Phuket swimmers treated with plant paste for jellyfish stings

PHUKET: A quick-thinking Surin lifeguard used his basic knowledge of beach vegetation to treat a young boy and two adults stung by jellyfish this morning.

Sayan Bureerak, head of Surin Beach Lifeguards, received reports of the incident at about 11am.

“The tourists – two adults and one 10-year-old boy – were in a lot pain when I arrived. Since I couldn’t identify what type of jellyfish stung them, I made a paste out of Morning Glory plants and rubbed it on their stings. They didn’t need to be taken to the hospital for treatment,” said Mr Sayan.

The plant is also known as Goat’s Foot Creeper or Phak Boong Talay.

“It is advisable to apply the paste and take the victim to the nearest hospital for more serious cases,” he explained.

— Kritsada Mueanhawong