cures & remedys for poison oak, ivy & sumack

[45-70.gov]

I'm lucky i can roll in the stuff and it does not affect me. My doc said that if it ever did it would be extremely serious because after you loose your immunity it is ten times worse than normal so i avoid it no need to press my luck. There was a bully who lived near me as a kid and ever time he started to pick on me i would rub him down with handfulls of the stuff and he had violent reactions to it.

it   won't bother  me either

i got  annoyed  by a smoker  at  work  once
i  hate stinking  smokers..he  wouldn't  stop  smoking around me
so  i burned  some  poison  ivy......every  time  he lit  up
people  said  that  can  KILL some  one

and  cigarettes  don't

i  thought  i might  get into a fight  that  day
they  took  my  smoke  more personal  than  i took  theirs

see a doctor.....get  over  the shot  thing..i  get a shot   EVERY DAY

[abigdiesel]

never used to effect me either till I turned 30, don't know why but now I get it bout at least once a year.  had it this month during our 10 degree Ohio muzzle loader season.  all bundled up and itching like a fool.  that zanfel has a degreaser in it that helps dry up the oil, that's why it works.  also has an abrasive to it to help open up oily pores to help dry them out.  try GOJO orange hand cleaner with pumice, same principle and about 25 bucks cheaper.  also, if you are in the boonies or camping, regular TABLE SALT will do it too.  just wet the spot, season yourself with salt and rub away.  the salt soothes the itch and pulls the oil out too.  just rinse off when done.  I do this twice a day and it keeps the itch away too.  by the way, poison ivy has a 10-14 day cycle, so anything you buy commercially is mostly to help soothe the itch and will not make it go away any sooner anyhow(medical fact from wikipedia).   just try the salt before you spend the $30.

[Buckskin]

by the way, poison ivy has a 10-14 day cycle, so anything you buy commercially is mostly to help soothe the itch and will not make it go away any sooner anyhow(medical fact from wikipedia).   just try the salt before you spend the $30.

Well it may have a 10-14 day cycle, but I can tell you from experience that the infection can last much longer.  The nastiest case I ever had was when I was putting up a tree stand on a big old oak.  It was about 80 out that day and I put up the stand and had to pull off all of these vines that were creaping up the tree.  I was sweating like a pig and the vines and leaves were falling all over me.  A day or so later I started getting the symptoms and realized that it was poison oak.  What a dummy.

[Dee]

I think I'll skip the home made remedies and GOJO or salt twice a day to "keep the itch away", and just use the ZANFEL "ONCE" and be done with it. The Zanfel not only kills the itch, and dislodges the PROTEINS, involved on the skin but, is antiseptic also.
Buckskin not only infection but scaring also, especially on children..

[Old Fart]

I'm kind of like you Dee.
Generally when I get it I get it good.
Just head to the doc and get over it.

My dad would to get if he was 2 miles down wind.
One of the elders in our tribe told him to go out in the spring and find a new plant.
Take a couple buds off it and eat them. He never tried it but it always made me wonder.

[Dee]

I've also read that you can immunize your self by eating it. I'm too skeered.

[Oldshooter]

I know you can get it in your lungs by breathing the smoke from burning it, SO NO!! I AINT GONNA EAT ANY

[Old Fart]

Just to make sure, I'm not encouraging anyone to try it either.

[Hunter Fishman]

I thought it was going away but its not.

I just had a flare up.

I went forever without touching it till the scabing went away, then went through a dry flaky month or two & now thats as far healed as it will go. It barely itches untill I put on a long sleeve shirt & it lightly brushes it.

I just now itched it for the first time in over 2 months & it bumped back up again!

When I said I wanted a part of the wilderness with me always, This isnt exactly what I had in mind.

[mechanic]

I thought it was going away but its not.

I just had a flare up.

I went forever without touching it till the scabing went away, then went through a dry flaky month or two & now thats as far healed as it will go. It barely itches untill I put on a long sleeve shirt & it lightly brushes it.

I just now itched it for the first time in over 2 months & it bumped back up again!

When I said I wanted a part of the wilderness with me always, This isnt exactly what I had in mind.

Did you ever break down and get checked by a Dr?  That sure does not sound like poison ivy to me........

[Hunter Fishman]

no I didnt. I'm unemployed with no income whatsoever. Thats why I was looking for some home remedys to try but no such luck. I'm working on trying to get some cash for the zanfel but I always have to spend it on somethin more nessasary, like T P.

I have had this for so long I just try to ignore it as best I can until I get to a doctor.
I dont know how burning it with an iron or cutting the skin off didnt work! Ya I tried that!

just how deep does the oil penetrate the skin?
How does it reproduce?
You would think it would go away with time.
now I might be looking into other possible diagnosis for whatever the "H E double hockey sticks" it is!
havent used that term in ages!

[mechanic]

I don't think it's poison oak.  Just doesn't seem possible it would last that long.  The reaction you have to the poison oak is an allergic reaction.  The oil would be long gone, as would the original irritation.  You may have a secondary infection.  Sepsis, or staff infection.  Go to your local health dept.  They will at least have an RN look at you.....some infections can be life threatening....

[doc623]

Find some way to have  Dr. look at it.
A year is tooooooooooooooooooooo long.
As for eating it - NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
I perosonnaly know a fellow who was talked into eating some poison ivy as a kid. He said as a result he had it inside and outside.

[Dixie Dude]

I am highly allergic to poison oak.  I got it one time when I cleared some land.  I used gloves and long sleeves to keep from getting it.  That worked.  At the end of the week I burned all the brush and scrap I piled up.  Got a few wiffs of smoke and my head swelled up.  My eyes almost closed, Nose was swelled an I had a BAD case.  Doc gave me shots of Benedril or something, and old fashioned pink lotion.  This was about 35 years ago. 

[Buckskin]

no I didnt. I'm unemployed with no income whatsoever. Thats why I was looking for some home remedys to try but no such luck. I'm working on trying to get some cash for the zanfel but I always have to spend it on somethin more nessasary, like T P.

Ahhh, sell your computer and go to the Doctor....  It ain't poison ivy.

[blind ear]

Be sure it isn't yeast infection. That can indicate you are boarderline diabetic. It will come and go with the amount of sugar/starch/alcohol you eat. You might ,without realizeing it, up your sugar intake when going hikeing to keep your energy level up. Probably not but you need to know. eddie