Poison ivy

[Elessar]

Bad stuff, to me sure. I was immune, but not now. I have acquired many fine cases of Poison Ivy over past years and the best treatment that I've found is bleach. I use it straight and it burns while it's going on. My wife calls me masochistic and she'll use a watered down spray. The bleach acts as a disinfectant and drying agent.

I'll be real interested in the Jewell Weed idea. Here is a link to reference about that plant?

[canoebie]

We have PI and Jewel Weed growing in our woods. We harvest the JW for a local natural healer who makes a lotion from it for PI. She is grateful as we provide literally bushels of it. I was canoeing with a group of American Indians in northern Wisconsin and one of the elders got PI badly, I found Jewel Weed and treated it, she was amazed. Not bad for a third generation German.

I have heard that climate change is going to make PI more prolific and more potent. We have a vine in our woods bigger than my arm completely engulfing a hickory tree. I leave it because it is good for the birds, they like the berries, and it is a great teaching tool for those who are not familiar with PI.

[Mountain Gout]

Scratching as I read this...... Used to be really allergic, too many bouts to count... I think we all agree, anything that dries out the skin will help..
When I worked outside I would put mud on it..Actually worked great..
Talked with a skin specialist last year about the statement some say the broken blisters do not spread it, she tends to think differently...So do I..
That oil is nasty stuff, will stay on your clothes a looonnggggg time..
I gotta stop talkin about it now...

[Cannibal]

Love Poison Ivy...it keeps others out of my campsites and doesn't bother me a bit.

[TriSec]

Still immune at age 46 - I've been lucky.

This is de riguer - every time I lead a hike, whether with Scouts or LL Bean, no matter where we are or how many times I've done it, we always stop the first time I see it and make sure everyone knows what it looks like.

[SilvrSurfr]

I'm allergic as heck to poison ivy, oak, and sumac, but haven't gotten it in 30 years. My 13-year-old son, despite my attempts to educate him on identifying it, seems to get into it every summer. He knows what it looks like and still gets into it!

[toygun]

Last camping trip we did some disc golfing and I ended up with it covering my forehead, hands, and legs. Guess going head first into the bush after my discs and wiping sweat off of me constantly was a bad idea. I get covered in it every time i go out in the woods it seems. A few weeks before that I got some on my tarp suspension and the tie outs accidentally wrapped around my legs... boom. my legs looked like red silly string was squirted all over it.

I've tried many things to fight the itching... oatmeal made into a paste, applied to the rash and left to dry works well, bleach, vinegar, toothpaste, etc all work well...anything that can be applied and left to dry will work...guessing it draws out the rash juice. Calamine lotion helps too.

And i second what Bob said... the stuff is everywhere in MS.

[fishbait]

Here some rhymes we use to teach Cub Scouts for identification of Poison Ivy, Oak and Sumac

1: "Longer middle stem; stay away from them." This refers to the middle leaflet having a visibly longer stem than the two side leaflets and is a key to differentiating it from the similar-looking Rhus aromatica (fragrant sumac).
2: "Leaves of three; let it be."
3: "Hairy vine, no friend of mine." Poison ivy vines are very poisonous.
4: "Raggy rope, don't be a dope!" Poison ivy vines on trees have a furry "raggy" appearance. This rhyme warns tree climbers to be wary. Old, mature vines on tree trunks can be quite large and long, with the recognizable leaves obscured among the higher foliage of the tree.
6: "One, two, three? Don't touch me."
7: "Berries white, run in fright" and "Berries white, danger in sight."
8: "Red leaflets in the spring, it's a dangerous thing." This refers to the red appearance that new leaflets sometimes have in the spring. (Note that later, in the summer, the leaflets are green, making them more difficult to distinguish from other plants, while in autumn they can be reddish-orange.)
9: "Side leaflets like mittens, will itch like the dickens." This refers to the appearance of some, but not all, poison ivy leaves, where each of the two side leaflets has a small notch that makes the leaflet look like a mitten with a "thumb." (Note that this rhyme should not be misinterpreted to mean that only the side leaflets will cause itching, since actually all parts of the plant can cause itching.)
10: "If butterflies land there, don't put your hand there." This refers to the fact that some butterflies land on poison ivy, since they are not affected, which provides them protection as their predators avoid eating the plant.
11: "If it's got hair, it won't be fair." This refers to the hair that can be on the stem and leaves of poison ivy.

[toddhunter]

I posted about my case last summer. Nasty business. I soaked my hammock and suspension in the anti-PI product Techna(?), and had no further problem, fwiw. For me, the whole steroid series was awful. After all, it just took time to heal.

[Mouseskowitz]

try it before you doubt it based on someones opinion.i cut power line right of ways for a living,have for 25 years.i suffered bad with poison ivy,because a chain saw will sling it all over you.a man showed jewel weed to me after years of suffering.i no longer suffer.as soon as i feel the itch i rub jewel weed on it,and it goes away.yes i was a doubting person too,but it works.soap and water may reduce the amount of oils on the skin,but it doesnt cancel out the effect of it.how long is it before you can do the soap and water treatment after contact?warm water will actually open the pores of the skin making contamination worse.try jewel weed before you poo poo it.you will be happy you did.

Sorry if I wasn't clear. The study did not say it didn't work. The numbers they gave were 50% reduction in symptoms with jewelweed vs 67% with soap and water.

I'm just wondering if it would be easier to carry a bar of soap vs hunting around in the bush of a specific plant. Granted I usually run into PI while kayaking so there's plenty of water available for washing.