Poison Ivy

After twenty years having an overgrown yard, I have my first ever case of poison ivy! Don't worry-- it's a tiny little patch and we know what to do for it. It made me wonder, though, what other people do. What is your go-to treatment of poison ivy? Do you use any home remedies?

Oh man that stuff is nasty! I got in a patch once in a canyon that I really couldn't back out of, so I just kept going. My skin was sick for about two months! A really hot shower was the only relief I remember -- but like everything else, it was not a cure. I was miserable! A friend swears by wiping the rash with a cloth soaked in kerosene. I'm hoping never to touch that ivy again, but if i do, I just might try that. I would also go to the doctor a lot sooner than I did last time. I really thought I could combat it myself, but all I did was extend my misery!

What is your remedy?

I don't usually do anything, I no longer get it very badly, even if I weed-eat my way through a patch wearing shorts. But I and my brothers all used to be severely allergic as children, and our mom used a strong bar of homemade lye soap on it. It was a really OLD bar, probably made by a grandparent or even great grandparent, and passed down through the family for just such use. It's the only thing I ever remember that soap being used for - poison ivy rash. It sat in a dish in the bathroom closet, waiting for someone to get poison ivy. My dad used to put Clorox bleach straight out of the bottle on his, but that's a bit harsh for me. I'm actually hoping to get a bad case of it this summer so I can test out homeopathy on it. I've recently gotten into that and an continually amazed whenever a remedy actually works.

Guspuppy said:

I'm actually hoping to get a bad case of it this summer so I can test out homeopathy on it.

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Are you sadistic? :shock::evil::shock:

CaraBou said:

Are you sadistic? :shock::evil::shock:

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Masochistic is the word you wanted, I think.

I don't react too badly to poison ivy, but my husband and daughter both do, and need meds to clear it up. My daughter has scars on her legs from trying to tough it out in April.

I've heard that breaking or crushing the stem from a jewel weed plant works. I've never tried it though.

In California, both as a child and as an adult, I got poison oak very badly. As a child all we used was calamine lotion and suffered through it. As a young adult, the local drug store where I lived used to sell an OTC remedy, that contained an extract of the poison oak plant, and I took that every summer until it was no longer available for purchase to the public. It prevented the horrendous cases I used to get as a child, so I was very disappointed when it was taken off the shelves. (It was sold as 5 tiny vials to be taken orally once a day for 5 days and it worked like a dream to prevent breakouts every summer for as long as I used it.)

In my 40's I discovered Technu. I used it prophylactically, applying it to my legs, arms, hands, neck and lower parts of my face before exposure, which was every day that I worked in my mountainside yard clearing poison oak (it was a constant battle to keep it out of my vegetable garden when we lived in the Santa Cruz mountains.)

Washing with Fels Naptha soap is supposed to remove the oils as well, but I didn't find it as effective as Technu.

Predisone (pills), however was the most effective treatment. My husband's doctor would prescribe it when either of us got it because it worked better than anything else to speed recovery.

Since moving to Illinois, I have only had poison ivy once, and a very mild case. I used Technu externally and probably took prednisone as well because I seem to recall I still had some at the time.

I didn't realize I had brushed up against anything until I started reacting later in the day. I was able to clean the area, but by then, the damage had been done. Mine is just a small patch and it is only occasionally irritating. It looks much worse than it feels: red and blistered, like a burn. So far, an occasional cold compress has been enough to sooth.

This morning I made a "tea" of chamomile, calendula, and lavender, which is chilling in the fridge. We'll see how that feels next time I need a little relief.

When I was a kid, a friend of mine lived near a field where this particular shrub grew. I don't know the name of it, but I would recognize it if I saw it again. It's not jewelweed, it's an actual shrub, about knee to waist high, and if you collect the leaves and make a tea of it, and drink it, it really helps. My aunt had a very bad case of poison ivy one year, and she drank the tea, and was amazed at how much it helped. I wish I knew what this plant was!

Guspuppy said:

I don't usually do anything, I no longer get it very badly, even if I weed-eat my way through a patch wearing shorts. But I and my brothers all used to be severely allergic as children, and our mom used a strong bar of homemade lye soap on it. It was a really OLD bar, probably made by a grandparent or even great grandparent, and passed down through the family for just such use. It's the only thing I ever remember that soap being used for - poison ivy rash. It sat in a dish in the bathroom closet, waiting for someone to get poison ivy. My dad used to put Clorox bleach straight out of the bottle on his, but that's a bit harsh for me. I'm actually hoping to get a bad case of it this summer so I can test out homeopathy on it. I've recently gotten into that and an continually amazed whenever a remedy actually works.

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My grandmother used to do the same as your father...pop the blisters with a needle and then wash/soak the affected area with a STRONG solution of bleach. As I recall it did seem to clear it up. She also swore by Lysol, the liquid kind that came in the brown bottle. I'm not sure if they even make it anymore. She claimed if you thought you were exposed to poison ivy, oak, etc. and soaked the affected area in "Lysol water" BEFORE the rash appeared; that it would keep the rash from appearing. Again, as I recall; it worked. At any rate we were clean...LOL.

After a suspected exposure to poison ivy, wash all exposed skin with warm water and soap. Soap up at least three times, scrubbing thoroughly each time (but not to the point of damaging your skin!), and rinse well each time. Pay attention to the backs of the arms and legs, all creases and folds in the skin, and under the fingernails. The point is to remove all of the tenacious poison ivy oil off the skin. Multiple careful soapings and scrubbings is the key.

If Technu works well for you, then of course use it, but any good soap will be plenty good as long as you take the time to wash thoroughly. Jewelweed is effective mainly due to the saponins (a type of soap) present in the fresh sap of the plant that work like soap to emulsify the poison ivy oils. If that's all you have available, jewelweed sap going to be better than plain water, but real soap works better.

If you can get the oil removed within about 12 hours after exposure, this can do a lot to reduce or eliminate the rash. Of course, the sooner it's removed, the better! Be sure to also wash contaminated clothing and equipment in plenty of hot water and soap. The poison ivy oil will remain active for a long time on shoes, clothing, and tools unless it's rubbed or washed off.

Once the rash develops, it's still important to remove all the oil by thorough washing. That goes against the grain of some folk wisdom that advises to not use soap. Beyond that, it's a matter of treating the symptoms with whatever works. Again, people think fresh jewelweed sap is helpful once the rash starts, but it's probably more due to the jewelweed saponins dissolving the oil so it can be removed more than anything.

"...I didn't realize I had brushed up against anything until I started reacting later in the day...."

Another thought -- It might be poison ivy, but it could also be wild parsnip or giant hogweed exposure.

Poison ivy is an allergic reaction, so some people get it and some don't. You're more likely to get it when working in shady areas.

Wild parsnip and giant hogweed cause acid burns when their sap reacts with sunlight to form acid. Any person can be affected. Wild parsnip looks like Queen Anne's Lace but with bright yellow flowers, rather than white. It usually grows in sunny areas such as yards and open grasslands and places where the soil is poor, such as along roadways, bike paths, and walkways. Giant hogweed doesn't (yet) grow in my state, thankfully, so I don't know as much about it.

The first step with wild parsnip or giant hogweed exposure is to get out of the sun immediately. That will help prevent or reduce the photo-chemical reaction that creates the acid. Next, wash thoroughly to remove the sap. Speaking from experience, the burn caused by wild parsnip is very slow healing and very itchy and annoying. The damage looks similar to poison ivy, but sometimes you can see the trail of small blisters that follow the trail of the plant sap from lightly brushing the plant's leaves.

http://www.kcci.com/article/here-s-what-to-do-if-you-touch-wild-parsnip/6921353
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/terrestrialplants/herbaceous/wildparsnip.html

DeeAnna said:

Wild parsnip and giant hogweed cause acid burns when their sap reacts with sunlight to form acid. Any person can be affected...

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Yipes! Giant hogweed looks like something transplanted by Martians! https://www.google.com/search?q=gia...we3UAhVGwj4KHS1xAKQQ_AUICSgB&biw=1280&bih=800

holy wow!! and I thought mere nettles were bad! haha

Poison Ivy has both pros and cons. It can be a major food source for your winter birds as Cardinals as well as providing very safe nesting areas. After it blooms in mid-summer it creates tightly packed clusters of white berries. Those berries need several good freezing and they are ready for the birds to eat.

I have one patch that must be 30 years old and the main trunk is about 2 1/2" in diameter. It took over one of my smaller white pines and reaches well above 8 - 10 foot off the ground and spreads along the adjacent fence line for another 10 foot or so in both directions.

Now ... I am one of those 'back to nature hippie freaks of the 60s' and live on 3 1/2 acres of old farm scrub ground. So for me to give up some of my fencing to poison ivy is no big deal.

All parts of the poison ivy plant have toxins - stems, leaves, flowers, and berries. But it seems that as it nears flowering is the worst time and mid-winter when it is dormant is the least toxic.

I might suggest that you get some black plastic at your local hardware store, some heavy brown jersey gloves, a small real of 18 gauge fence wire, heavy wire cutters that are sharp (don't trust the ones in the bottom of the tool box), scissors, a nice stack of old newspapers, and the garden hose. Put on your knee high socks, and your long jeans with a simple rubber band around the leg opening to keep the pants closed.

Open up the newspaper and throw down a nice layer on top of the ivy. Wet the newspapers thoroughly. If you can put on a second layer and water it too. Now cover that with a couple of layers of black plastic. Cut 12" pieces of fence wire, fold it over in half so it looks like a giant hair pin with a 1" or so curve in the center. Push the wire pins, along the edge of the plastic, into the ground to hold the plastic down during storms.

Now wait ... GRIN ... as the summer progresses all that water you poured on the newspapers will get extremely hot under the plastic and literally burn out the root system. No sun, so no leaves and no new growth, burned up roots = dead plant.

Then around mid-January, when you are going crazy with a bad case of cabin fever go grab the rack, hoe, and those brown jerseys and uncover the patch for clean up.

Simple, safe, and right down to the roots without any chemicals !

Oh! And after each gardening session wash your brown jerseys in some good, strong lye and lard soap!

I'm not quite old enough to have been a hippie in the 60s, but in the late 70s I was told by an older co-worker that I would have been a good "flower child."

I leave about half of my 14 acre hay field uncut through the summer so the bees and birds and 4-legged critters can enjoy it. I make a crop of hay off the larger half, and the horses mow the whole thing during the late fall and winter.

I love watching the "wild" part of the hay field for bobolinks that only nest in open grassland and for the fawns that nap in the deep grass while mama deer forages. I will clip sections in this "wild" part only if I see noxious weeds growing. That's what I just got done doing this morning -- clipping Canada thistle, wild parsnip, and burdock with my beloved Ford 901 tractor. (I can't resist sharing the pic of me and my 901. We're mowing hay on a gorgeous midsummer day.)

Unless the patches get huge, I don't mow the nettle. Even though I don't like getting stung, nettles are not all that bad. The chickadees love the seeds and the leaves are high in vitamins. Oh, and I leave the milkweed alone too, so the Monarch butterflies can have them for their caterpillars. And have you every smelled milkweed blooms? Heavenly! I wish they made a FO that smells like that.

This has nothing to do with poison ivy. Thanks for putting up with my digression.

I wish there were more people who managed land in the manner you do Deanna.

Have you ever heard of itchweed? I had one encounter with it as a child so my memory is surely lacking. But it was about a foot+ tall, wide broad leaves that I think grew umbrella like (fuzzy memory alert!) My cousin and I ran through a patch, were wearing pants, and our legs started to itch like mad. After a few minutes the itch was gone. Left no rash or other sign. Since I was too busy scratching...I didn't get a good look at the plant to memorize. And never had the same experience again despite the amount of time I spent roaming around the country side!

Goats are a good way to get rid of poison ivy. Stake 'em out where they can reach it and they'll eat it down to nothing. Move as necessary.

Don't have any goats? I've heard that it's becoming "a thing" for older 4-H kids to own goats and rent them for clearing brush and poison ivy. One of my cousin's oldest son made a couple thousand doing that last summer. Delivered them in the morning, staked them out, and picked them up at night for something like $40 a day.

I've never been around goats. My stepson dearly wanted some goats when he was a kid (he's in his late 20s now). His father and I declined to indulge him. I'm sure it marked dear stepson for life, but he's overcome the disappointment. That's as close as I've come to owning goats.

Never heard of itchweed, Lenarenee. Sounds nasty!

BrewerGeorge said:

Goats are a good way to get rid of poison ivy. Stake 'em out where they can reach it and they'll eat it down to nothing. Move as necessary.

Don't have any goats? I've heard that it's becoming "a thing" for older 4-H kids to own goats and rent them for clearing brush and poison ivy. One of my cousin's oldest son made a couple thousand doing that last summer. Delivered them in the morning, staked them out, and picked them up at night for something like $40 a day.

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...goats always did scare me just a little...