Beginner Gardening: Desperately Seeking Your Best OTC Treatment For Poison Ivy, 0 by pkock

pkock wrote:
I would love to know if anyone has actually tried jewelweed to treat PI, and what were the results.

As I said, my DH refuses to try, though I have no idea why. What harm could it do? I have never gotten a PI rash so I haven't tried it. And for some silly reason, I'm reluctant to induce one on purpose for experimentation's sake. :)

My daughter's GS troop just hiked through the woods last week on a mission to letterbox and learn about trees. I saw tons of the stuff and was sure someone would get a rash. I tried to point out jewelweed but nobody was interested.

If you are, try it. It's real easy to recognize the plant once you've seen it. The stems are succulent and that's the part you squeeze onto the rash. I think the reason it's called jewelweed is that if you turn a leaf upside down and hold it underwater, it's very shiny, silvery. You can almost always find it where PI grows, at least in the wild, not necessarily in your yard! It usually grows in part shade. I'll try to post a picture...