residual effects, caused by the action of the sun and excessive production of melanin in damaged areas of the skin, disappear only after a year. A course of vitamins is useful.

Traditional medicine methods are used at the stage of recovery and include: lotions with strong black tea, chamomile decoction, burnet root or oak bark. Apply 2-3 times a day for 15 minutes.

It is useless and even harmful to recognize the lubrication of painful areas with improvised means: fatty creams, vegetable juices,.

Sun exposure should be limited for about 2 weeks to avoid a relapse.

It is important to know about the danger of Sosnovsky's hogweed and be able to provide first aid to those affected by it in practice. It should be remembered that the treatment of a burn requires specialist intervention and may take a long time.

In this article:

The hogweed plant, common and dangerous in Russia today, is the unfortunate result of the Communist Party's experiment in breeding cheap food for cattle. However, the results of this experience still have to be disentangled today. Huge plantations and lonely shoots of this poisonous representative of the flora pose a serious danger to human health. In addition, hogweed stalks located in weed thickets can sometimes not be immediately detected and get burned because of this.

Burns from hogweed are very dangerous and fraught with serious consequences.. That is why first aid and further treatment of such lesions is one of the priorities in home medicine.

Hogweed danger and symptoms of damage

The damaging effect of hogweed is that its roots, stem and leaves contain furocoumarins, which sharply increase sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation hundreds of times. Coming into contact with the skin of an unsuspecting person, hogweed leaves no visible traces. But after some time, the skin quickly burns in the sun, mild symptoms appear on its surface with a rapid flow into more complex forms.

Even the hogweed juice left on the skin in cloudy weather causes harm. Indeed, with the slightest exposure to ultraviolet radiation, even for several minutes, signs of a severe burn will appear on such an area. The danger of hogweed increases greatly during its flowering period (July-August). After all, toxic substances are released into the air, even without contact, thereby causing harm to health.

The primary symptom of a hogweed burn is, as a rule, the usual redness with moderate itching, without pronounced anxiety. At first, it is possible not to pay attention to the symptom. But if measures are not taken, then over time, edema builds up in the affected area, in some cases leading to impaired joint mobility. There is an increase in erythema with its gradual transformation into transparent blisters filled with liquid. This course of symptoms indicates the onset of a more severe lesion. Thus, upon contact with the hogweed, it is necessary to quickly take measures to provide assistance. The suddenness of the manifestation of the above signs is another argument in favor of the increased danger of the plant.

Ulcers left by hogweed sometimes heal up to three months. In their place, spots remain, often in the form of a dark leaf, lasting for several years. Hogweed is especially dangerous for children, due to the tenderness of their skin, as well as for people with red hair.

Depending on the period of contact with the leaf, as well as solar radiation, the contacted tissues cover burns from hogweed: from slight skin redness, followed by blisters, to deep ulcers, severe in places of veins and slowly healing wounds. With a burn of the body, more than 80% are likely to be fatal.

First aid in case of injury

• Rinse the place of contact (even probable contact) with soap and thick foam for a long time and thoroughly with water. If bubbles appear, then they should not be wetted.
• Treat the affected and contact areas of the skin with a solution of alcohol, potassium permanganate, or furacilin. (This will help defat the skin and loosen the lesion.)
• Lubricate the affected areas with anti-burn agents ("Rescuer", "Panthenol", "Opazol").
• Hide damaged areas from any exposure to sunlight, both direct and indirect. It is best to avoid sun exposure for the next 48 hours.
• It is necessary to take antihistamines. After all, the plant has a serious allergenic effect and is able to lead to the appearance of general and local reactions.
• An anti-inflammatory agent (eg, paracetamol) may be used.

• Open blisters on your own, because this contributes to the development of infection, and also slows down the recovery processes.
• Apply clay or earth to damaged areas, make urinary or milk lotions, lubricate wounds with fat. This increases the likelihood of infection.

Burn treatment

Treatment of burns from cow parsnip is carried out only after contacting medical institutions for qualified medical assistance. Many are mistaken, mistakenly believing that the burns of the mentioned plant are treated, like other burns (for example, with boiling water). But in the treatment of lesions with plant poisons, in particular hogweed, other drugs are used, namely:

• Activated charcoal (up to 5 tablets 3 rubles / day before meals);
• Antibacterial agents (1 cap. doxycycline 2 times a day);
• Antihistamines (1 tab. Kestin at night);
• Anti-burn ointments (fukartsin 2r./d.);
• Hormone-containing creams (triderm, neoderm).

In addition to the above drugs taken in medicine to combat hogweed burns, there are many other proven remedies. Zinc ointment containing petroleum jelly has a good healing effect. They also use "Tsindol" (homeopathic preparation), which forms a shell on the surface of the burn, which prevents further skin damage. Apply such ointments several times a day until the pain disappears and the skin is restored. Lavender oil has effective healing properties, which disinfects the wound and accelerates the regenerative processes of the skin.

In a medical institution, the blisters are opened, the liquid is removed. After that, you should not remove the bladder cover, it is better to apply a wound-healing antibacterial agent and cover with a bandage.

Patients with lesions of more than 10% of the body surface, as well as burnt areas on the face, mucous membranes, feet, are required to undergo a course of inpatient treatment. Its duration depends on the severity of the lesion.

Summing up, it is worth paying attention again to the danger of hogweed and the need not only to avoid contact with it, but also to avoid places where it grows. When contact with hogweed could not be prevented, then it is necessary to remember the elementary rules for providing assistance in case of plant burns, and immediately follow them. Treatment of such lesions is possible only after seeking medical help in specialized institutions, receiving advice from knowledgeable individuals.