What to Do If You Are Stung by a Scorpion? A Detailed Guide to Fast Pain Relief

The scorpion, also known as quan chong, is venomous. Scorpion venom is a protein-based neurotoxin. If a person is stung by a scorpion, it can cause redness and swelling, severe pain, and convulsions, and in severe cases, death. So, what should you do if you are stung by a scorpion? How do you relieve the pain quickly?

Scorpions are the collective name for species in the order Scorpiones, class Arachnida, phylum Arthropoda, in the animal kingdom; spiders also belong to the class Arachnida. Their typical features include a slender body, pincers, and a curved, segmented tail (the posterior abdomen) ending in a venomous stinger. Scorpions are entirely carnivorous, though a very few species will consume small amounts of plant-based food (such as the Chinese scorpion). They feed on invertebrates such as spiders, crickets, small centipedes, the larvae and nymphs of many insects, and even small geckos.

Scorpions have a habit of hibernation. They generally emerge from hibernation in mid-to-late April, that is, after Jingzhe (Awakening of Insects), and begin to gradually enter hibernation in early November. Their active period over the year is about 6 months. During a single day, scorpions mostly come out to be active from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., after sunset, and return to their burrows to rest by 2 to 3 o'clock the next morning. This pattern of activity generally occurs on warm, windless nights when the ground is dry, while they seldom come out on windy days.

Symptoms of a scorpion sting:

At the end of a scorpion's tail is a hook-shaped stinger connected to a venom gland; when it stings a person, the venom enters the wound through this stinger. Scorpion venom contains toxic proteins, mainly neurotoxins, hemolysins, hemorrhagins, and toxins that constrict the heart and blood vessels.

Generally speaking, the site of a scorpion sting often develops extensive redness and swelling and severe pain. In mild cases the symptoms disappear after a few days, while in severe cases there may be chills, fever, nausea and vomiting, muscle rigidity, drooling, headache, dizziness, lethargy, night sweats, and rapid breathing, and even convulsions and pathological changes such as internal bleeding and edema. In children who are stung, severe cases can result in death from respiratory and circulatory failure.

What should you do if you are stung by a scorpion? How do you relieve the pain quickly?

First, after a scorpion sting, do not panic or be frightened. According to relevant reports, there are more than 600 species of scorpions in the world, of which only a few are highly venomous and can endanger a person's life once they are stung, while the vast majority are not lethal. Among these, the East Asian scorpion (Mesobuthus martensii) farmed in China is a non-lethal scorpion, so many scorpion farmers do not treat stings from it at all.

But in any case, after a scorpion sting it is best to take measures to treat it, just to be safe.

After being stung by a scorpion, if the scorpion's stinger has broken off in the sting site, you should first pull out the stinger. In addition, you should use your fingers to press outward around the wound to squeeze out part of the venom; you can also suck out the venom with your mouth to prevent the venom from continuing to spread.

Then, begin applying medication to the stung area to draw out the venom and relieve pain. Scorpion venom is an acidic venom, and using alkaline substances and soapy water can appropriately reduce the pain.

The following 10 application methods are commonly used to relieve symptoms:

① Local cold compress: apply ice water to the affected area to prevent spread and relieve pain.

② Apply soapy water to the affected area to neutralize the toxin.

③ Apply essential balm or cooling ointment (Wanjinyou) to the affected area.

④ Apply 0.1% potassium permanganate to the wound.

⑦ Crush 10 grams of the Chinese medicine fuzi (Aconitum carmichaelii), mix it with edible vinegar to make a liquid, and apply it to the wound.

⑧ Apply 3% ammonia water or 5% sodium bicarbonate to the affected area.

⑨ Use the salt therapy method: drip a saturated salt solution onto the sting site. In particular, dripping 2 to 3 drops of saturated salt water into the eye stimulates the conjunctiva and has a remarkably effective result in treating stings.

If a small number of people do not get relief after medication application and instead develop systemic symptoms, such as dizziness and headache, general weakness, or even a drop in blood pressure, foaming at the mouth, and difficulty breathing, they should be sent to a hospital immediately for emergency treatment.

Inject antiscorpion venom serum. Generally, large hospitals have antiscorpion venom serum. This is the key drug for eliminating scorpion venom. Antiscorpion venom serum is actually a protein antibody, just as when a person contracts tetanus, injecting tetanus antitoxin can quickly eliminate the symptoms.