5 Tips to Avoid Poison Ivy
Poison Ivy, everybody’s heard of it at some point in their life whether it was from a cartoon or just walking in the forest with a few friends. Many people take this weed for granted and ignore the fact that it is poisonous. But in actual fact this weed can cause serious rashes and even blistering when the oil from this plant comes in contact with your skin. Poison ivy rash (Toxicodendron rydbergii) causes the skin to form little red blisters, which in turn if scratched releases the toxic oils to other parts of the skin causing the rash to spread rather quickly. So to avoid this nasty little side effect here are 5 tips that you can use to avoid the plant all together, saving you some anguish and misery.
- 1. The first and most common prevention is knowing what the plant looks like so you can avoid touching it. As the old saying goes, “Leaves of three, Let it be”. When you see sprouts with 3 almond shaped leaves coming out a reddish stem then know to move away!
- 2. The second way to avoid being caught in this itchy predicament is to dress accordingly. If you know or suspect that the place where you’re going to be walking is going to have poison ivy then wear long pants. Even trace amounts can be transferred from your clothes to your skin, which can cause a rash. But direct contact is much worse.
- 3. The third way to avoid poison ivy is to know your surroundings. If you know you surrounding area and forests well then you can avoid areas that have high concentrations of poison ivy all together.
- 4. The fourth way is a perfect way to go about it because it allows you to wear shorts and just walk around care free. You can buy several different kinds of poison ivy preventative lotions that protect your skin from exposure to the oils altogether.
- 5. The final and very inventive way of avoiding poison ivy is if you get it on your clothes you can avoid touching it by standing under direct sunlight and having the oil evaporate away from you. This will also save you from having it touch you skin when you have to wash the oil soaked clothes later on. If you follow these 5 tips your sure to make your out doors trips itch free!
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2 Responses to “5 Tips to Avoid Poison Ivy”
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Sorry, but I have an issue with the comment that the oil from a poison oak or ivy plant will evaporate from your clothes. This is the most powerful allergen known, and it is is one of the least volatile.
In about 4 hours it will oxidize and become hard, especially in a moist environment. It looses its toxicity over time, but in a sheltered spot can last for hundreds of years and still give someone a rash, as archeologists have found out.
In the sun, dry, the oil will oxidize slower than with moisture, and will stay toxic longer.
Washing clothes with strong detergent seems to help, but in India they use, or did use the oil from the marking tree, a relative, on clothes in laundry shops, and especially Americans would get rashes on their necks.
I’m adding to my above post with a statement by William Epstein in 1986 in a newspaper article. He was the foremost poison oak and ivy rash researcher in the US until his death a few years ago.
He says if a hunter, for instance hangs up his vest without washing, the sap can stay there for years without losing its potency. When it is worn again, it can spread dermatitis. “Washing is the only way to rid clothing of the oil”.
I’m writing a book about po & pi, (lots of it here in southern oregon), and had this old article from when I wrote a booklet on the subject long ago.