There are a number of folk remedies for common ailments that villagers swear are effective.Medical doctors have other opinions.The determining factor is one's distance from a doctor.If none are around,do what the villagers do to relieve the pain.
The two most common swimming accidents are encounters with jellyfish and with sea urchins.Jellyfish are most prevalent in the monsoon season when sea wind blow them toward the shore.
The Jellyfish floats on the surface,or just beneath it,dangling its long poison-filled tentacles deep in the water to sting fish that accidently brush them.When a swimmer comes in the contact with one,he is rewarded with a sharp searing pain,usually in a long line that reddens and forms a welt.The full effect of the burn does not become evident until four or five hours later.The pain can be reduced by bicarbonate of soda or steroid cream rubbed gently over the affected area.Even then it will continue the hurt and may leave scars.
Villagers treat jellyfish sting with a leafy vine that grows along the edge of the beach.They crush it to release its juice and then clamp it onto the affected area.The chemicals in the plant work to neutralize the chemical poisons of the jellyfish.