Poison Ivy/Oak remedy???

[Sawdust7]

OK, here's one for all you Home Remedy types. Gotta be somebody here who is up on poison ivy/oak. A guy I know was over Saturday. He used to work here in the 50s and 60s when this place was a dairy farm (Humble, Texas). We got to talking about poison ivy and oak. I am very alergic to it and he said he used to be but isn't anymore. He told me that the property owners brother told him to swallow three of the berries/seeds that grow from the poison ivy/oak in the fall. (I think what we got here though is the poison oak because that is most common in this region.) Anyway, he didn't believe him so the owners brother swallowed three of them himself so this guy did the same. He told me that he has never been affected by the stuff since then. Now, any of ya'll ever heard of such a thing or is this an old country tale? Sure would be hard to scratch my inerds if I was to try this and it turns out to be BS. OK, I'll wait for ya'll to finish laughin'.

 

[kennertree]

Don't know if I'd eat the berries or not, but I have seen poison ivy pills. The pills contain just a little bit of the poison to help build a tolerance. I think I saw it in the sherrill catalog.

 

[ropensaddle]

I got in trouble as a kid for eating the stuff as I ate all sorts of ****
Iverest is made of the poison plant and was givin out many years ago.
I would be careful ingesting if you are allergic as some people get it from
burning leaves. I did chew it as a kid and I don't get it but what worked
me might kill you so I think I would ask your doctor what he thinks.
Now if you get it go a head and scratch and then take
a long hot as you can stand shower and it helps my wife the hot
water stops the itch at first its worse but a second later the
heat stops the itch dead in tracks for about four hours.

 

[Ed*L]

I use this: http://www.taropharmadermatology.com/article.asp?siteID=237&catId=937&pgId=25223&sub1=3

A couple of days and the PI is gone.

Ed

 

[Zac]

When I was a kid a got poison ivy a couple times and it covered my whole body, and my face would swell up. Then when I first started in the tree business I would have poison ivy all the time. Didn't matter what the season was, as soon as it would clear up, two weeks later I would have it again. I never had it very bad though. Now, I havn't had it in 2 years, I think I built up an immunity to it. If that is the case then I think the berry-eating theory might just work.

 

[ATH]

Like kennertree mentioned, there are homeopathic pills. I have also seen a homeopathic liquid. I asked a pharmacist/pharmacy professor his thoughts about these products. He said they are unlikely to clear up an infection. However he could see, in theory, how they would prevent/reduce future outbreaks.

I have heard the old wive's tale that if you eat a couple of leaves when they are still tiny first thing in the spring that it would prevent infection...

I'm not dumb/crazy/adventerous/despirate enough to try to eat a part of the plant. I did take the pills for a couple of years and the liquid for a couple of summers. I used to get it pretty bad when I was younger, but have not had more than a couple of blisters for several years.

I also need to note that I try hard to wash up as soon as possible after exposure. I am careful about wiping my hands after I tie/untie my boots when I know I have walked through it. I also put clothes straight in the wash when I get home if I have been in it bad.

So...did the homeopathic stuff work? Have I naturally developed some resistance? Have I simply avoided a rash through better sanitation? Combination of the 3???

I am not sure a sample of "1" is enough to say the homeopathic solutions worked...but it is not that expensive, so I'd recommend it.

 

[Sawdust7]

Would that be WT Sherrill Kenner? I went to their site after a search but didn't find anything online. I suppose I should download their cat and look in it for the pills. As far as my doctor, Har-dee har-har . . . HMO Blue/ Kelsey Seybold. In other words, She will say "No, don't eat them berries, I'll prescibe you some pills. . . Now that'll be $20 for the co-pay and come back in a week with another $20. If you get it again, bring another $20". She got on my case for rubbing Clorox on in the shower. I do that after I've been working around the stuff. Clorox kills fungus so I figure, why not? I reckon it works because several times I have got the stuff on me then bathed ASAP with the Clorox and didn't break out. Zac, I just wish I could build an immunity to it but with me it seems to get worse every year. I get it mostly on my arms 2 or 3 times a year from cleaning along my fence lines so maybe like ropensaddle said, what works for some might kill the other. As I understand now, the only bad part to poison ivy and oak is the goop on the leaves which is or causes a fungus (correct me if I'm wrong here please). So maybe the little berries don't pack the same punch. I am going to keep researching on this because if I can find out if it would be safe then it would be like a miracle to be able to be immune to the stuff. I'll also keep looking for the homeopathic pills. I appreciate all the input from ya'll.

 

[luvthetrobag]

I have it pretty bad right now. But to answer your first question I dont think its a good idea. I know a guy who ate some back in the 60's and was in the hospital for a month. Almost died. All his major organs were actually covered with the stuff as well as every squre inch of his body. He is immune o this day though. Its probally hard to tell the proper dosage.

 

[Sawdust7]

:jawdrop: Hey luvthetrobag, I think you just helped me decide. I believe I'll leave the berries be. Wishful thinkin' though.

 

[jrparbor04]

have anyone heard of "oral ivy",,,sold by vermeer and it kinda made the reaction alittle better,,,dont think i would ever eat those dang old berries though

 

[bushinspector]

What I think is going on here is everyone is eating some "Willy Nelson's mushrooms" and just thinking that it its the posion ivy,/ posion oak berries.

All kidding aside it would be very, very dangerous to eat some. It could cause your airway to close up so bad you could not breath due to your airway swelling shut.

 

[bushinspector]

There is another poision ivy thread running in the commercial treee care and climbing forum. It also has some imput to the same subject.

 

[Elmore]

Fungi

"Clorox kills fungus so I figure, why not? " heh heh...that's funny.

I've heard that prompt washing with Simple Green might work.

 

[pmfiore]

poison oak and ivy

i have used a product called oak and ivy made by a company tecnu.i to am allergic to the stuff and this product really helps me.the problem with poison ivy is a oil called urishi oil and this product removes the urishi oil from your skin. also never take a bath only ever take showers you can also use this product to remove the oils from your clothes.

 

[chainsawchick67]

Ok, I know alot about PI cause i am VERY allergic and get it all over my arms and face EVERY fall. Ok, HOT water is bad. Do not wash in super hot water. PI is caused by oils , water makes oil melt/run/spread, and in turn, it will spread. Use COLD water when you wash your body(in a shower, not a bath) as well as your clothes, and do so ASAP. Also, for me Technu products dont work. I use a cream/scrub called Zanfel. It comes in a shiney siver and green box and you can get it at any drug store, you have to ask for it at the pharmacy counter. It runs about 35-40 dollars, but it WORKS and you get a lot of uses out of the tube. 2 washes and mine was gone. You can use it on ANY part of the body including the face. Also, if I get in bad enough, I must get put on a steroid to get it out of me(cant think of what its called):taped: . If you have tried everything, and nothing you try works. Go to the doc. Its easier for to go to the doc and get some pills and take them than to try to fart around and see what creams work or dont work.

 

[neighborstree]

im verrrrrrry allergic to anything poison. oak or ivy. sumac , u name it, im allergic to it, if im working around it. i go home that night and scrub every inch of my body with bleach, and i wont get it, if i dont scrub with bleach, ill be laid out for a few weeks

 

[gasman]

im verrrrrrry allergic to anything poison. oak or ivy. sumac , u name it, im allergic to it, if im working around it. i go home that night and scrub every inch of my body with bleach, and i wont get it, if i dont scrub with bleach, ill be laid out for a few weeks

Exactly!!! The treatment for PI exposure is to wash like hell. What you use or the tempeature of the water, etc. is secondary.


My choice would be a pummice type soap,(lava,octagon,fels naptha) to get the filth off and a degreasing soap (dawn dishliquid, clear glycerine bar soap, many others) to get the PI/PO oils off.

Also PI is spread very frequently because it remains under your nails for days!! Wear gloves, cut and scrub under your nails as needed.

Wash within two hours of exposure. But even if it has been more time it will help to wash. Go straight to the shower after working!!!

Do not expose yourself to PI directly after showering. You have scrubed off all of your protective oils and external layers of skin.

 

[Sawdust7]

Believe it or not, I have been having good success using diesel (I think). I put some in a spritzer-sprayer bottle and some Tide in a hand soap pump bottle. After working the fences etc out out back in the North 40, I spray my hands and arms with the diesel then pump about 4 or 5 squirts of Tide then rub it all together. I wait about 5 minutes, rinse then re-wash with the Tide. Last week I started getting the rash after working with one of the cows I had penned (the stuff likes to stay on there hair). I got out the diesel an Tide and rubbed it on and the next day the rash had begun subsiding. Now, I did however rub some PI cream on that evening but I don't think that that is what did the trick because It went away too fast. Not saying the diesel and Tide did it but it does appear it did, too soon to tell. I'll know the next time I get a rash, which won't be long from now. The oily residue from PI , almost like pitch, is hard to wash off with mild soaps so I figured the Diesel and Tide would wipe it out quick. Also, diesel has sulfur in it and that just may have something to do with it. I also keep a squirt bottle of Clorox in the shower and use it religiously. As far as the berries . . . NOPE, not yet.

 

[Sawdust7]

Duhh, it posted twice

 

[Zac]

When I was a kid a got poison ivy a couple times and it covered my whole body, and my face would swell up. Then when I first started in the tree business I would have poison ivy all the time. Didn't matter what the season was, as soon as it would clear up, two weeks later I would have it again. I never had it very bad though. Now, I havn't had it in 2 years, I think I built up an immunity to it. If that is the case then I think the berry-eating theory might just work.

I spoke to soon. I ran into last Thursday and cleaned up well. Then Sunday mourning I wake up to find it all over my left hand. Now it is Thursday and I am on steroids and have a demon hand.