Poision Oak - Help!!!

[frank bullitt]

D Key, not making fun of ya! It is is all discomforting! My youngest son has had it all over his body! Playing in the creek near the house, when it's bad, get the shot!

Grandma always said to wash off good with a grease cutting soap. If exposed, scrub down with Dawn in the shower. Clean the clothes, the oils can stay in them and effect others.

[Bobby Urban]

http://poisonivy.aesir.com/view/fastfacts.html

Poison Ivy, Oak and Sumac itch is all caused by the same thing: Urushiol Oil so they are esentially one in the same.  If you are alergic to one, you are alergic to all so Frank Bullitt if you got into the Ivy you would itch.  Check out the link or do a search on BING and there is a ton of info out there on the stuff.  Best to keep it off you but that is near impossible where I hunt and evetually I am itching at some point during the year - Many times I have looked at the perfect tree for a stand only to move on because of the dirty Ivy!  

Also - for those of you who are immune: you may not be forever.  It can decide to get you at any time.  Best to be careful.

Bob Urban

[Bob Barnes]

try carrying antiperspirant when out...apply it to any place you suspect gets infected...it works most of the time.

[red hill]

Aveeno oatmeal soap, ointment, and/or bath additive.  This is the same thing our doctor recommended when my boys contracted chicken pox.  The oatmeal works well on poison oak.  When I was a kid I would put liquid white shoe polish on any poison oak.  The resulting crust would dry the rash out in a couple of days.  I haven't seen liquid white shoe polish in years...
So much for home remedies.
Stan

[frank bullitt]

Yes Stan, the white shoe polish with the foam applicator! Aveno works good to dry it up.

Bob Urban, yes I know they have the same oils. But for some reason I don't have the problem with the Ivy. I can look at Oak and Sumac and get it! Maybe it's the way it holds or releases the oils?

I had it so bad as a kid, one summer, I itched so deep on my legs, that the hair won't grow from my knees down!  

[JamesV]

Lucky me.........posion oak or Ivy does not bother me. Not since I was a kid anyway, (another story). I can pull it off a tree and climb the tree without any problem. On the other hand my son-inlaw can ride a 4 wheeler thur the woods and get covered up. ...........James

[Uncle Buck]

WARNING-I am not allergic to it but I dont tempt fate- My father was not either until he was around 40, while cutting pulpwood with his father he volunteered to pull a bunch off of a popple they wanted to cut 4 hours later he was in the hospital. you can lose your immunity to it.

[frank bullitt]

Here's something for you to chew on! My wife's grandfather said as a youngen, was told to eat some leaves of Ivy to build the immunity to it! He did, and said he never got it again!

He passed away few years ago at the age of 88. I would not recommend this. I still would take the Shot!

[Ryan Rothhaar]

I carry a prednisone blister pack with me in my shaving kit on any hunt in poison ivy/oak country.  


R

[OutbackMan]

Dang it...I think I got some just from reading this thread...

[Zbone]

I also get it really bad and have scars from the nasty stuff. The worst case I got years ago during December when I started hacking on a vine to mount a treestand with protective Carharts coveralls on. I figured it was dormit at that time of winter....WRONG

Aside from going to the Doc and getting a shot,  I’m with you guys and the bleach as the best thing to help dry it up.

Bath with Clorox (as much as you can bare) or as I do, first shower with soap and rinse then squirt and rub in Clorox in affected areas and rinse again. If you already have it scratch raw, the Clorox will burn, but it helps to dry it up. It's also tuff to bare breathing in during showering (it'll open your lungs), but I'd rather endure a few seconds or minutes off pain the agonizing itch for days on end.

As a preventive measure, I frequently wash with Clorox year round if in the woods or know I come in contact with it. There some in the woods around the edge of my yard that I sometimes get into while mowing and the very first thing I do is when done is head for the shower and Clorox.

The way I apply it is pour it from the bleach container into an empty dish soap squeeze bottle and dispense it that way. As said, it's in the shower stall year round, and used it yesterday after mowing and again today's shower before work. It helps a lot, although it's good to use old bath towels after showering, cause it will stain them if you’re not complete rinse good.

[Ssamac]

doc is good advice
I'm pretty immune so don't really have issues with ivy or sumac or oak. However I've gotten a spot or two over the years, and my wife and boys, well that's a different story.

Old timer told us to use bleach. Clorox bleach. I don't know about scratching it up, that might scar, but just wash with bleach and let it set a few minutes and be sure to wash off thoroughly. Do it a few times a day. Try not to make it spread and whatever you do don't bathe. Be careful in teh shower. The bleach works very well.

There's a weed called jewel weed. I don't see it in the midwest but if you can find it, the sap from the leaves and stems is like a miracle drug too.

sam

[pickaspot]

I would advise caution with the bleach. A little might be OK but too much can irritate your lungs. The oil from poision oak & ivy is what causes the trouble. Avoiding it in the first place (long sleeves/gloves) is best - but hot this time of year!

A wash with dish soap after exposure (before rash) really helps. Once you have it the OTC stuff and time will work. I second the "see the doc" advice for bad cases. Go easy on scratching and things that irritate the skin more - it can make things worse and give you a skin infection too.

Ever notice how the best tree ALWAYS has poision ivy?!

Dr. J

[BEN]

Originally posted by tecum-tha:

The cure is called jewelweed and it is the sap of the jewelweed plant. It is sold in 3 forms:
1.) a real soap with jewelweed to wash away the poison oil
2.) a concentrated spray or
3.) a salve
The problem with the poison oil is, that it binds to the skin cells after about 20 min, that means only excess oil can be removed. Soap breaks down some of the oil, but the reaction comes from the bound oils and usually can not be washed away.The jewelweed compound counteracts the poison oil.
My sources are
  http://www.altnature.com/jewelweed.htm  
or
  http://www.turkeyfootllc.com/Salvesandlotion.html  

The soap works great as a preventative treatment, leaving some residue on your skin that prevents most major breakouts.

Don't scratch, but put some calamine solution or gel on it.
The poison oil has the tricky problem, that it is water and fat soluble. That makes it easy to spread around the body.
Don't ask where I learned that from....

Jewel weed grows abundantly here in Ohio. found easily in shaded areas along cree/ river banks. When you know you've been in contact with poison ivy/oak, etc... pick some of the plant and crush it up good w/ your hands untill it is good and wet. then rub on your skin wherever you contacted the nasty stuff.  If you use this within about a 2 hr. timeframe of the poison contact,it will neutralize the poison ivy.
It is also good for taking the sting out of insect bites....

[7 Lakes]

There is a plant called Jewel weed that usually grows in the same wet damp places as ivy.  It has small 1" bell shaped orange flowers.  Crush the flowers and young leaves into a paste with a little water.  Apply.