Poison Ivy

[TahoeLT]

It's possible to become immune I picked up a bottle of those poison ivy pills which contain a very small dose of the urushiol. Read some reviews that it works when you take them early season a few times a day. Also got a first hand report from a gent that was allergic to PI, got it for years and used those pills years ago and no longer is effected. I'm planning on preempting with those next spring.

This is interesting news; do you have any links? I'd like to see more about these and maybe try them myself; I hate PI with a passion.

[jmp45]

This is interesting news; do you have any links? I'd like to see more about these and maybe try them myself; I hate PI with a passion.

Picked up a bottle of this at the local drug store. Rhus Tox 4X. They are tiny pills. Dissolve 2 on the tongue every 2 hours for four doses, then every 3 or 4 hours. That's the directions for infection. it did not do anything for me after the fact. Testimony I heard directly it was used as a preventative. According to our pharmacist he said a lot of the locals start taking them early spring and they claim it works. I'll give it a try next season. PI really tears me up, I'm very sensitive to it.

http://www.homeopathyworks.com/product.php?xProd=251

From their product page...

Rhus tox. 4X is made from poison ivy leaves.Through a special FDA-regulated manufacturing process, the plant material is diluted many times in order to eliminate any negative effects. Only the immune- stimulating power of Rhus tox. is left intact. The body quickly recognizes the Rhus tox. and responds by ceasing the itching sensation and healing the rash within a few days. Due to the safety rendered by this manufacturing process, Rhus tox. 4X causes no side-effects or drug interactions.

Rhus tox. was introduced into medical practice in 1816 by German physician Dr. Samuel Hahnemann. It has been used since to effectively treat symptoms similar to Poison Ivy, Oak, and Sumac poisoning and has been found to be effective for about 85% of the population.

Currently, over 65 companies order the Poison Ivy Pills for their workers, and over 60,000 individuals purchase them each spring.

[duece71]

Funny true story. A friend, myself and my friends cousin were out in the woods one night partying back before I knew better. Drinking away, having a grand old time in the dark with music blasting from a boom box. (we had the lights from a car and a few flashlights). Well, the friends cousin decides to go off and take a crap in the bushes. What do you think he grabs to wipe with?? No, not grass. Nope, not TP either. Yep, good old PI leaves. His crotch, butt, inner thighs were covered (saturated) with oozing, itchy sores with in a day or two. He couldn't walk for 2 weeks. Not only that but No.1 and No. 2 were not very pleasant. Makes you think twice about getting smashed in the woods at night.

[ArRazorback]

In the past year, I've gotten into it twice. As soon as I felt the it creeping up, I gave this soap http://poisonivysoap.com/index.html from the local hardware store a try.

Happy to say that it worked very well. I still had a very small area or two (more like bug bites) that were a bit annoying for a couple of days, but nothing like the painful rashes I've experienced in the past. Glad to see it's made in my home state, and that the company is veteran-owned. If you can find it nearby, give it a shot.

[Meth0d]

Take some fine grit sandpaper. Nothing too rough, you just want to burst the blisters/break the skin, not rake yourself bloody.

Rub the sandpaper on the area. This should actually feel like sweet relief. You finally get to scratch the shit out of that poison ivy. Rub until the blisters have popped. Don't go too nuts. The blisters should be open and probably oozing a little clear liquid. This is normal.

Apply the rubbing alcohol to a Q-Tip or to a clean gauze for a larger area. Apply alcohol liberally to the area. This stings a little, but not any more than alcohol or peroxide on any open wound.

The itching stops almost immediately. Within the next day or so, the poison ivy will start to dry out and heal.

[backspur]

In my youth and early adult hood, I had severe reactions. A childhood friend's grandma would make a solution by straining the liquid off boiled willow leaves. Applying the liquid to the rash would stop the itching. It smelled bad but worked. As an aside, my friend claimed his grandma was a witch, so your results may vary.

As a land surveyor, I encounter poison ivy/poison oak regularly. I have willed myself against it. I don't believe in it anymore, so I don't get it. The same thing works for chiggers. I can't see them, so they don't exist.

I've seen old timers chew a poison ivy leaf. Hair of the dog, so to speak. I've never tried it, but I know guys that swear by it.

[DeltaSierra]

I've seen old timers chew a poison ivy leaf. Hair of the dog, so to speak. I've never tried it, but I know guys that swear by it.

That is an awesome way to get really sick, or die.

Seriously, if anyone is dumb enough to do that, they deserve whatever they get...

[shootinsurveyor]

In my youth and early adult hood, I had severe reactions. A childhood friend's grandma would make a solution by straining the liquid off boiled willow leaves. Applying the liquid to the rash would stop the itching. It smelled bad but worked. As an aside, my friend claimed his grandma was a witch, so your results may vary.

As a land surveyor, I encounter poison ivy/poison oak regularly. I have willed myself against it. I don't believe in it anymore, so I don't get it. The same thing works for chiggers. I can't see them, so they don't exist.

I've seen old timers chew a poison ivy leaf. Hair of the dog, so to speak. I've never tried it, but I know guys that swear by it.

As a fellow surveyor, i have learned to "will" it away also. Couldnt avoid it so i just quit worrying about it and dont get it hardly at all. We dont clean off equipment or do any prevention. I will wear chaps on damp morning to keep my pant sfrom getting soaked. Wet pants and poison ivy will give you a case that will last 3 months. I used to clean equipment with clorox wipes and that worked really well. Knee high rubber boots that you can take of without touching make probably the most difference in my exposure to it. Once you have it, go to a pool, hottub, or ocean and it will dry that stuff out quicker than about anything. First time i had a older guy say he refused to get poison ivy, i thought it was crazy. Now i feel the same way. When i worried about it all the time and was cleaning and wiping and avoiding it, i got it 10 times more than i do now. Although in spots where it is 5 feet tall and grwing like a wheatfield, its not if you get it, its how bad.

[PlatoCATM]

I usually get a couple cases of it every year of varying levels of severity. So last year at a professional conference I got a free tube of Zanfel, and when I went to the store to see how much it would have cost I was shocked to see the price tag - ~$30. This year I tried it when I had a minor rash on my wrist, only to cause a much more severe reaction from irritating it through the application process. I would stay far away from this stuff, and you'll save money in the end.

[chadbag]

All I can say is that PI sucks wonky b*lls. We had it around everywhere when I was a kid in Mass. I regularly got it. Doctor would give me topical steroids and I would use various lotions for itch relief. All around sucks. I got to be really good at spotting it (all the rock walls along the streets would be covered and it would be around our yard as well).

I am just glad that here in Utah I have never once seen any. Have not had a case in 30 years and will be keeping it that way.

Worst case was when, at a regional youth camp out, we decided to play capture the flag in the woods. Only later did we realize it was a PI nursery where we were playing.

Just don't touch yourself soon after exposure. Nothing worse than PI "down there."

Interesting about "becoming immune." I am basically immune to mosquitos (having been bit by 10^9 mosquitos in my life) but, despite repeated encounters with PI (many repeated), don't seem to have gotten any immunity.

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