How can we prep for poison ivy?

[teddy12b]

Recently I was reminded that I'm not immune to poison ivy. In fact I got a pretty good case of it right now thanks to a little bit of quality time with a weed wacker and some vines. This little experience got me thinking about what I could do to ease this type of burden in the future. Obviously not getting the stuff in the first place would be the ideal option, but there's going to be times where you've got to and it'd be nice to not get put too far out of commission because of it. I'm not sure what supplies to put up for it, but I'm certainly open to ideas. Any fish meds that would work for poison ivy?

 

[Bunnykid68]

Steroids is the best answer I can think of

 

[sht4brnz]

I'm extremely susceptible. I used to get it annually. Most times I would never even be around it. I never knew how I came in contact with it, as I am fully aware of what it looks like and I avoid it like the plague when identified. I kind of deduced it was from my dogs brushing past it and passing it on to me.
As crazy as it may sound, eating a small spring leaf from a vine prevented me from getting it.
Do a search on it. It worked for me.

 

[sht4brnz]

What got me looking into it was hearing stories from a couple different people that had eaten it as children and had never once gotten it throughout their life.
One guy is 75 years old and spent most of his life in and around a lot of woods and dense vegetation.
He took a dare to eat it when he was 8. My dad was present to confirm the story.

 

[Grump01]

Before I retired from the Railroad, our electricians would carry rubbing alcohol in their trucks and wash their hands and arms when done with a job when poison ivy was around that it. It kept them from getting it pretty good.

 

[nightgaunt]

Working outdoors a lot, I come into contact with it most of the spring/summer season. Technu wash is great if you know you contacted the plant. Use cold water and wash as soon as possible with the Technu. It breaks up the oils and allows it to be released from the skin. BUT, you must wash it off ASAP, and don't wait too long. We also have something called Ivy-X that is a pre contact "towellete" that you rub on before you might be working in an area with poison ivy/poison oak.

 

[PapaScout]

I am not nearly as susceptible to it now as I was when I was younger. I still get it sometimes but it's never bad.

My aunt swears by Dawn dishsoap to break up the oils after contact and she'll shower with it after working outside.

An old Swedish guy (Hi Eskil!) taught me that you can use the juice from a juniper stem or from a may apple to help dry it up.

 

[dirtfarmerz]

Dishsoap works because it removes the oil. Appy the dishsoap and let it stay on your skin for a minute or two, then rinse it off. Everybody says to use cold, but I always use hot water because it removes the soap better. I wear a long sleeve t-shirt when using a weed eater and then I wash with dishsoap as soon as I'm done. If you start itching, use a hair dryer and the itch will go away for several hours and usually all night. The heat from the hair dryer causes a weird reaction, you can put the heat directly on the skin with the poison ivy for awhile, but you'll feel it burn on your skin without the poison ivy. Apply the heat until you feel it get hot, and then back the hair dryer up. You'll be able to tell when to stop the heat.

I never heard of eating a leaf of the poison ivy plant, but Doctors use to tell people to let their goats eat the poison ivy and then give the milk to their kids; their children, not the goat kids.

Watch out for the tall yellow flowers that are a cousin to Queen Ann's Lace. It is phyto-photo sensitive which means if you get the plant juice on your skin while you're in the sun, it will be like acid on your skin. I learned that lesson the hard way. We try to weed eat late in the evening or when it's cloudy.

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/817226-overview

http://www.empowher.com/contact-der...otodermatitis-also-known-margarita-dermatitis

 

[patience0830]

The chemical in poison ivy is urushiol , IIRC, and is a strong base. A poultice of paper towels soaked in vinegar (mild acid) right after exposure seems to help me prevent the blisters. It's also antiseptic as well as being soothing after you get the rash.

 

[wolfman]

As a kid, we kept a bar of home made lye soap around just for washing with after we thought we might have been in contact with poison ivy. I don't really know if it worked or not, but no one in the family ever broke out unless we hadn't washed with the lye soap.

 

[K_W]

I'm immune, have been since I had a really horrible case of it as a kid. I was rolling down a hill and rolled over a bed of it.

I string trimmed some of it on accident at Grandpa's last month (yes it defiantly was poison ivy) and didn't get anything. But, my mother will get it "just by looking at it."

 

[Dorky_D]

I would imagine the orange oil based hand cleaners would be good to remove the resin/oil.

 

[NathanJefferson]

How has no one mentioned jewelweed yet? It grows ALL over, especially near creeks and wet forests.


Jewelweed, Poison Ivy Treatment from Nature

I've used this since I can remember and it works pretty well! I'd put it almost on par with technu.

 

[teddy12b]

How has no one mentioned jewelweed yet? It grows ALL over, especially near creeks and wet forests.


Jewelweed, Poison Ivy Treatment from Nature

I've used this since I can remember and it works pretty well! I'd put it almost on par with technu.

Thanks for the tip. I found seeds on ebay, Spotted Jewelweed bar soap on amazon, and I'm going to stop by a nursery on the way home ot see if they've got any. The more I read about that plant the more it sounded like an incredible asset to have.

 

[findingZzero]

Try that with mushrooms.......
flabby thinking award goes to you.
Of course I make tea out of PI and never get it. I pull it out with bare hands. Just in case I'm misguided. I wash my hand afterwards. I did get it when I was younger. No disrespect intended......

 

[NathanJefferson]

Thanks for the tip. I found seeds on ebay, Spotted Jewelweed bar soap on amazon, and I'm going to stop by a nursery on the way home ot see if they've got any. The more I read about that plant the more it sounded like an incredible asset to have.

Bah, don't buy seeds it is EVERYWHERE in indiana. Go to a stream or creek and you will find it.

 

[teddy12b]

Bah, don't buy seeds it is EVERYWHERE in indiana. Go to a stream or creek and you will find it.

I don't know that I've ever noticed it before. The seeds I saw were $7 shipped for a pack of 50. From what I read the plants die every year, but the new seeds will start the process all over again.

 

[NathanJefferson]

I don't know that I've ever noticed it before. The seeds I saw were $7 shipped for a pack of 50. From what I read the plants die every year, but the new seeds will start the process all over again.

Yep it will grow quite well on its own, just plant in a damp place, partial shade is great too.

 

[Tactical Dave]

Anything that removes oil based stuff works well. Washing very well as soon as you can helps. I'm sure runing alcohol would work well since it dries stuff out.

 

[eldirector]

Long sleeves and pants if you are going to be working around it.

Anything to remove the oil as soon as you can. Any decent soap will work.

We have enough hydrocortisone in our "preps" to subdue every itch within 5 miles.