Aloe Vera was soothing until the pill kicked in.

I am not affiliated with Shaklee products in any way.

Nym

PS...Only kidding about the million dollars. Sigh. Don't have that much money but I can send plenty of empathy out to my fellow sufferers.

This stops the itching for me fast, then I put Benadryl cream or suchlike on it.

I know the original cure used by the natives of Manitoba. It is the most easily found clay taken directly from any subsoil. I can send the directions out on request. This cure works on any poison as well as on infections and burns.

This is a secret remedies used only by medicine men, and I consider myself very fortunate to have learned about it. None of my native friends in Manitoba knew about it until I told them. Mind you, most of them are immune to poison ivy and can walk in it barefoot all day long.

so it was the hot water that stopped my itching, I thought it was the baking soda I put in the water....I tried everything, I could get my hands on...at home....Then a friend told me about Ivarest, it is made by blistex, and as he does highway work, and gets into eveything, and is allergic to everything, he said that was the only thing that helped him....Also said it might be hard to find, and after looking in several Walmarts, I finaly manged to find 1 box of it left....By then my itching was on the way out, so I haven't used it....But I've got it for the next time..

But hopefully this will help someone else...as I have not seen it mentioned by anyone else....

And no I'm not asociated with Blistex or any other company....

I get systemic reactions as it sounds that you have. Once I come in contact, I'm doomed. No immediate wash with anythign will help. It gets into my system and errupts anywhere I have items that rub or areas that are very warm (i.e. wrist watch band, waist bands of clothing, shoes/socks ...).

I have suffered this since childhood. I'm now 45. Since my teens the doctors have suggested alergy shots because me reaction is so severe and treatment is all but non effective. This year I finally remembered early enough in the season to start them and then the manufacturer stopped making them after the second of a three shot series.

My point is that, unfortunately, steroids is my only relief/cure option. I did not have this treatment until about 10 years ago. When they administered it I scoffed. Absolutely NOTHING had ever worked before. I would suffer for weeks, months, entire seasons with it. Within a few days I found relief that normally would have never come.

I have since changed doctors a couple of times. It is very difficult for me to get a doctor to prescribe the steroids for me, especially in the high dose required for me. They don't like to do it. I have to suffer through the 'preferred method ot treatment' thing first. The only relief I get is from the Prednisone. I fortuantely do not suffer any side effects and I have to take it a high concentrations. My body is very tolerant of most chemicals and low doses don't work either. You do have to follow the prescribed directions carefully. You cannot just stop taking this medication abruptly. I have never had a problem.

I do stay away from any un-mowed areas or areas that I'm not familiar with. I do not sit on the lawn. I got it that way once. The lawn was freshly mowed and I'm guessing the blades carried the oil across the yard. I stay out of the woods except where there is a open area to view. One of the worst cases I got was carrying in firewood one winter when I was about 12. Apparently there had been poisen ivy on the tree previously and I got it. Yeah, poisen ivy in the dead of winter. What fun. All those heavy warm clothes to wear here in Zone 5 Ohio.

I still get it occassionally. Even with all the care I take. But after all those years of suffering and pain, I know there is relief. Poison ivy can be very dangerous if it is severe. I would not toy around with treatment if you have severe reactions. I don't like drugs of any kind but I don't fool with this. I'm told that the body gets weaker in it's attempts to fight of allergens as we get older. That makes me all the more careful in my treatment and avoidance of Poison Ivy.

Sorry folks. Sometimes we just HAVE to turn to modern medicine when other things don't work. Trust me, over the last 30 years, I have tried them ALL. I for one will not risk my health and well being to remain vigil in the use of herbal only remedies. I use them when I can. I too prefer them. Sometimes we just don't get what we want. Or ... we get things we don't want.

:)

Stardust

Karen

Impatiens that have been previously mention, can be picked and thrown throught the blender and frozen on ice cube trays to keep year round when the plant is not available.
(just remember is it is for external use!):)

Cheers GGGG

I got a mild case of poison oak in early June on my upper arm while wearing a long-sleeved shirt. (Apparently, long sleeves don't help much in the summer because urushiol, the allergenic oil, can wick through sweaty clothing.) I didn't get any poison oak on my wrists, which were exposed between gloves and sleeve, because I swabbed them with alcohol after I finished working. And when I got home I took a shower and washed my clothes. When the rash appeared, I found that ice stopped the itching for hours. I wrapped an ice cube in a paper towel and held it against the rash for 10 or 20 seconds or so at a time, then away for a few minutes, etc., until the ice melted.

That's my experience. Here's what the experts say:

I have a wonderful little book, _Nature's Revenge: The secrets of poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, and their remedies_, by Susan Carol Hauser (NY: Lyons & Bedford, 1996, 111 p.), vetted by a dermatology professor and expert on poison oak/ivy in the foreword (Wm. Epstein, MD).

According to the book, urushiol begins to bond with the skin within 5 to 10 minutes after contact, but gently wiping the skin with a cloth drenched in rubbing alcohol can leach the urushiol out of the skin for up to 4 to 6 hours after contact. Copious amounts of water are also recommended, to dilute the oil; but normal amounts of water, packaged alcohol wipes, or soap (if used without lots of water) can spread the oil. Hot water can remove more oil than cold water, but is not recommended because it opens the pores more, making the skin more vulnerable to urushiol.

Once a rash appears, the urushiol is gone. It has been chemically changed and therefore cannot be removed (or spread). The rash is your immune system's reaction. If the rash covers large areas of skin, or is on the face or genitals, or causes unbearable itching, medical treatment with corticosteroids interrupts the allergic process. In milder cases, gentle home remedies for itching include calamine lotion (not caladryl), colloidal oatmeal, cool or tepid compresses of plain water or Burow's solution. Hot water releases histamines and relieves itching, but is harder on the skin. Scratching the rash can cause an "after-dermatitis itch" that can last for weeks or months.

My cousin on the east coast has used epsom salts to relieve the itching of poison ivy for hours. (The paste is 1 tsp of water to 3 tsp of epsom salts--baking soda and oatmeal also work.) She has also used the homeopathic remedy Rhus tox.

I like Lava and JoJo brands the best. The grittier the better.

Walmart, KMart, Your local auto parts store will all carry this soap. I usually buy the 16 oz squeeze bottles for around ~$2.

This soap also gets the urushiol and many stains out of clothes. Just be sure to hose the residue off the clothes before adding them to your laundry.

I just tear off a leaf from my plantain and mush it up and apply to the bite. It works instantly to relieve the itching but sorry to say it doesn't draw out the poison. The lump will still be there just won't bother you as much.

Hope this helps.

J

Lew