Cure for poison ivy/oak/sumac?

[Iron Eagle]

Does anyone know of a cure to stop the itchiness of these plants? I was exposed thursday of last week, and it still itches.

[mogunner]

Soak a paper towel in cider vinegar and lay it across the afflicted area. Some swear by oatmeal baths but I've never tried that.

[Iron Eagle]

Originally Posted by mogunner

Soak a paper towel in cider vinegar and lay it across the afflicted area. Some swear by oatmeal baths but I've never tried that.

Thanks!

[aa1911]

calamine lotion is your friend.

wash your clothes and any other cloth it touches, poison ivy and whatnot can stay active/irritating for up to 6 months on clothing.

Jewelweed neutralizes a lot of the irritating plants including stinging nettle and the poison ivy, sumac, oaks. It usually grows near wet areas nearby small streams, just crush the plant and rub it on the affected area.

[cpttango30]

Tecnu is the best thing ever. Also get some Absorbine Jr.

[dons2346]

Rub the infected area with the inside of a banana peel. Another thing to do to stop the itching is use a hair dryer and blow hot air on the infected area. I have tried both and both remedies work.

[mitchell38]

yeah oatmeal works for me i used to get it really bad once a year when i was younger,put plain oatmeal in a sock and while in the shower wet it and squeeze the 'juice' over the itchy places,also if you get it really bad like i did (near my eyes) you can go get a cortizone shot and it will start clearing up in a matter of hours

[JLA]

Soap and water.. Just gotta keep it clean and itll go away. Plus scrubbing it feels pretty darn goood.

[whip]

Steriod shot if its really bad can help for a while. Tecnu and like mentioned earlier keep it clean and don't scratch or it will spread. Got it bad in California on a fire in 2008 but I survived.

[stumpjumper]

wouldn't know. not allergic to it. can wipe my butt with it and not have problems. lucky, i guess

[Gabob]

Hydrocortisone cream.(non-prescription) If real bad a steroid dosepak(prescription only)

[Iron Eagle]

Tecnu is great if used immediately. Calamine does not help me at all. Being outside in the sun seems to help. The vinegar helped big time! Some spots are nearly gone. I didn't used to be allergic, but I am now.

[Frogtop]

Originally Posted by Gabob

Hydrocortisone cream.(non-prescription) If real bad a steroid dosepak(prescription only)

++1 This is the way to go if you need serious help. I have never had a reaction to it (touch wood) but the allergy can develop at any time. The oatmeal baths, etc. might briefly sooth a minor case. Be careful of infecting the area due to scratching. Use a local antiseptic as rubbing alcohol if you can tolerate it.

[carver]

Originally Posted by aa1911

calamine lotion is your friend.

wash your clothes and any other cloth it touches, poison ivy and whatnot can stay active/irritating for up to 6 months on clothing.

Jewelweed neutralizes a lot of the irritating plants including stinging nettle and the poison ivy, sumac, oaks. It usually grows near wet areas nearby small streams, just crush the plant and rub it on the affected area.

I agree! Although I have never had the problem. The poison ivy, poison oak, or sumac, don't bother me for some reason. But don't let my brother get near it!

[BlackEagle]

Originally Posted by JLA

Soap and water.. Just gotta keep it clean and itll go away. Plus scrubbing it feels pretty darn goood.

+1 I used Murphy's oil soap and a scrub brush.

I believe the irritating ingrediement is a phenol, a kind of plant oil. Get the oil off soon enough post exposure and minimise the reaction.

[45nut]

This doesn't stop the itching, but it will stop the spread or formation of the pustules, which if broken will spread the dang thing all over.

Domboro solution. It is a powder that you mix with water and it is an astringent and it dries the poison ivy/oak/sumac out so it will not spread.

Applied when you feel the first itch and it will never go past this point.


Peace!

[Iron Eagle]

Using an anti- bacterial liquid when exposed helps. It gets rid of the urushiol oil that causes the itch. Got into some sumac a few years ago. At work, we had the gritty soap, so I took the opportunity to really scratch it. Man, it felt good! best results have been with cider vinegar. One guy told me to pee on it. Nah. Ain't gonna happen.

[cpttango30]

Originally Posted by whip

Steriod shot if its really bad can help for a while. Tecnu and like mentioned earlier keep it clean and don't scratch or it will spread. Got it bad in California on a fire in 2008 but I survived.

My dad was working a Fire for PG&E and ended up getting it on 70% of his body and in his mouth and lungs. That was a really nasty case there. Steroid shots and sleeping pills are what they did for him.

The last time I had it good was when my stepdad and I were taking care of some property in the mountains and he hit some with the mower and blew it on my legs. I ended up with one leg 3 times its normal size and festering all over. Two shots and some oatmeal baths I was right as rain in 3 weeks.

[boatme99]

Originally Posted by stumpjumper

wouldn't know. not allergic to it. can wipe my butt with it and not have problems. lucky, i guess

Do we want to know how you know this?

[boatme99]

Capttango mentioned something important.

Most people don't know that when the plants are burned, the toxin is in the smoke! It will burn you internally!

Be very careful when burning brush or if you get near wildfires in areas prone to poison ivies and oak.

[Rocketman1]

OK, I happen to be the expert on poison ivy and poison oak. The reason I'm calling my self an expert is because I have always been allergic to it, and for me it is deadly. I was hospitalized on two occasions when I was younger.

First let me say that there is no cure. Once you have it, plan to put up with it for about two weeks. Do not scratch it, and stay in a cool place. Wash gently with soap and water and then apply Hydrocortisone cream as needed to control the itching. For get about calimine lotion. Years ago everyone thought that it helped dry it up, but when the lotion drys, it makes it itch worse.

You can get shots that help you build up immunity to it, but they have never worked for me. I found a local pharmacist in my area that has made a tea from poison ivy roots, that has helped me build up immunity. I start drinking it in the winter, prior to poison ivy season, and it has helped me to not get it so severe.

The best remedy is to learn what it looks like and stay away from it. I'm so allergic; that I do not have to touch it, all I have to do is walk near it.

[stumpjumper]

Originally Posted by boatme99

Do we want to know how you know this?

nah, the leaves are too small!

[Country101]

I have never found much that helped. The one thing that I can recommend works, but I wouldnt advise it for small cases. I had it so bad that from my wrist to elbow was about twice its normal size and it was making me wake up itching. I couldnt get any sleep because of it. Somebody had told me to rinse with cold water. That helped some, until I turned the water off. I did however start to use SCALDING water for as long as I could stand. Worked GREAT. It's a bugger while you are under the water, but after the heat goes away, so does the itching for several hours. The itch gets intense while the water is running over it, but fades away once you cool down. I guess it burns the nerves out a little. I would follow up with cool water to get the heat out of my arm. I slept til it would wake me up 4-5 hours later and repeat. It's the only way I made it through. I've tried most lotions and creams and have little use for any of them.

Like I said, probably not the best way to deal with it, but for those times when you have to have some relief, it works.

[1LoneWolf75]

My grandma swears that if you are allergic to get a nanny goat feed it to her then drink the milk. I like goats milk. I have never tried this as to just a couple years ago was my first case. She said she did this to my mom when she was younger and now my mom rarely gets it. Might be worth a shot if you get it really bad. Apparently somethin bout the goat makes it none poisonous and gives you an immunity.

[therewolf]

Try rubbing alcohol. The sooner you treat it,

the faster it breaks up the plant oils causing the

irritation.