Poison ivy

I just realized something, as I was putting in an order with Minimus- I've only seen anti-poison ivy stuff in one or two first aid kits. I've never been bothered by the stuff despite having accidently tramped through it- maybe I'm lucky, maybe I'm immune, dunno- but most people are sensative to it. It isn't lethal, not by a long shot, but if you scratch it and the oil gets into a scrape or cut, I can see situations were it would be debilitating. The risk of it in the mouth/throat (eating with fingers) or eyes would be serious.

And you become HazMatt if you are in a group.

So, is it worth carrying some? I know most of us are places where poison oak, sumac or ivy lives, or you have something very similiar is effect.

Not something one would carry with them, and not available in all parts of the country, but years ago my wife had poison oak badly, nothing worked, then an old Indian (Native American type) woman took some manzanita leaves, boiled them, drained off the liquid, let it cool (a very important part), bathed her rash in the liquid, and within a couple of hours the rash had dried up, and the itch was gone. In a day or so there was no indication she had ever had it.

But, that not being available to everyone, a couple of tubes of Ivarest, or something similar, could be a good idea. I have some in my first aid kit, even though I have never been bothered by the stuff...

If I so much as look at poison ivy I break out in a rash. <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

I carry a bottle of Tecnu Extreme Poison Ivy Scrub in my FAK. There's that word again... Extreme... Ugh.

Anyway, Tecnu seems to work well for me and thankfully it's one of the cheaper Poison Ivy/Poison Oak/Poison Sumac treatments out there. However, you have to have an available source of water to use Technu properly. That should be taken into consideration.

Manzanita? Sounds like "little apples". Where does this stuff grow? Sounds intruiging. <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Funny, an old Indian told me the same thing about Mugwort. It's a green/whiteish leaf plant that always grows right near poison oak. Same process with the boiling part.

I know a guy who had poison ivy all over most of his body as a teenager. An old timer came by his house and took him and his Dad to a real cold creek. The old timer had him get in the real cold water up to his neck and stay in it for over 30 minutes until his skin was fixing to turn blue. The poison ivy rash healed within two to three days. The guy is 47 years old now and has been immune to poison ivy ever since.

LIttle apples it is.

Here is a part of the info on it from Wilipedia:

"...The Manzanitas are a subgenus of the genus Arctostaphylos. They are evergreen shrubs or small trees present in the chaparral biome of western North America, where they occur from southern British Columbia in Canada, Washington to California and New Mexico in the United States, and throughout much of northern and central Mexico...

Native uses of the plant include collecting the berries, drying them, and grinding them up into a coarse meal. Fresh berries and branch tips were also soaked in water and drunk, making a refreshing cider. When the bark curls off, it can be used as a tea for nausea and upset stomach [citation needed]..."

No mention of poisin ivy, but my wife swears that it works, and works well...

Don't carry anything. Years ago, I used to get poison ivy but after smoking grapevines for a couple of years I don't get it any more. Don't know for sure if that cured it or if I got some Poison Ivy and smoked the dry stems instead.

If you inhaled the smoke of poison ivy and you'd reacted with it before, it would have been like swallowing the stuff. Although it could have been a low enough dose that it a homeopathic effect. In which case you are lucky. :P

I hesitate to ask, why were you smoking grape vines? I'm assuming there was a pipe and breathing in involved? Or is this one of those "lets not ask too many questions" stories?

I've heard that if you ingest the leaves of poison ivy, starting with the new growth in the spring, you will get some immunity for almost a year. The mucus in your mouth and stomach is sposed to protect you from the oils that hurt you on your skin. I have never done this and there is a trick to the timeing of when you gather the leaves, how often you injest them and the like. I wouldn't try it without researching it on your own to find out more, but its something interesting to think about.

I would want to see that in writing from a modern (as opposed to folk lore) source. This sounds frightfully like one of those old wives tales, and anyone who was affect just didn't do it right. Just like those who float are witches.

Poison ivy/sumac/oak are all blistering agents- think very weak mustard gas.

Is smoking grape vines like smoking tobacco or smoking fish?

No, just cutting a length of vine about 3 inches long and lighting the end like a cigarette. I never inhaled the smoke past my mouth; I reckon just to be cool, however, in college, a buddy of mine and I were with a group cutting wood and we were accused of smoking an illegal substance. We were doing it to keep warm while working.

"... Immunizing yourself from poison ivy in this way is not a far-fetched idea. Your doctor, at your request, will immunize you by injecting you with a series of poison ivy extract. ..."

After a little searching I found an article at this web page that is almost like the one I read about the immunization from. The above quote is from the web page. There is a 'Publisher’s Notice' (disclaimer) and 'References' at the end of the page.

Edit: There is also a couple of treatments in the lower half of the article.

Excomantia
P.S. I've never done it myself, just read it.

When I was runnig a Native American Fire Crew and one of the crew got poison Ivy they striped the bark from a Manzanita tree and boiled it then applyed the Juice to there arms, worked for them. We only carried outher stuff for white eyes.