Use Copper Pennies to Take the Sting and Swelling out of Bee Stings-Unproven!
Summary of eRumor:
A first-hand story of a person (some version say it was a woman) who was told by the doctor to use a copper penny next time she got stung by a bee. She tried it a couple of times on both herself and a visiting friend and putting the penny reduced the pain and swelling.
The Truth:
We have not found any credible evidence or research that substantiates putting a copper penny on a sting for relief.
We have found a lot of people on the Internet who believe it helps. It seems that copper pennies are regarded as a remedy for a variety of things among folk remedy enthusiasts. We have found suggestions of using copper pennies for combating plantar warts, other kinds of warts (rub 20 pennies on the wart), ringworm (put the penny in vinegar until green), dizziness (hold the penny in your hand), and keeping puncture wounds from becoming infected.
Updated 3-30-07