What's your best cure for PI??

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By gosh Oxford, after doing a bit of research... I believe you're correct on the Poison Parsnip. Interesting how the rash only develops when the sap (or oil) on the skin is exposed to sunlight.

At the far southeast end of my woodlot I mow a looped trail out into the weeds and grasses under the power lines... and I know full well there plenty of those yellow flowers out there this year. There's some along the edges of my yard also. The stuff hangs/leans over the mowed areas, it drags against my skin, it was a bright sunny day, and I didn't shower when I was done... in fact, I spent the remainder of the day working out in the sun. My left side is hit the worst, which is the side of the mower I do the edges with... my right side (the deck discharge side) is pretty clear compared to the left side. Even the blister "pattern" on my left arm resembles "drag mark" scratches.

Good call man...thanks... I've learned a valuable lesson.

I guess, from the research I've done, Poison Parsnip (an invasive species) is becoming a serious problem in Iowa and other Midwestern states... especially in ditches, meadows and other non-wooded areas. I also learned it grows near everywhere in North America... y'all may want to learn how to identify it, especially those of you living in the Midwest.

http://www.kcci.com/news/central-iowa/weed-that-causes-burns-is-spreading-across-iowa/20886136#!bxSIV0

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/poisonous-plants-like-wild-parsnip-could-spoil-your-summer/

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Oxford said:
No, I don't think it's water hemlock. http://www.dot.state.mn.us/adopt/documents/wild-parsnips.pdf is what I'm talking about, and it's spreading throughout the area where I live, which is roughly the same latitude as Spider's home turf.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, that's the stuff... and it's all over the place 'round here this year, almost every ditch.
I said the rash, or more the way it affected me, was "different" this time. I thought it was strange I could mow over a patch of PI big enough to get me like this without noticing it... heck, I can spot PI from a 100 yards. I've been doing some more reading this morning, looking at more pictures of the plant and the resulting rash... now I'm a good 90% sure that's the stuff that got me.

Like I said... good call Oxford, damn good call.
I'm appreciative; I'd have got right back into that stuff if you wouldn't have set aside your "differences":) with me and tossed out your comments... yours is the character of a gentleman.
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I got a bad case early in the summer after clearing some brush. Now I keep a mini bottle of Dawn in the shower. I wash with it every time I cut firewood now. Seems to keep the poison at bay.
 
Oxford,

Glad to hear it's not water hemlock.
A few different varieties of water hemlock exist in NA and one of them looks much like wild parsnip.
The lesser poison one is a ringer for it, and lesser poison I'm talking #2 most deadly plant in NA.

All water hemlock versions need constant damp to grow and seed.

Poison parsnip does not make good sunscreen LOL
You can walk through it all day long on a overcast day and nothing happens but lord help you if the sun comes out on that same walk.
 
zogger,

Water hemlock is death for mamals eating it, even small amount of it less than lethal can cause long term health problems.
Poison parsnip I don't think is highly poison to eat, it has a compound in it's oil that reacts with sunlight to cause nasty blisters on skin.
Got to be somewhat poison to eat IMO or at minimum make you or any animal hyper sensitive to sunlight if you did.

A good rule to follow is red and dusty stems most of the time are stay away signs of plants.
Same rule works most of the time for leaf also, if it has blotched red mature or bright red new leafs.
 
MasterBlaster,

You got it.

Got to love that rule with sumac, the red berries make a wonderful tasting tea full of vitamin c and loaded with other nutrients, the white berries would probably kill you in that tea.
 
Lowell Webb who owns Webb's Faarm Supply in the Santa Cruz Mountains told me he cuts a poison oak leaf the size of his pinky fingernail puts it on a piece of cheese, folds the chees so no PO is exposed and swallows it. He said he does this once a month and haas no PO.

I brought this up to my allergy doctor (I get shots 2x/month for allergies to everything green and growing). He said this may work but there is a problem. Lowell is covering the PO leaf with the cheese because the skin in your mouth can get PO. The trouble is the skin at the other end can also get PO. He said I should think about that before following Lowell's advice.

I haven't had the guts to eat any PO.
 
warpig6 said:
I got a bad case early in the summer after clearing some brush. Now I keep a mini bottle of Dawn in the shower. I wash with it every time I cut firewood now. Seems to keep the poison at bay.
Click to expand...

That won't work for me. I don't know why, but Dawn gives me a poison ivy type of rash. Even if I use a sponge that still has some Dawn on it, I break out with a rash the next day.

I have some PI right now. I don't know if this helped, but I was in a public restroom and I put the rash under the hot air hand dryer for a few cycles and it seems to be drying up. Of course, spending a few hours in a chlorinated swimming pool probably helped also.

About 10 years ago I had it bad on my arm. We went to the beach and I spent a good part of the day with my arm soaking in a large bucket of ocean water. Dried it right up.
 
I havent had PI in 35 yrs which is kind of odd since i spent so much time out in the woods every year. Must not be a lot of it in wisconsin. I remember a few bouts of it as a kid back in the 70s but nothing since then.
 
Well this thread jinxed me. I just got PI, and I have no idea how. I none on the property, and any that I find is promptly sprayed. As I mentioned, once it blistered, it spread like wildfire, and I had to go on steroids. Just started treatment yesterday.
I really hate PI!!
 

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