# Poison ivy/poison oak?



## 8thDayStranger (Jan 30, 2013)

I did a search but didn't have time to go through every one so I will just start a new thread and risk getting berated for not seeing an older one. 

My wife has been battling poison ivy for weeks now. Every time it clears up she gets in it again. Last time she got into chiggers as well. Needless to say she has been clawing the skin off her legs and arms. 

Who has a good remedy? She's used calamine, alcohol, prescription creams, sulfur cream for animals, hydrocortisone, and and a few other things. Nothing is working. Her latest endeavor is boiling sycamore stems to make a tea. We got some sycamore pieces last night so tonight we try that. Also tried skin so soft to no avail. Help!!!!??? Her itching is driving me and her crazy. I'm apparently not allergic to it cause I can roll in it and not get it. Therefore I can not begin to understand her agony. I do know the insanity of a chigger encounter and wish that on no man.


----------



## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

We have poison oak around the house so I keep a stock of jewelweed soap in all the BOBs and all the bathrooms.

Burt's Bees poison ivy soap works wonders for me. I make sure to use it after I have contact with the PO.


----------



## 8thDayStranger (Jan 30, 2013)

Awesome!! Thanks. Ill be checking that out today.


----------



## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

How is she coming into contact with it? If its through gardening get some good rubberized gardening gloves and herbicide to get rid of it in the yard. This is what I have to do every 2 weeks so Roo doesn't get in contact with it. Can you imagine a toddler with poison oak?! :eyebulge:


----------



## 8thDayStranger (Jan 30, 2013)

She loves to walk out in the field and in the woods hunting for rabbits, squirrels, and wild edibles. She thinks that shorts and flip flops are suitable attire for this. I quit arguing with her to put on long pants and shoes. I figure eventually she will learn. Just like I will eventually learn to dodge the two thistles growing in the path to the garden when I go out barefooted ( which is pretty much always).


----------



## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

There is a spray you can use after possible exposure to prevent the oils from causing itch. I don't remember what it is called but it can even be used on clothes to help remove the oils.


----------



## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

We've had some really nasty cases of poison ivy here right after we bought this house (basically a grown-over junk yard). I know your wife's agony - but my husband and son would understand more. Oozing puss, yeah, pretty gross stuff. They'd get it down a bit, then it'd come roaring back (usually after hot sweaty jobs - does it spread better in sweat? :dunno They only thing that got rid of it for them was a trip to urgent care and getting a shot. A shot of what, I don't know. The poison ivy shot. 

Now we use a serum. It's $45 for a little tiny bottle, but you only use 15 drops in 6 oz of water once a week. I should know more about what I'm taking, but I don't. All I know is that I can now walk through the stuff and not catch it.


----------



## cedarguy (Nov 19, 2012)

I believe I would get poison ivy if I looked it up in a dictionary. I have used Tecnu and it seemed to have helped me.
I like the idea of the poison ivy soap Ill have to try it.


----------



## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

goshengirl said:


> ...Oozing puss, yeah, pretty gross stuff...it.


That's what the wife had the one time she ventured out into the wilds (flower garden by the front door).

Emergency room visit for oral prescription for Steroid.


----------



## stayingthegame (Mar 22, 2011)

you are talking about a steroid shot. there are a couple of them but you can only get a shot every three months. one of the things that worked in my house was old fashion lye soap the real thing.


----------



## Viking (Mar 16, 2009)

Here's a few things we use here in S.W. Oregon were sometimes poison oak grows into trees that look like fruit trees from a distance. Surprisingly vinegar seems to work in the healing process, but be prepared as it can be bloody painful when first applied. Other things used out here is a tea made from madrone leaves and the juice of soap root. I searched and found some info on ASK and they mention one subspecies of soap root that is listed on CNPS (California Native Plant Society) as Rare and Endangered, however around here the type we have is anything but rare or endangered and we probably have a ton of them just on our two plus acres. These things may work for most people but there are those that I know that are so sensitive to the oils of poison oak that just being in the area where they grow causes them to have outbreaks without even touching the plants, sometimes these people can be helped by ingesting the homeopathic Rhus Tox which is derived from poison ivy. I use Hyland's Rhus Tox tablets for killing back pain and it seems to work great for me. I personally don't get effected to any great degree in my contacts with poison oak, I've grabbed onto it, had it slap me in the face and even picked up a deer I shot from right in the middle of a poison oak patch up the mountain from our home, slung it on my shoulder, took it home and had no outbreak.


----------



## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

I wonder, too, if the oils are not being fully washed out of clothes, too - that might account for getting it again. I've haven't done this personally, but I did read that the Fels Naptha soap is good for washing it out of clothes (and off of bodies, but it can irritate skin). I've been meaning to make some of that home made laundry soap that calls for Fels Naptha in the recipe. Can't hurt, might help.


----------



## camo2460 (Feb 10, 2013)

I also am one who gets the rash just from looking in the same direction as poison ivy. Many years ago I developed a very bad reaction with great weeping blisters in places I can't mention. I tried every herbal remedy I could find but to no avail, the only thing that helped was a Prednisone shot from the doctor. In the mean time have the wife get into a hot bath and gradually increase the temp until it is as hot as she can stand, she will notice that the itch increases at first, but then goes away, this is because the heat from the hot water causes the body to deplete Histamine which is what is causing the itch. This will last about eight hours, which will help her at least get some sleep and recover her sanity.


----------



## 8thDayStranger (Jan 30, 2013)

I have read that the oils can stay on clothes for seven years. Don't know how true that is but I do know my father could spell poison ivy and catch it. He had it one time in the fall. He failed to wash the coat he was wearing and over the winter every time he put the coat on he broke out. Took about five times to determine it was the coat. He burned it immediately......in a pile of poison oak covered wood that I had piled up for him.......and caught it again. We assume it was in the smoke from the fire or something.


----------



## camo2460 (Feb 10, 2013)

I forgot to mention that otc creams, lotions and other topical treatments are for minor rashes, as these creams and lotions can dry out the skin and actually make the itch worse, for severe reactions prednisone is the way to go and she will get relief in a matter of hours. This is because after the rash developes, the oils from the plant have already penetrated the skin and attached itself the the skin cells, therefore the remedy needs to be internal not external. To avoid further reactions, if you suspect exposure, wash with warm water and a mild soap to get rid of the oil, this must be done within the first couple of hours before the oil has time to penetrate the skin and to minimize reaction.


----------



## camo2460 (Feb 10, 2013)

NEVER, EVER burn Poison Ivy, Oak, or Sumac the oils can be transported by the smoke to your lungs and then you have a true medical emergency that would require hospitalization. as for how long it lasts I don't know, but I do know that it can last a long time


----------



## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

As far as removing poison ivy/oak, DO NOT handle without gloves even after it is dry and dead. The oils are what causes the rash and itch and are still present after the plant is dead or been removed.


----------



## helicopter5472 (Feb 25, 2013)

goshengirl said:


> We've had some really nasty cases of poison ivy here right after we bought this house (basically a grown-over junk yard). I know your wife's agony - but my husband and son would understand more. Oozing puss, yeah, pretty gross stuff. They'd get it down a bit, then it'd come roaring back (usually after hot sweaty jobs - does it spread better in sweat? :dunno They only thing that got rid of it for them was a trip to urgent care and getting a shot. A shot of what, I don't know. The poison ivy shot.
> 
> Now we use a serum. It's $45 for a little tiny bottle, but you only use 15 drops in 6 oz of water once a week. I should know more about what I'm taking, but I don't. All I know is that I can now walk through the stuff and not catch it.


I had something like that in my younger years, but after breaking up with my girlfriend it went away, buts that's another story


----------



## MetalPrepper (Nov 25, 2012)

Poisin oak is found growing on the ground, poisin ivey grows in trees, ivey has more fern looking leaves. Both have 3 leaves...first..."leaflets 3- leave it be!".....don't tounch it. If exposed use an alcohol based (if not just pure alcohol) to wipe it off. Turn you clothers inside out and wash (it does wash off). 
You have one hour after exposure to get the oil off of your skin.
Beware of dogs getting it on them and "sharing" it with you.
If you want to get rid of it, load a sprayer with bleach....and KILL IT! Chop the vines at the base if ivey....don't get the juice in your eyes.
These things I know....learned the hard way.
If you get it, there is no really good cure I am aware of.


----------



## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

8thDayStranger said:


> She loves to walk out in the field and in the woods hunting for rabbits, squirrels, and wild edibles. She thinks that shorts and flip flops are suitable attire for this. I quit arguing with her to put on long pants and shoes. I figure eventually she will learn. Just like I will eventually learn to dodge the two thistles growing in the path to the garden when I go out barefooted ( which is pretty much always).


LOl I learned my lesson about that stuff many years ago,I had it so bad the doctor laughed,then apologized and said'I've seen a case as bad as yours'.

Now I wear long shirts and pants if theres even a remote chance of that crap being around me.

A couple of weeks and a few gallons of camomine lotion ,black tea bathes,rub on benedryl later I was ok.Good luck.


----------



## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

MetalPrepper said:


> Poisin oak is found growing on the ground, poisin ivey grows in trees, ivey has more fern looking leaves. Both have 3 leaves...first..."leaflets 3- leave it be!".....don't tounch it. If exposed use an alcohol based (if not just pure alcohol) to wipe it off. Turn you clothers inside out and wash (it does wash off).
> You have one hour after exposure to get the oil off of your skin.
> Beware of dogs getting it on them and "sharing" it with you.
> If you want to get rid of it, load a sprayer with bleach....and KILL IT! Chop the vines at the base if ivey....don't get the juice in your eyes.
> ...


Poison oak is also a vine type plant that will grow up tree trunks. I have to remove it from the trees near the house every other week as it grows back.


----------



## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

Years ago, I took a job with the US fish&wildlife service. Before I started I was required to get a series of shots(3) that made me immune to poison ivy. Either the shots worked or I was naturally immune as I worked in amongst it all summer one year and never had a problem.


----------



## Viking (Mar 16, 2009)

camo2460 said:


> NEVER, EVER burn Poison Ivy, Oak, or Sumac the oils can be transported by the smoke to your lungs and then you have a true medical emergency that would require hospitalization. as for how long it lasts I don't know, but I do know that it can last a long time


This has the potential to lead to death or permanent injuries. I didn't realize that when I was burning an old oak stump that there was a small amount of poison oak near the base of it and I got some oils possibly from the smoke that caused rash bumps in the skin to the side of my eye and even a bit on the edge of the iris which caused a white area that is slowly going away but in the mean time it's messed my vision up a bit, hopefully it'll get cleared up by next year when I have to renew my drivers license. If not I may have to go in for an optical checkup to see if I need new lenses because of that one eye.


----------



## MDsapper (Mar 12, 2013)

when i was a kid i used to run through giant patches of poison ivy and never had a problem, but i still avoid it like the plague.


----------



## Viking (Mar 16, 2009)

Grimm said:


> Poison oak is also a vine type plant that will grow up tree trunks. I have to remove it from the trees near the house every other week as it grows back.


I just took these pics on a pine tree about 100 feet up hill from our home.


----------



## Viking (Mar 16, 2009)

The wonderful thing is about the pine tree is that it and one less than five feet away I need to cut down. I probably will have to climb them and cut them down in small sections because if I try to drop them from the bottom I have no clear area for them to fall without damaging fir trees, a firewood shed, neighbors fence or potentially our home. I really don't like bull pines either because they drop tons of needles that raise fire danger, they don't burn well in a wood stove and they don't make good lumber, mills pay next to nothing for the logs so when I drop any I just let them rot. Sugar pine is whats valuable for lumber as it has very little knots, it makes great lumber for furniture, drawers and shelves. This is a post about poison ivy/poison oak but sometimes cutting trees down I've had to deal with the damn stuff rapped around the trunks of those trees so I guess I'm not side tracking the post too far:dunno:


----------



## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Viking said:


> I just took these pics on a pine tree about 100 feet up hill from our home.


That's what it does to our cedar and white oak trees next to the house. It doesn't seem to grow below the house on the hill but further up the mountain it gets really thick. I just avoid that area behind the house.


----------



## MetalPrepper (Nov 25, 2012)

Grimm said:


> Poison oak is also a vine type plant that will grow up tree trunks. I have to remove it from the trees near the house every other week as it grows back.


Poisin Oak would NEVER go up a tree.....I don't know much about alot of things....but these things I know...LOL! (My dad was a boyscout commisioner)....I am so alergic I can look at it....where we live I have BOTH and have killed it alll....LOLOL.....Oak is a ground thing...Ivey...(thus the name) is a vine....don't make me go take pictures....


----------



## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

MetalPrepper said:


> Poisin Oak would NEVER go up a tree.....I don't know much about alot of things....but these things I know...LOL! (My dad was a boyscout commisioner)....I am so alergic I can look at it....where we live I have BOTH and have killed it alll....LOLOL.....Oak is a ground thing...Ivey...(thus the name) is a vine....don't make me go take pictures....


Take a look at Viking's pictures. That is poison oak- climbing UP a tree.








> Poison oak is a poisonous, upright shrub. Just as poison ivy merely resembles actual ivy, poison oak owes its name to a superficial resemblance to the oak tree's leaves.
> 
> Habitat: Poison oak comes in two region-based varieties:
> Atlantic poison oak, which can be found growing in forests, thickets, and dry, sandy fields; and
> ...


----------



## MetalPrepper (Nov 25, 2012)

See the rounded edges of Oak, and the pointed edges of Ivy....ummm, the NAME Ivy should tell ya, it grows up a tree....big hairy vines....


----------



## MetalPrepper (Nov 25, 2012)

PS.....I live in NORTH CAROLINA.....not Califorinia.....


----------



## MetalPrepper (Nov 25, 2012)

And ....it doesn't really matter what you want to call it....leaflets three....leave it be....use alcohol to remove the oil within an hour and stay the **&&% away from it!!


----------



## Viking (Mar 16, 2009)

MetalPrepper said:


> Poisin Oak would NEVER go up a tree.....I don't know much about alot of things....but these things I know...LOL! (My dad was a boyscout commisioner)....I am so alergic I can look at it....where we live I have BOTH and have killed it alll....LOLOL.....Oak is a ground thing...Ivey...(thus the name) is a vine....don't make me go take pictures....


Well they do call this the "Left Coast" so maybe things are turned around here compared to N.C.. The poison oak that's around here is generally no more than a couple of feet tall and usually grows in low clumps sometimes up to three feet diameter. Oh yeah, had to go out and take a couple of pics, that's just the way I am.:tmi:?


----------



## professor (Nov 19, 2012)

Poison Ivy is one thing I know a bit about. There is a rather expensive cream called Zanfel - it is over the counter. It is a paste that is activated by running water - follow the instructions on the tube - and applied to the effective area. It deactivates the poison in the oil and removes it from the skin - I've actually had patients tell me they got relief while I was working on them!

Obviously, the quicker it is used, the better the outcome and I keep it at my house. If I get the slightest 'hughh, my arms are itching' I immediately head to the medical kit.

It is important to realize that people who are allergic to poison ivy, oak, etc., can have a topical reaction (skin in exposed areas only without blister or crust formation) or a systemic reaction ( spreads over entire body, blisters with crusting in areas, may develop ulcerations). You do not treat them the same way. Topical is treated with topicals; systemic is treated with steroids (prednisone).

The important thing to remember is that once someone has a systemic reaction, the chances are high that each repeated exposure will be systemic and they may worsen with each episode. It is a miserable experience - I have never had the systemic, but my mom has on several occasions. She has a prescription for steroids that we keep so that if she starts breaking out she can immediately start her treatment. She can spot poison ivy better than any person I've ever met. Additionally, repeated scratching and rubbing can cause secondary bacterial skin infections which just ratchet up the misery!

The Zanfel works well in my opinion and it is usually what I recommend as I use it myself. Having prednisone available for systemic reactions is important - many local docs will give their patients a 'dose pack' to use if they have had a bad reaction and it doesn't hurt to ask if you can have a refill just in case. 

I would caution those who are allergic to be careful about repeated exposure to try an avoid the jump to a systemic reaction - I have seen patients with it on their eyelids and in their nose - it makes me hurt to look at them; I can't imagine what it feels like to be them.


----------



## Hawkeye3030 (May 5, 2013)

We use clear fingernail polish to get rid redbugs(chiggers). It smothers them. For poison ivy, we use Grandma's poison ivy soap. Just lather it on and the itch is gone.


----------

