Nasty bite - origin unknown - insect, spider?

First aid cream, Echinacea tincture, lavender essential oil - none of the usual remedies had much effect and after feeling pretty rough all day I wandered down to the shop/bar to meet Stewart.

Everyone noticed my ankle and there were many hints/tips about what was needed. Gosho (from Yantra) and Ilya (our friend from the village) both suggested смрадлика – which turned out to be Cotinus coggyria or rhus cotinus (common name Smoke bush).

Stewart was summoned to Ilya's house and came back loaded up with herbs - смрадлика and невен (Calendula officinalis = Marigold) and instructions to make a strong infusion and use as a footbath, making sure the whole of the inflamed area was covered for as long as possible.

I did this about 3 times a day and on the second day the infected area was a lot less inflamed. I looked up Cotinus coggyria in the book given to me a couple of years previously by one of Ilya's granddaughter, Mariela, and found that it contains flavonoid glycosides, is astringent and anti-infective and used externally as an infusion for purulent festering wounds!! I looked it up in English textbooks but there was very little.