Poison Ivy cure?

[nforktractor]

Growing up, my Mom would take a bar of Lava Soap, make a little paste with it and spread that on the poison ivy, let it dry and it kind of choked off the oxygen, would eliminate the itch and would dry up the poison ivy, other remedies are probably better but in a pinch it helps.

 

[MossRoad]

I get a pretty bad reaction to Poison Ivy. I use one of the scrubs (can't remember off hand) which are only designed to remove the urushiol , the oil that it leaves on you, then I use calamine lotion to stop itching. Before I used the scrubs I'd go to bed with it just on my forearms, then the next day or two it would be all over my chest and stomach from where I'd be laying at night.
Couple of years ago, working on the treeline, I needed a pee. I think you know where I'm going with this! Next couple of days I swelled up so bad I had to go to urgent care. Doctor said she didn't need to see it (thank heavens for small mercies!) and gave me a steroid that got the swelling down within hours, I've never been so happy to pay a medical bill!

Reminds me of the 'if it lasts longer than 4 hours, see a doctor' commercials.

 

[MossRoad]

My wife just got over a case of poison ivy this week. She was weeding some flower beds a couple weeks ago and the next day it was all over her arms. We've had the discussion about leaflets three let it be many times. She just gets in there and pulls everything that she doesn't want in there.

I've showed her and our kids the difference between poison ivy (3 leaves) and Virginia creeper (5 leaves) and how they can be together in the same patch. Always suspect 3 leaves as poison ivy.... then try to get them to pick raspberries!

My father was never allergic to it until his 70s. Then he got a massive case of it. Dr said it was systemic reaction that traveled through his bloodstream, causing rash and swelling all over his body. Just awful. He was very cautious after that.

If I'm around it while doing yard/woods work, I always take my clothes off at the washing machine, drop them in and start it up, then head immediately to the shower for a good scrub down. But if I'm out on a walk in the woods, I'm pretty good at spotting it and don't concern myself.

 

[ultrarunner]

Systemic is often my experience :-(

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

Wash immediately, just carry water & soap with you. I'm highly allergic but have pulled ivy, wash immediately & never got it.
Jewel Weed if you do get it. It's found wherever there's water, creeks & ponds. We boil it down to like dark tea, store in refrigerator. Apply with soaked paper towel.
"Jewelweed is a natural remedy used to treat and prevent poison ivy rashes. It is believed to be effective due to its saponins, which have antifungal and antimicrobial properties. Jewelweed can be used as a preventative measure before exposure or as a treatment after exposure to poison ivy."

 

[MossRoad]

Systemic is often my experience :-(

Sorry for you. That's awful.

When I get it, it's usually just a few bumps in a small area. I've had it many times as a kid, but as an adult, maybe only 3-4 times, and it's usually just on the top of my index and middle fingers. I'm pretty religious about using gloves and washing up after yardwork.

 

[JasperFrank]

Different days we live in. At one time growing up in Maryland, we kids would make our own sarsaparilla tea to drink. Later in life, I was a kid's day camp counselor. And one of the activities I set up was to collect and make sasaprilla tea. So I showed these children what the leaves of this plant looked like, and let them collect the roots. Which they did with great enthusiasm. We made a huge vat of root tea doused with sugar, and they all got quart sized jars of it to take home.

 

[kenmbz]

Different days we live in. At one time growing up in Maryland, we kids would make our own sarsaparilla tea to drink. Later in life, I was a kid's day camp counselor. And one of the activities I set up was to collect and make sasaprilla tea. So I showed these children what the leaves of this plant looked like, and let them collect the roots. Which they did with great enthusiasm. We made a huge vat of root tea doused with sugar, and they all got quart sized jars of it to take home.

I have quite a few sassafras trees here, haven't made tea yet though

 

[ponytug]

I have quite a few sassafras trees here, haven't made tea yet though

Love the sassafras tree smell, regardless.

 

[dodge man]

I have also used the hot shower technique to stop the itch, it does help.

 

[ning]

I have also used the hot shower technique to stop the itch, it does help.

Absolutely, it's mind-blowing how good that can feel. Nukes the itch for a couple hours.

I've heard you can "cure" mosquito bites with a hot spoon.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

Absolutely, it's mind-blowing how good that can feel. Nukes the itch for a couple hours.

I've heard you can "cure" mosquito bites with a hot spoon.

It does work as long as the spoon is at 1500°F

 

[MossRoad]

Here's a funny take on eating young poison ivy leaves in the spring to make yourself immune.... they say it works for some people. Well, some people aren't allergic to it, some are mildly allergic to it, and some are highly allergic to it, so take it for what it's worth.

Can You Eat Poison Ivy? - Anita Sanchez

In my poison ivy research I keep running into the old belief that eating a leaf of poison ivy every day in the spring will make you immune to the itch.

anitasanchez.com

Anyone remember Euell Gibbons? (many parts of a pine tree are edible) He professed this method.

 

[ponytug]

Here's a funny take on eating young poison ivy leaves in the spring to make yourself immune.... they say it works for some people. Well, some people aren't allergic to it, some are mildly allergic to it, and some are highly allergic to it, so take it for what it's worth.

Can You Eat Poison Ivy? - Anita Sanchez

In my poison ivy research I keep running into the old belief that eating a leaf of poison ivy every day in the spring will make you immune to the itch.

anitasanchez.com

Anyone remember Euell Gibbons? (many parts of a pine tree are edible) He professed this method.

Yeah, pine trees, and then he chews on the pine needles. Not any pine I ever tried, though we gather pine nuts from our trees here.

Yup, remember him, and followed along until I got to his method for extracting juice from sumac berries, I'm paraphrasing here "...use your washing machine that you have cleaned out and reserve for juicing..." My mom was always wanting to try this that or the other thing in his books. He always reminded me of the joke about granola and living in California: "Living in California is like living in a bowl of granola; what isn't fruits or nuts, are flakes."

Thanks for the laugh!

All the best,

Peter

 

[1 Old Man]

Absolutely, it's mind-blowing how good that can feel. Nukes the itch for a couple hours.

I've heard you can "cure" mosquito bites with a hot spoon.

Don't know if it "cures" mosquito bites, haven't tried it. But I know
the heat treatment takes the itch out of chiggers bites.

 

[tradosaurus]

I remember as a young boy running around the countryside near Bay City, Tx. I know I was in poison ivy quite a bit but never got it.
Fast forward 20+years and my first case of poison ivy was when I lived in Louisiana. The natives there said if you think you've been in it, to soak in a bathtub with warm water with a cup of bleach in it.

 

[Dftodd]

Any time I've recently gotten poison ivy, I usually rub the spots down with Benidryl Creme.

 

[DarkBlack]

Have some poison ivy between my fingers this week. I hate poison ivy.
Used to get it really, really bad, when I was younger.
Have to force myself to remember to not scratch/rip it open with my fingernails in the middle of the night, half asleep. So tempting for that 10 seconds of pleasant relief

 

[ning]

Have some poison ivy between my fingers this week. I hate poison ivy.
Used to get it really, really bad, when I was younger.
Have to force myself to remember to not scratch/rip it open with my fingernails in the middle if the night, half asleep. So tempting for that 10 seconds of pleasant relief

Benadryl gel. It's amazing how good it is for this.
If that's not doing it, I'd put some athletic tape on the spots so you don't get blood all over the sheets...

 

[bmaverick]

I got in some poison ivy last Wednesday. Several years ago I bought some Zanfel, it seems stupid expensive, nearly $40 for a tube of it. It’s kind of a gritty cream and they give pretty specific instructions on how to use it. I started breaking out on the back of my upper arm and usually it gradually gets worse over a period of a few days and lasts 2 to 3 weeks. The Zanfel almost immediately relived the itching and I used it about 3 times a day. It’s not quite the miracle cure the make it out to be but it’s the only over the counter medicine I’ve found that actually helps clear it up.

I’ve probably had poison ivy around 30 times and found if I was with Technu in about 2 hours I don’t get it but in this case I couldn’t was for about 10 hours after being exposed.

The cure varies person-2-person. 85% of the world population reacts to it, the other people do not. I'm one of the few who do not. Yet, as people get older, it could change.

Here are a few known remedies,

- Eat a banana, then use the inside skin to neutralize the poison-ivy oil.
The main fruit of the banana does nothing. There is something inside the skin part.

- Used wet coffee grounds of light to med-light roast.

- Cool press with cooling peppermint essential oil.

- Baking soda if you have blisters. This acts like a sponge to draw the oil into it and away from you. Rinse off in cool water, not warm.

- ACV with no sugar added. it will interact with the posion-ivy oil and coverts it. Also will help heal the skin and rash.

- You can apply jewelweed salve or extract to affected skin for relief.
You can find bottles of this plant online, which contains an essential oil that lowers many plant poison reactions. Witch hazel is used in a similar way to treat skin and might be more readily available than jewelweed.

- Vitamin B12 supports skin health and may help reduce allergic inflammation take as a supplement during a poison ivy rash outbreak.

- Quercetin is a natural flavonoid with anti-inflammatory and antihistamine effects. Found in foods like apples and onions, it’s also available in supplement form to help calm allergic skin reactions.

- Menthol-containing creams can provide a cooling sensation that relieves itching. Look for natural menthol creams made with peppermint oil or eucalyptus to soothe irritated skin.

- Cucumber has cooling and soothing properties that offer instant relief from itching and swelling. Place chilled cucumber slices on the affected area to calm irritation and reduce puffiness.

- Brewed/chilled black tea or Earl Grey tea or English tea as a soaking bath in a small bucket greatly helps reduce the pain, swelling and rash.
It can help ease the itch due to their tannins and other compounds that lower inflammatory reactions. Great for infected feet or hands.

- Calamine lotion is a classic remedy for poison ivy. It has a cooling effect that relieves itching and can help dry oozing blisters.

- Special cleansers like Tecnu or Zanfel can remove urushiol from the skin, especially when used soon after exposure. They may also prevent the rash from spreading.