Irish Spring
They probably dug him because of the cool pocket knife… 
easy & cheap & it works
1 Part baking soda 3 parts water and rub it on…15 minutes later it should already be drying right up.
have fun!
Carol
Natural Cure
I read in a Field & Stream issue long ago that Jewel weed works great as a cure for poison ivy. I am not really sure exactly what jewel weed looks like and have never tried it as a cure. Has anyone else heard of this or even tried it? As I remember it was an old Native American cure…
I did find this link after doing a google search:
http://www.hbci.com/~wenonah/hydro/jewelwed.htm
Good Luck!
jewel weed
– Last Updated: Aug-17-07 10:18 AM EST –
yeah, a friend of my swears by jewel weed. he apparently reacts badly to poison ivy and says jw really works. the best thing about it is jw often grow very close to where pi are.
Anothe idea
On a reciant canoe carry,I was exposed to poison oak.By the time I got to the next putin I was starting to ich and get red.I washed my legs as best I could with creek water and applied sunscreen.I figgered-try something.It went away.No more symtoms.Maybe it would have anyway,maybe it was the water.Maybe something in the sunscreen.Who knows,but I would try the same thing next time.
Turtle
Another vote for Tecnu
There is also a “blocker” available that you can pre-treat exposed areas with that will prevent the oil from reaching your skin (just remember to put it on before going into any suspect areas).
Since I’m very susceptible to poison ivy (steriod injections required to get rid of the stuff) I always carry a couple packets of the blocker and the wash. With this combination, I haven’t had problems in years.
B.
There are a lot of home remedies
they all take 2 weeks to work. (including washing with water each day)
An injectable steroid is the only thing that dries it up faster.
I’ve never had any real success with cortisone creams.
The best cure is avoidance.
JMHO
get this from your doctor
I’m highly allergic to poison ivy-my doctor prescribes a topical called Temovate. Its the only thing I know of that knocks the rash out in a couple of days. It gives immediate relief, and for me at least, the nasty part of the rash doesn’t last more than a day or two after a couple of applications. Its very expensive though, but it doesn’t take much to stop the rash either. A tube will, literally, last many seasons of ivy contact. (I get it every year living in the south, I’m on a tube that is a bit ‘old’ - but it still seems to work!)
yep, jewel weed
Also known as ‘touch-me-not’. Plants 2-4’ tall, light green hollow stems, small,orange or yellow horn shaped flowers, seed pods look like miniture footballs and spring open when you touch them. Haven’t suffered from poisonous plants myself but have helped fellow yakers and hikers cure it many times. Also works on sunburn, minor burns, stinging nettle rash, and who knows what more.
Crush the stem, wring out the juice, and apply.
Calimine lotion
– Last Updated: Aug-25-07 6:22 PM EST –
From Wikipedia
Calamine is a mixture of zinc oxide (ZnO) with about 0.5% iron(III) oxide (Fe2O3). It is the main ingredient in calamine lotion and is used as an antipruritic to treat sunburn, eczema, rashes, poison ivy, chickenpox, insect bites and stings. It is used as a mild antiseptic to prevent infections that can be caused by scratching the affected area. It is also used to dry weeping or oozing blisters and acne abscesses.
In 1992 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration advised that there was no proof the main ingredients in calamine, zinc oxide and ferric oxide, had any real therapeutic effect on rashes and itching, and predicted that calamine was destined to become the "dinosaur" of dermatology. However, many sources continue to recommend Calamine lotion:
to do
Wear long pants. Wash your hands. If you get it keep it dry, do not wear the same clothing (wash what you have worn). It will pass.
You do seem to build a tolerance for
poison oak at least since that is the unoffical state flower for Southern Oregon. You can’t walk too far without seeing it as a bush or a vine. It’s all over my property. I spray yearly to keep it down around the house. The problem is that you can have an outbreak simply by petting a dog that went through a patch or touching something that brushed against it. I only had an outbreak once though in the ten years out here even though I get exposed to it daily. My daughter really suffers when she comes out here to visit.
Here’s a thought toward prevention…
When I was a small boy my dad had a small bee hive. He would take it to various groves and orchids in the Tampa Bay area. He would get paid by the farmers to pollinate the grove and we kept the honey. One day I mentioned to him about the bees pollinating some poison ivy close to a citrus grove and asked him if the pollen from the ivy ruined the honey. He told me that if it weren’t for a little poison ivy pollen in the honey we wouldn’t be hunting and fishing in the poison ivy-infested rivers, swamps and forests without both of us being laid up for a week due to the itch.
I know that if a person with allergies eats raw honey that has some of the pollen they’re allergic to in it the honey’s minute amount of the pollen will acclimate the sufferer’s immune system to be able to handle (if not cure) the affliction.
Would any doctor on this site know if this could be why I’m not bothered by poison ivy to this day?Would this method of acclimation work for others as well?
I’ve also heard a paste made from
– Last Updated: Oct-08-07 7:56 PM EST –
rolled oats and water will relieve the itch. However, this is not from personal experience, just hearsay but as beneficial as oatmeal is for skin problems I don't see why it wouldn't work.
Washing: Gotta get the oil off
I think the reason for the pros and cons posted about washing has to do with the soap or detergent. Since PI is oil born, the oil needs to be removed.
As any shade-tree mechanic can attest, ordinary bath / hand soaps don’t take off oil. Dishwash soap is better, but still not as good as soaps specifically made for mechanics, like go-jo. Dishwashing detergents are specifically formulated to remove greases and oils in foods, and PI oil must resemble these, because dishwash soap will remove it. I bet go-jo or similar products sold at the auto parts store would work even better, but if you are on a long camping trip, you are more likely to have DW soap than car-mechanic soap.
So, once the kids are done running through the PI fields, SCRUB off exposed skin with DW soap, and you should be able to avoid developing the PI reaction.
In late August a friend and I arrived at a camping spot after dark. My friend picked the flatest open spot for the tent and set up the tent. Unknown at the time, the door of the tent was set up on PI, and we both went in and out of the tent barefoot, walking right through the stuff. We both get PI. In the morning light, recognizing the PI, we both scrubbed our feet with Dawn dw detergent from the kitchen box, and both escaped PI rash. Your results may vary, but it works for me
~~Chip Walsh, Gambrills, MD
poison ivy
Benydryl cream seems to work best for me. When washing on one trip I must have sat my pants in dormant poison ivy… lol… I had a rash from my butt to my knees… not pleasant at all.
Zanfel
is great to put on an area that you suspect is poison ivy. I’m very allergic to poison ivy, but I find if I know I’ve been exposed to it and I jump in the water right away that I can usually avoid getting an outbreak.
The couple of times that I’ve gotten really bad outbreaks was when I wasn’t able to take a good hot, soapy shower (like a wilderness trip). Anytime I’m going on a camping trip, I take the zanfel with me and use it over areas of skin that I think might have been exposed to poison ivy.
Below is a link to the stuff…it’s pricey, but well worth it.
http://www.planetrx.com/shop/brands/index.cfm?b=14345&rfr=msn
Jamie
My dear departed grandmother
who has been gone from this world for more than thirty years now, swore that if you put a leaf of poison ivy between two pieces of bread and ate it that you would never get poison ivy again.
I never had the nerve to try it, so I don’t know if it works, but born before the turn of the 20th century she was a font of folk wisdom, so maybe it would work.
It does share a certain logic with the idea of eating honey from bees with access to poison ivy.
take a cold shower
I’ve had poison ivy too many times to count. At least 10 bad outbreaks. I can wear long pants, long sleeves, balaclavas, gloves, sealed wrists and ankles and still get it. I’ve been trying to eradicate it from my property for years - it is a very tenacious plant! My solution has been to always take a cold shower immediately after possible exposure. It’s critical to remove all the plant’s oil with soap at this point. Once the oil is gone it cannot spread anymore. Clothes I’ve been wearing go into a grocery bag to be dumped into the washing machine with no contact. I may get a couple dots, especially on my wrists, but nothing more, when I do this. Once I have it, I’m partial to the pink caladryl. It’s the easiest stuff to use and works well. Use gauze if you’re going to have clothing chaffing it - especially long underwear on a trip. Ivy takes a long time to go away when it’s kept wet all the time, but gauze at least allows the scabs a foothold even when it’s wet. Once you have it (badly) and it’s itching and you’re certain all the plant’s oil is off of you, take a warm shower and gradually crank it up to hot - it’ll feel like you’re itching it without you ever touching or damaging the scabs. Then just before you’re ready to get out turn the water to ice cold and close up all your pores.
Doctor says
As a former horticulturist (now there’s a useful degree), one of my jobs was getting rid of this stuff and I had a few good cases of PI that required the pills to get rid of. My physician told me it often takes multiple exposures and several years to build up sensitivity to poison ivy before a person will break out and lucky me, my sensitivity had finally matured! According to the good doctor, camps swear by the soap and water method because in most first-aid situations, unless there is a doctor to prescribe something else, all they are allowed to do is wash the affected area. Straight alchohol would be a big no-no. Fortunately for them, even if a camper is truly exposed, he or she probably won’t have a reaction because of the multiple exposure requirement.
Eradication of poison ivy is difficult because it coexists with other plants that keep it under control but is more resistant to herbicides. Indiscriminate use of chemicals can take out the good stuff first and just leave the PI- we see this a lot in camps- poor shriveled leaves of Virginia creeper sitting amongst barely thwarted PI. Hardiness is one of the reasons you do see it in areas such as impacted trails- it withstands conditions it’s competitors can’t!