Desperately Seeking Your Best OTC Treatment For Poison Ivy

You are right alice .. it won't kill the vine just the leaves .. but the bleach is for neutralizing the urishol, not killing the plant.

X

You have to saturate every surface of every leaf if you want it neutralized, right? I've known people who put bleach on PI rashes to dry them up, but didn't know that about putting the bleach on the plant itself.

I just use my pump sprayer and mist the leaves front & back til they are dripping. The added bonus to this is your pump sprayer gets sterilized!

One more thing .. still wear gloves, long pants and a long sleeved shirt when you start removing it .. there are always a few leaves you miss with the sprayer and ideally, cut it instead of pulling and ripping.

X

This message was edited May 1, 2006 7:39 AM

X, I am happy to know about the bleach! There seems to be patches just starting to grow on the old RR tracks we walk, and I think some just across the road. Only a matter of time before I weed it out here without realizing it and ending up in misery.

Hi, all. I spent the entire weekend weeding and pruning. Whew! I didn't get around to the PI patch yet. Today I did run across a few "sprigs" of the stuff while weeding the space where my veggie garden should (and will) be. I was wearing heavy gloves and being in such a hurry, I pulled it. After I finished, I did remember to bath and scrub well immediately. We'll see how that works out.

Just to add to the file of PI treatments, here is something else that I found I like. Bliss Mammoth Minty Scrub Soap. (Warning: it seems pricey. $16/bar at drugstore.com, but the bar is huge, easily equivalent to 4-5 regular bars.) It has lots of cooling mint oil (and great smell) and the best scrubbing grains I've seen in a bar of soap. Using it to scrub, cleanse, and "scratch" (with the scrubbing grains) my blisters felt wonderfully soothing and, quite to my amazement, seemed to quiet the itching for hours - and the cooling mint was also soothing. Just wanted to add that to the list. Let's face it when we have another outbreak, we'll need all of the help we can get.

pkock, my drugstore.com order arrived today. As I was looking at my new collection of potential PI "cures", I noticed that the Burt's Bees PI Soap lists jewelweed as its 1st main ingredient. Had it not been for your earlier post, I would not have recognized the significance of this ingredient.

I had not know that Burt's Bees made PI soap. I've tried several of their products and love every one of them. I am going to have to find some of the PI soap and keep it on hand. Thanks for the heads-up.

marie, you are very welcome. drugstore.com has a great selection of all things Burts. Also, drugstore has free shipping over $50 (so i just load up on stuff I need), and they often include free samples, many of which are full size. With one order a while back I got a pack of assorted Burt's Bees sample products.

Drugstore.com is where I order the Hyland's Poison Ivy/Oak Remedy. Its a homeopathic remedy, safe, (tasty) and works like a dream! In the beginning of an outbreak, I'll take a dose every 3-4 hrs, but after that, I'll just take a dose whenever I start itching. I had a pretty serious rash last yr on my arm, but it was just about gone (completly) within 10 days! No joke. I'd love to hear if anyone else has had the good results from this stuff as I have. Seriously, try it!!

dogmansis, I ordered that, too, along with Technu, CallaGel, IvyBlock...you name it. I got'em all! I'll let you know how it works ... but am REALLY hoping that won't be too soon. : )

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...

Hi, pkock,

Did you see that jewelweed is one of the active ingredients in Burt's Bees PI Soap?

I'm getting my PI from my yard. I don't have any forest to walk in. : (
There is a forested area behind my property, but it is fenced off so you can't go there. I see from PF that jewelweed is an Impatiens and has little yellow flowers. I've never seen (noticed) that plant before.

Maybe someone else who lives near a forest will try it. From what I read, it relieves the itch of PI and stinging nettle. But beware, PI (as I have now learned) takes weeks if not longer to heal, so I suspect that you will have to reapply it many, many times over that period of time. That may be the inconvenient part. By and large, all of the products that I found for PI need to be reapplied. I found that to be the most annoying part of dealing with PI. No matter what you use (even steroids), you have to reapply ever 4 - 8 hours or so.

A pic of one of the Jewelweeds that I planted in my wild flower bed. ( Impatiens capensis ).
http://pic16.picturetrail.com/VOL635/2413050/4779329/66194059.jpg

The yellow-flowered one is Impatiens pallida , Pale Touch-me-not;Jewelweed.

I've always thought the name "Jewelweed" is refering to the jewel like appearance of the flowers.

I always heard to use the jewelweed sap immediately after touching the PI. That's why it's handy they often grow together or at least nearby.

Yes, I did see your post about the soap! Very cool. I hope it works that way, but another source I researched some years ago said that JW was only good fresh or, maybe, pureed and frozen in ice cubes, and that it only worked if applied immediately after exposure. Could be wrong, I'm just relaying secondhand info.

And also, yes, it may well be called Jewelweed because of the flowers. The other story came from a long-ago, childhood hike through the woods with a naturalist at a Girl Scout camp. :)

I used to have JW growing in a corner of my garden, just as a precaution. It wilts really quick so it's hard to transplant. But it might not be a bad idea to try, or maybe find some seeds. Sometimes you get lucky and the birds "plant" it for you....

...and how are you feeling? Is your rash any better yet?

pkock, my PI has pretty much dried up. Thanks for asking. But I am growing a really nice patch of the stuff - same patch that started this thread. Still haven't had time to tackle that job - pretty sure I'll need treatment again after I do.

It's hard to say which things worked/didn't. I bought them ALL, and I used them all. I left nothing to chance! So far, I think I preferred Zanfel, Technu, Bliss Mammoth Minty Scrub soap, CallaGel, and Stridex Pads.

Didn't try jewelweed. I found a weed that I thought might be it. Brought it inside, rubbed it on myself. THEN realized, oops, wrong plant! That's part of my problem with trying to use it. Who knows what I may end up rubbing on myself in error. But I've found another plant that also looks like it. Just have to bring that one in and check it against the pics.

The jokes on me:

Last year when I was ordering some scented soaps from Drugstore.com/Beauty.com, I was looking at the Burt's Bees Products: Mint Soap, Eucalyptus Soap, Sage Soap...Then I came to Poison Ivy Soap...and I though, "That doesn't sound like a good fragrance..." : )
I kid you not, that actually happened. Serious blonde moment.

I use an old fashioned method, works like a charm. I didn't try it until I was 55, but I was told about it all my life. I take a Q-tip and dip it in bleach and paint the spot. It does NOT burn. I do it a couple times a day for a couple or three days and, that's that!

Several people have mentioned bleach, so I figure it must work. I like your idea of using a Q-tip to apply it. I would be concerned about getting bleach on a large area of skin; the Q-tip would resolve that problem. I'll try that next time...and like I said before, there will be a next time. I still have to kill/remove that patch of PI from my garden. Thanks

Be very careful when getting around poison ivy in the near future. You've probably become sensitized to it, and another episode could be much worse. My mother ended up in the hospital one summer due to re-exposure. For the rest of the summer she even needed to stay away from tomato plants if I remember correctly. Seems like they are a distant relative to PI. She has drops that she puts under her tongue from an Alergist to keep her from reacting to PI. You might want to look into that. It's been quite a few years since she got herself into so much trouble, but she is still very cautious.

oh, marie_, I fear that you are correct - that subsequent reactions will be worse. I think that is one reason that I have procrastinated in handling the PI patch, but I do have to irradicate it - and soon. Otherwise, it will only get larger.

I saw my Dr today to get a refill on my allergy meds. I appear to be allergic to AIR. I hate to take time off from work, drive across town, sit and sit some more, only to get a prescription I could have gotten over the phone. So I avoid the whole process as long as possible. (i.e., even though you are probably right, chances are I won't go back to the Dr until I absolutely have to.)

Today, since my Dr required me to come to see him before he would give me more allergy meds, I told my Dr that I feel we are spending too much time together and that he needs to become more self-reliant because I just don't have time to spend with him this way. I know that he misses me, but I just can't be visiting thim so often. He did give me quite the look, but then he acknowledged his "co-dependent" ways, saying that Dr's do need patients - after all. : )

i pour gasoline on mine and rub it in and then go wash within days its gone!

There is also a nut, can't remember if it is cashews or pistachios that is related to PI. My son had a terrible reaction after eating them and the Dr. mentioned the connection.

scutler, you can tell it's jewelweed by 2 things - one, the stem is succulent and full of the juice/sap that is supposed to do the trick, and two, if you hold the leaf upside down underwater it's very shiny - silvery.

This is what it looks like - it gets a tiny little yellow bloom.

We have a ton of PI, so I make sure to leave plenty of jewel weed near the wooded paths. So far no one here has had a problem, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time.

My son recently got poison ivy after weedwhacking. He searched the internet and read that putting a hot hairdryer on the affected areas brings the histamines to the surface and then they stop itching for either 12 or 24 hours, can't remember which. he told me it worked, or at least helped. can't hurt to try it when you're desparate.

pkock, I still haven't "found" the jewelweed in my garden, but I thought of you recently when I saw that a site for Ruby Throated Hummingbirds was recommending jewelweed (orange, not yellow) as one of the top 10 native flowers that attract hummers. They mentioned its collocation with poison ivy and use in treating the itch. They are requesting better photos of the plant for use on the website and will credit the owner on the site. Given your interest in the plant and your excellent pictures, I though you might be interested: http://www.rubythroat.org/JewelweedSpottedMain.html

Here's a picture, although not a great one, of Jewelweed - Impatiens pallida in the woods along the side of our property.

Here's a picture, although not a great one, of Jewelweed - Impatiens pallida (?) in the woods along the side of our property.

Sorry for the double post - that's weird

This message was edited May 23, 2006 6:40 AM

Thanks, sstateham, that's a very good picture. I'll keep looking. I found LOTS of weeds around my place but haven't found that one - yet. BTW, I pallida is the one that was on the top 10 list for hummers.

In Porcher's book "A guide to the Wildflowers of South Carolina" the only Jewelweed he lists is Impatiens capensis. I don't think I have ever seen this one.
He also mentions that the stem juice is a "well known remedy for poison ivy and stinging nettle. The stem juice also has fungicidal properties - interesting.

I haven't read all the responses but I'm extremely sensitive to poison ivy and the technu is GREAT stuff.

Also by Oak n Ivy is something called ivy block. You put it on before you get into the weeds and it really works.

I have also found that tea tree oil works in a pinch if I'm out of the technu stuff. It dries up the weepy stuff very quickly.

All my clothes go straight to the laundry after gardening bc we have so much poison ivy here. It doesn't affect DH and he is constantly pulling if for me but it's hard to stay ahead of all of it and we don't use chemical poisons.

Edit to say I spelled it wrong. Correct spelling is tecnu.

In reference to an earlier post:

vic, please check out my earlier response dated April 25th. The "methods" work so good! I am extremely sensitive also!

vic, I'm over my current outbreak, but I went out and bought a little of everything to be ready for the next one - including Tecnu and Ivy Block. Glad you mentioned the Ivy Block. I still have to get out there and kill/remove that PI patch in my garden; I need to remember to use the Ivy Block before I start that project.

Just ready and would love to help..however, I'm having one of those moments that I cannot recall the name of the wildflower plant that virtually gets rid of it..here in canada it likes to grow where wet...tall with little purple flowers..almost looks like lady slippers...stem is quite large and see thru...an elderly friend (indian) brought me to the bush in my younger days and said to take the stem - slit it open and voila - the best medication one can find..simply rub it on affected area....it really does work..to this day I get some for my children and grandchildren when they come into contact with poison ivy...
Later in fall when plant does not have as much juice-I cut the stem and plant..add a little water and boil it - putting it on affected areas and within the day - no more poison ivy

I will look for some and take picture and post..maybe by then I can find out the name (or at least remember the name) common plant....