Growing up as a kid when everybody else was suffering from acne, I was suffering from poison ivy blisters Actually, I can’t think of a summer where I didn’t catch this wonderful condition – it’s almost a right of passage for me now to confirm warmer weather is upon me… this time I tried something different.

What is the good news about Poison Ivy?

Although I am sure poison ivy has its role in nature (feeding birds, protecting against erosion etc.), it still ranks up there with mosquitoes as things that I wouldn’t miss if they ever became extinct. Poison ivy (its cousins poison oak and sumac) are actually quite harmless, they will not attack you, are rarely fatal and best of all, once you catch it, easily treated. One of the few pleasures of catching poison ivy is hot showers never felt so damn good.

What is the bad news about Poison Ivy?

The worst thing about poison ivy is you can’t get rid of it, you cannot burn it as the smoke can harm your lungs, you can’t rip it out of the ground as even a small piece of root will make it come back with a vengeance and any way you cut it, no matter how you do it, will most likely lead to re-infection unless you are doing it in a bio-hazard suit. One last thing, poison ivy LOVES carbon dioxide (as do most plants) so the more you drive your car and use energy – burning fossil fuels - the more poison ivy will be out there waiting for you during your next camping trip.

How do I know if I got poison ivy?

It’s always a good idea to double check with a medical doctor to make sure you don’t have more serious health or medical problems – your rash might have nothing to do with poison ivy. Over the years, I have come to recognize the hallmarks of poison ivy, usually (but not always), poison ivy rashes develop in clumps, like they are in a race to see which “rash” can get the highest on elevation on my skin, another hallmark is lines, for some reason, poison ivy loves to form rashes that go in straight lines… so remember, clumps with lines

What causes those rashes?

Poison ivy (and its cousins) contain an oil called urushiol, this agent causes those wonderful rashes. It takes only a few minutes to enter your skin (causing a reaction) and it may take up to a week before you start noticing a rash.

What does poison ivy look like?

Make a quick search on the Internet for poison ivy, sumac or poison oak but if you think you can avoid it in a thick forest or while crawling through bushes, forget about it… it blends in and rarely have I been able to trace my steps back to identify exactly where I caught it. My rule of thumb is that if you see poison ivy, you probably already caught it… take a hot shower with plenty of soap ASAP.

What can I do to cure my poison ivy?

For years I would go to the doctor to get topical cream, worked great but a month ago I decided to try something different – very different. Instead of visiting the clinic, I visited the pharmacy and bought some GOLD BOND, it’s a drying powder that is wonderful and curing many types of rashes – baby powder probably does the same thing. Several times a day I would take the hottest shower I could stand for as long as I could take it then upon drying myself off, put the Gold Bond over the rashes. Within a week, everything was gone I have read stories of Aboriginals using ashes to cure their poison ivy – basically anything that dries out those sores and prevents them oozing on fresh skin would work.

The Bottom Line

Poison ivy is here to stay but the faster you recognize its effects, the easier it is to cure yourself.