POISON IVY & HOME REMEDIES

Poison Ivy & Home Remedies

All and sundry have a home remedy for a case of Poison Ivy.  Do not believe everything you hear and do not use every remedy you hear about.  These home cooked remedies usually come from friends and acquaintances as well as co-workers, with all the best intentions.  The remedies are often their notions of personal family tradition.  Remember, what works for someone else may not work for you, and in severe cases may not work at all.  Do your own research and be very careful.  See your doctor if you are unsure of what to do after the rash begins. 

Our first advice is to avoid Poison Ivy altogether.  Usually, the vines of these plants have groups of three shiny leaves, the source of the couplet “Leaves of three - let it be.”  Other regions of the country, however, may have different varieties.  In the winter, there are no leaves to let be, but the poison lies in wait in roots and stems, waiting to seize upon the first hapless soul to walk by...

William L. Epstein, M.D., chairman emeritus and professor of dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco, School of medicine suggested in 1990 to spray your favorite deodorant or antiperspirant  on your arms, legs, clothes, and pets before venturing out. He says antiperspirants and deodorants work because they contain two ingredients, aluminum chlorohydrate.  and organoclay. Both of these have been found by Dr. Epstein to be highly effective at neutralizing the toxic urushiol oil. 

Urushiol Oil is the active ingredient in poison ivy and is said to be one of the most potent external toxins we know.  It is wicked and relentless.  The torment of the itching rash can last up to two weeks. 

Soon after contact with poison ivy, it is of supreme importance to try to remove the urushiol oil from your skin.  Water inactivates urushiol oil if you rinse yourself off immediately.  Washing your exposed skin in lots of rubbing alcohol takes the urushiol oil out of your skin (use alcohol one time only.) Use pure and natural lye soap to bathe with before the rash and during the rash and even after the rash.

After the eruption of blisters (DO NOT), rub the skin with a washcloth or anything else.  The ooze continues to transfer the toxic oil and new eruptions will occur on newly contaminated skin.  Instead, use cotton balls or gauge pads and treat each blister separately disposing of each ball or pad after use on each blister.

An emergency exists if a highly sensitive person breaks out in a rash and begins to swell in 4 to 12 hours instead of the normal 24 to 48 hours.  Eyes can swell shut and blisters will erupt.  A shot of corticosteroids will bring the swelling down.  Over-the-counter cortisone creams are reported to be too weak and insignificant when trying to treat a large rash.  However, Dr Epstein recommends them as “pretty good about two weeks into the rash, when it’s healing and scaling and itching.”

Calamine lotion seems to be the most time-honored and popular treatment used for poison ivy rashes.  Calamine produces cooling and distracts your skin from the itching sensation.  In poison ivy, the blood vessels develop gaps that leak fluid through the skin, causing blisters and oozing.  When you cool the skin, the vessels constrict and do not leak as much.

Another remedy for the tormenting itch is antihistamines.  The generic version of Benadryl, diphenhydramine, is less expensive and just as effective as the name brand.  Follow the directions on the package for dosing schedule.  Diphenhydramine is the (PM) in Tylenol PM.  The generic version of Tylenol, acetaminophen, is less expensive and just as effective.  Follow the directions on the package for dosing schedule.  The two used together produce pain and itch relief as well as relaxation and drowsiness.  The body heals itself while we sleep.  It is important to stay out of the sun and rest while recovering from a poison ivy rash.

There are several drying agents to choose from.  Calamine remains number one on the list.  Some drying agents have too much alcohol in them and sting when applied.  Use these only until the oozing stops.  They can make a rash too dry causing it to crack and cause more itching.  Some common topical drying agents are Zinc oxide, witch hazel, Burow’s solution (Aluminum acetate) and baking soda.

Anti-itch creams may contain menthol and phenol.  These are called counterirritants.  They confuse the nerve endings in the skin and give that all-important cooling sensation.  If nothing else is available, place a cotton cloth soaked in cool water over the rash while allowing the breeze of a fan to blow over it.  Replace with a clean cloth as needed.  The cloth will soak up the oozing and leaking of fluids from the rash.

An old time oatmeal bath can bring soothing comfort for itching skin.  Wrap a cup of rolled oats in a washcloth and tie it closed.  Take the oatmeal bundle into a cool bath.  The oatmeal will provide healing soothing properties to the bath water.  An over-the-counter remedy involving colloidal oatmeal is Aveeno.  It comes with easy to follow instructions.  You can apply it to individual blisters or use it in the bath water.  Oatmeal bath treatments will be messy and slippery.  Be Careful.

Some say the most popular herbal treatment is jewelweed.  Jewelweed is also known as impatiens or touch-me-not.  Jewelweed is as effective as some prescription cortisone creams.  Just cut a slit in the stem of the impatiens and apply the juice to the blister.  U.S. Department of Agriculture economic botanist James A. Duke, Ph.D., said he uses impatiens to stop the rash from developing.  He balls up the whole plant and makes a sort of washcloth from it to wipe the poison sap off.

Other natural plant remedies include the leaf of the black nightshade plant (not to be confused with the deadly nightshade) and milkweed.  Chop, grind, or crush the leaves of the black nightshade and mix it with milk or cream to apply to the rash.  The juice of the milkweed is applied by dripping the milky latex directly from the plant onto the rash.

Stay away from forest fires and do not burn poison ivy in the back yard.  Burning poison ivy will release the urushiol oil into the air.  Droplets of oil can be inhaled; inhaling the oil causes serious lung infections, fever and body-wide rashes.  Burning poison ivy is very dangerous, making a trip to urgent or emergency facilities inevitable.  Use a commercial weed killer to spray the ivy with early in the season to control the growth of this noxious plant.

Dr Epstein says, “Organic solvents like ammonia, paint thinner and acetone are very good for getting the urushiol oil out of your skin before the rash occurs.”  Other solvents that work are hypo sulfite, used in photographic darkrooms, and bleach.  However, Dr Epstein warns that they should be used (sparingly) only as a last resort and never (ever) used everyday.  Solvents extract all the natural protective skin oils and you can get a worse rash than poison ivy.  Using too much bleach or other solvent of this type can cause what looks and acts like a chemical burn over the primary rash.  Solvents of this type are extremely dangerous and must be used with care.

Shebolith Says…Reference Material:  THE DOCTORS BOOK OF HOME REMEDIES by the editors of PREVENTION Magazine Health Books.  Copyright 1990 Rodale Press, Inc., ISBN 0-87857-873-0 hardcover.