poison oak/ivy

[lyne]

we seem to have an abundance of poison oak/ivy this year and my father is highly sensitive to it. does anyone have a good cure for his rashes and a good way to get rid of it? thanks lyne

[remington]

Lye soap is said to work well but I don't see a difference. To ease the itching run the rash in water so hot you can barely stand it for a minute or so. The rash will release its store of the chemical that causes the itching and for the next half hour there will be no itching. All in all poison ivy is a miserable experience. I am fighting a case right now (covers both forearms and forearms are swelled up to almost twice normal size) Can't even get a decent night's sleep.

[MadTripper]

I'm not sure if you are looking for something natural or not but cortizone 10 will help alleviate the symptoms.

As far as killing it, I have some stuff from my grandmother that you mix about a tablespoon per gallon of water, spray and I've never seen it come back in the same spot. I'm sure it isn't healthy but I use caution with it. Our local agway sells some liquid that is designed to kill it also but you need about a cup per gallon of water so the potency must be different. If I think of it, I'll look at the brand names. You may know this already however don't burn it. The fumes can cause havoc to anyone in the area.

Tripper

[remington]

I have found the cure! If you get the rash rub it with sand paper until the blisters ooze. Then rub bleach into it. It is safe, actually many doctors reccomend carrying bleach as something to clean wounds. Do this a couple times and it will be gone within two days.

[Catalpa]

I'm immune to poison ivy. ;D At least for now...I've heard that folks can suddenly get sensitive as they get older. My Mom suffers from it terribly; the best they've found - aside from having me go out spray all of it with roundup - is the scrub with comet cleanser in the shower. Kind of doing Remington's idea, in one step without the sandpaper. The abrasive cleanser breaks open the blisters and the bleach in it seems to break up the oils and ease the itch. And again - don't burn it!

[StephiLou]

My sister is very sensitive to it as well. While she hasn't been able to completely stop the outbreaks, she swears by drinking milk from goats who have been fed poision ivy. She doesn't break out nearly as bad. meaning no hospitalizations from it. Don't know if it really works, but it would be something to try.

Steph

P.S. I just read a blurb somewhere about how the poison oak/ivy is getting worse because of the change in the weather patterns. It has something to do with the fact that it makes the oil stronger, harder to get off of clothes, etc.

[Delmar_Morgan]

I use jewel weed it grows beside poison ivy.

[RobJob]

Ortho makes Brush B Gone, Bayer makes Brush Killer. I mix these with Round Up and it kills pretty much anything. Usually don't get it all the first time.

[fizzle7033]

I know this is an old topic, but I just found a product that is worth its weight in gold I swear! I had tried bleach and everything, nothing worked so I went to the pharmacy and asked them for something to cut through the itch. By this time I had one of those nice leathery ivy rashes, it covered my entire neck! The pharmacy tech recommended something called Zanfel. I'm going to warn you, its expensive but I figured at this point I was about ready to go to the dr and would have been paying for an office visit anyway. It was about $30 but I used it twice and the itch was GONE! Next day the rash was drying up. I know this almost sounds like some kind of spam message but this stuff is awesome. I use it a lot more sparingly than the instructions say, to make it last longer. Just wanted to share. :) I will always keep some of this stuff around.

[farmerbob]

If I know I got into it I will scrub down with rubbing alcohol right before I shower. Do this out side in the wind!
Some of the older mom and pop pharmacies sell what I call poison ivy pills; not sure what the name of it is but you take one every day they say it makes it harder to get.

[bookwormom]

to get rid of the plants, I don protective clothing and pull it out, it has long, traveling, shallow roots. I put them in the trash. goats eat it, but they do not gobble it up like honeysuckle. You all say the irritant is an oil? How about using one of those grease removers that mechanics use, or just plain dish soap to wash it off after exposure? ammonia should do that well, too. Just a thought. I have not had it that bad that I needed to see a Dr.

[ScrubbieLady]

We use willow leaves. Hubby got into it bad one year and he dealt with it for 4 months. Finally, a trip to the lawnmower shop got him a tip. Handful of willow leaves brought to a boil in a couple of cups of water. Boil until the water looks yucky (you'll understand when you see it). Use after washing as hot as you can stand it and let it air dry. Instant stop to the itch. Hubby apparently had it in his bloodstream. Steroids from the doctor did nothing. Usually works in about 2 days.

You can pick the leaves, put in a ziplock and freeze. Don't need to defrost first.

[MEBrian]

If the person knows he's contacted it the lye soap works, but it must be done "right now!". Fels Naptha soap is what I'd know to use., but any soap washing is better than none.

Similar to the info a few posts sooner, there is a pricey product in the supermarket that neutralizes the oil that causes the problem. I think the name is TechNu, but I wouldn't bet on it.

[recoilless_57mm]

Poison ivy spreads by allergic reaction. In other words it wants you to scratch it, DON'T SCRATCH. Breaking the blisters and washing with any good detergent soap will remove the oils that cause the spreading of the rash. Apply Jewel weed to the now dry area and it should go away. A good anti-histamine will stop the itch for those that can't help themselves. It is also possible to contract poison ivy from burning it. This can give you blisters and rash internally. DO NOT burn the crap unless you stay up wind of it. Always be aware that some folks can get very ill from contact with this weed. I would not mess with a cronic case of the stuff. See a doctor for those cases.

Charlie

[ScrubbieLady]

DON'T BURN IT AT ALL!!! Someone did that near where hubby was working and he wound up at the doctor's office with his eyes swollen closed. Painful and expensive.

[MEBrian]

I remember when I was a child that my cousin only had to be upwind of PI to catch it, and he was extremely allergic to it.

His old time doctor told the family to get a goat, fed it PI and have him drink the milk. Supposedly it was to curb his allergic reaction. I don't know if they did it, or if they did, if it helped. I just remember Aunt Linda talking about it those many years ago. Anybody else hear this?

[MrGreenJeans]

Any one who just get's eat plum up might want to give this a try, it works great. http://www.bujiproducts.com/ The one i use is also a SPF 20 sunscreen. When i go root digging i use to get it on my fingers and hands, wrist's anything that contacted the dirt. Now very rarely have any problem with it. Hope this help's.

[neparose]

Something else to keep in mind.... My girlfriend stacks stone on occasion for spare cash. Once in awhile the stone she stacked was old fallen down stone walls. One year we had a real hot summer and everything dried up to dust, including the poison ivy that was growing on top of the walls. "Great!" she thought, "now I dont have to worry about clearing that stuff off!" What we didnt think about was inhaling the dust. She got it down her lungs but good. I forget how long she was on steriods but it was misery for awhile.

[TEX]

I was listening to NPR on the way home from work today. Apparently Poison Ivy goes into hyperdrive on the excess CO2 that is in the air - kind of like feeding it crack. Co2 makes it grow bigger, faster and makes the oil in it more powerful. Other vines also respond the same way, ie. kudzo, bind weed, etc.

The advise of the guy was to immediately wash the exposed area with soap and water. Apparently within 10 minutes the poison ivy "oil" is totally absorbed by the skin and then all you can do is treat the symptoms.

[qwerty]

I am highly allergic to both. I gotta go to the Doctor for injections and then plenty of calomine lotion. Gotta love that pink stuff!