Poison ivy!

[beac]

So, I thought I knew where all the poison ivy was on the property and I was being SO careful (washing down w/Tecnu after any possible exposure), yet here I sit with little weeping blisters popping out all over. I think maybe the cat got some on her fur and transfered the oil to me. :(

Anyway, I wanted to share my newly-discovered treatment. A friend is an aromatherapist and she gave me a bottle of "Release" essential oil blend (manufacturer is "Young Living".) You just rub the oil onto the blisters, lightly and often. Within minutes, the itching was relieved and it seems to be speeding the sore through the oozing stage to the crusty/healing stage (gross, no?) more quickly. Even though I am still finding new little patches, I feel like I'm on the road to recovery. :)

My mother swears by iced salt water bandages, but I've found the oil a little easier to manage, especially as I have a patch on my face. (yuck)

Anyone else have PI cures to share? I fear this may not be my last bout this summer, and it's always good to have a few backup plans!

[wovenpaint]

1. Jewelweed

http://altnature.com/jewelweed.htm

This wonderful antidote plant grows in the same areas as poison ivy. You can make a "tea" with the plant in a pot of boiling water. My son used to get poison ivy very badly-I'd add a pot of the tea to bathwater and he was quickly relieved. The ice cubes work well on facial rashes...
I collected seeds and made sure that it now grows in my garden (it re-seeds itself every year). It's fun to pop the seed pod-it has a unique way of spreading seeds.

[beac]

4. Very interesting!

I'll have to take a look around and see if I can find some. Amazing how nature always has a balance, if only we know where to look.

[formercia]

11. Be sure not to drink the Jewelweed tea

Although some have reported medicinal uses, it is not recommended.

The seed pods 'explode' with just a touch when they're ripe.

If you have a moist and shady spot, it will take over the area. It's easy to pull up and doesn't regrow. so it's fairly easy to control.

[elleng]

2. No p.i cures here! Glad you found one!

I've had it spread WILDLY thru my system, and only steroids 'helped.'

[beac]

6. My aromatherapist friend talked about "systemic" PI. My outbreak took

several days to show up, which I thought was unusual. Here's hoping it's just lazy and NOT systemic. :scared:

[blue neen]

3. Domeboro.

It's a non-prescription item, but usually kept behind the counter at pharmacies. Cost is somewhere between 10 and 12 dollars for about a dozen packets in the box.

Domeboro is a powder that you dissolve in water. You then make compresses and put them on the affected poison ivy areas. It is very soothing and helps to dry up the rash.

[beac]

5. Interesting. I Googled it and found they also make Campho-Phenique.

I have childhood memories of that weird-smelling liquid being applied to all my scrapes and bites.

[elleng]

17. Gee beac,

I read your post and the smell popped right into my head/nose/memory! FUNNY!

[formercia]

7. Jewelweed

http://www.altnature.com/jewelweed.htm



This plant is a weed in my yard. One caution. Don't try eating it. It will make you vomit.

Works great on insect bites and nettle rashes.


Back in the 70's when I lived in Oklahoma, someone told me about a product called ImmunIvy. The power line crews were using it and reduced their lost work days due to poison Ivy to nil. I tried it and it worked.

Check with your local Pharmacist to see if they carry it. It cured me of the allergic reaction.

[beac]

10. ImmunIvy sounds like a great product, but all my Googling seems to indicate they stopped making it.

:(

I am going on a hunt for jewelweed today. Do you rub the leaf on the rash or make a tea?

[wovenpaint]

14. Use of jewelweed...

First of all, as mentioned above, don;t take internally! Steep the leaves and stems in boiling water to make the "tea". After water cools, strain out the plant and discard. Use "tea" as a compress or add to bath water-also can make into ice cubes to gently run over rash for relief.
The stem of jewelweed is hollow and can be easily split open to gently pat, not rub!, the "juice" over affected area. Be careful around broken skin though. The leaves don't have enough water in them to be useful until steeped, imho.
I also agree with Domboro compresses-this works well, too. Good for other rashes as well...again, be very gentle with broken skin areas.

Best of luck and wishes for a speedy recovery!

[hippywife]

8. I feel for you. I got it last year

for the first time in my life. I had to go get some steriods to finally clear it up since I hadn't the slightest idea what to do about it. I asked the pharmacist and he recommended Ivy Dry but don't buy it. It doesn't work at all.

Hope that oil keeps working for you. :hi:

[beac]

9. Thanks, hippywife.

It's starting to pop up in little dots in odd places, so I am getting worried it's somehow "systemic"--- yikes! My ex used to have to take prednosone for PI, so I'm familiar with that route. Hoping I can stick with the natural cure, but I am getting to be a very oily girl. ;)

[Arkansas Granny]

12. Here's an old folk remedy that I got from an old man who had been raised

way back in the hills. When I met him, I had several patches of poison oak. He told me that what I needed was some white clay to put on it and he brought me some a few days later that he had dug up. I just keep some in a small plastic container and rub water over the surface until it gets kind of soupy (like the consistency of calamine lotion) and apply it to the rash. It takes the itch away and seems to dry it up quicker than some of the conventional remedies I have tried. I keep some at the house to use on small patches, but if it's widespread I go in for shots and pills to clear it up.

[lizziegrace]

13. I've used lye soap

when I think I've been exposed. No idea how well it works since I haven't broken out.

[WheelWalker]

15. If it's really a bad case, try a bath with raw oatmeal in a nylon stocking.

Cats are a primary vector for transmission of the oil from poison oak/ivy. Stomp your feet whenever they appear to scare them away. The only "cure" is prevention. You must not only recognize it at all stages (leafed and leafless, roots, etc) but you must recognize its habit and habitat to know when you could have been amidst it and not seen it. Tech-Nu if you've even THOUGHT about PI/PO during the day. Better safe than sorry. If you live in PI/PO habitat, move. If you can't move, avoid cats who prowl the hillside hunting voles and birds. Cats are not the friend of one who is allergic to PI/PO.

[LiberalEsto]

16. I wonder if Kaopectate might help

I've never had poison ivy, but did some Googling and found that kaolin clay, one of the ingredients in various poison ivy treatments, may help dry up weeping sores and blisters. Kaopectate contains kaolin.

http://www.revolutionhealth.com/conditions/first-aid-safety/first-aid-treatment/poison-ivy/relieve-itching-from-poison-ivy

The active ingredient in this poison ivy product is kaolin:
http://www.rxzone.us/product.cfm/rx/Dermarest-Poison-Ivy-Med-Mousse-30-Oz-795443.html

and kaolin (hydrated aluminum silicate)is also an ingredient in Burt's Bees Poison Ivy soap.


I hope you feel better soon!

[beac]

18. Interesting. I never used to be allergic to PI either, but I've read that ones immunity

can disappear at any time. I did end up with a systemic case, with the secondary sites being more like little hives. Yuck.

I managed to avoid the dreaded steroids by using an internal "blood cleansing" herbal supplement and the oil mentioned above. Mostly healed now, with one weird scar on my inner arm.

The worst part is that I am now afraid to go back to the area of the garden where I got it and I still need to plant some things there to fill in the space. I had thought we'd gotten all the PI out, but I see a few leaves peeking in the edges. :scared: I cajoled my husband into weeding the bed yesterday with the promise of an extra-fantastic dinner. ;)

[tigereye]

19. i just use chalomine lotion, but it's good to hear about natural options

for me washing with dish liquid after gardening, and wearing gloves more often, seems to do the trick.


I get it every year (somehow) and sympathize mightily... :hug: