[Herbalist] poison ivy

[Tara]

> Jewelweed is great and it is usually found next to it.

If I'm not mistaken, jewelweed only works if you catch it right after
being exposed, long before the breakout.  Basically, it is supposed to
neutralize the urushiol (sp?)  I know of no proof for that, though -
jewelweed is all folklore.

There are some homeopathic remedies that are supposed to help you build
up a resistance to it.  They're controversial, because the way poison
ivy purportedly works is that the reaction gets *worse* with repeated
exposure, not better.  Like flea bites.  That is, the rash isn't an
allergic reaction, it's the result of the immune system reaction, and as
your immune system gets better at fighting poison ivy, your rashes get
worse.  I don't fully buy that, because I got little bits of poison as a
child, and now I can rip it out with my bare hands and not get a rash.

My husband, on the other hand, is amazingly reactive to it.  He was
almost bedridden from a case early this spring.  So, I've had lots of
recent study on the subject!!

I like the idea of small exposure, either through homeopathy or physical
exposure, as it's always seemed to work for my dad.  Another thing that
has been well proven to work has been... anti-perspirant!  Firefighters
fighting forest fires are at extreme risk of exposure from smoke-bourne
urushiol oil.  They risk getting it in thier lungs.  It's not uncommon
for them to break out all over their bodies, even while wearing those
funky fire-suits.  But, for some reason, they never got it in their
armpits.  Turned out, the action of anti-perspirant that blocks your
pores so you don't perspire also keeps the oil out!  So, they developed
stuff to spray all over their bodies based on that principle.  I don't
know if you can buy that (if you find a source, please let me know for
my husband!) but, spraying a bit of Secret on exposed skin can only
help!

Meanwhile, remember it can go through clothing;  More importantly, it is
not a volatile oil.  If you get it on your clothing, you will get it on
your skin when you undress.  You can also get it on a chair when you sit
down, and then if you sit back on that chair while less clothed, you'll
get it on your skin.  I won't go into details about my husband and his
poison-ivy covered guitar... So, if you've been in the stuff, undress
straight into the washing machine (hot water!) and then head straight
for a cold, soapy shower.

-Magdalena