Peppermint is a wonderful herb for relaxing a ‘twisted’ stomach (gas, bloating, cramps) and is simple to grow and to use:

Here are a [...]]]> Like a sunburn that appears hours after forgetting your sunscreen, a poison ivy or oak rash is insanely itchy and shows up way after your error in judgement of trudging through three-leaved greenery.  Or worse, you figure out later that the dog you were playing or the ball you were throwing were coated in the nasty stuff.

Here are a few tips to avoid the painful condition:

1.  Learn to identify it.  It’s really hard to avoid it if you don’t recognize it.  Remember the saying: “Leaves of three, let it be; berries white, danger in sight.”  Here are a few characteristic to help:  pointed leafs in groups of three, woody-looking stem (not spiky and green like raspberry’s), can have rootlets in the air - little stings hanging down from the stems, leaves are reddish in spring, green in summer, and yellow, orange, or red in the fall, the stem that the holds the leaves alternates instead of being directly opposite it’s neighbor, the leaf surface is smooth with few or no teeth along its edge.

A great resource is this collection of pictures sent in by readers asking if their plant is poison ivy.  See if you can figure it out, and then read what the expert has to say.

2.  When exposed, wash and wash fast!  In about 10 minutes, the oils in the poison ivy plant will make a permanent bond with your skin, and your rash will show up in the next 12 to 48 hours.  It is a oil, and can be washed away with lots of soapy water.  But, the FDA recommends using rubbing alcohol first since it is a solvent that will remove the oil.  Soap runs the risk of simply moving the oils to other parts of the body.  There is nothing worse than hopping in the shower, soaping up, only to have the oil spread to your nether regions or body creases unitentionally.  So, the recommendation is rubbing alcohol first, rinse that off with water, and finally lots of soap and water.  There is also a commercial product called Technu designed specifically to remove the oil.

Finally, remember, oil will hang out indefinitely, even years.  Think of the work boots, hunting jackets, gardening gloves, pet collars, outside balls, and all the other items you may not clean on a regular basis.  The oil will still be there waiting for you when you get back.  Wipe them down with alcohol and water, too. 

And remember, the weepy rash does NOT spread.  Only the oil spreads the rash.  Once you’ve cleaned the oil well, it is NOT contagious.  There are two reasons the rash is commonly believed to spread.  

• People are re-exposed by touching items they haven’t cleaned
• The areas with the largest dose of oil develop a rash first, while those with a smaller exposure may show up days later, giving an appearance of ’spreading’.

3.  Once you have the rash, you’re looking at 14 to 20 days before it runs it’s course.  Not fun at all.  And all modern medicine can do for you is offer a Benedryl pill or cortisone cream.  Here are some additional options:

Kitchen remedies:

• Oatmeal – try Aveeno products, or make your own by running some oatmeal through the blender.  Add a little water to make a soothing paste, add it to a cool to warm bath and soak for a while, or simply cook up some oatmeal, plaster it on the rash and let it dry and flake off on it’s own.  Warning – you will look funny, and others may laugh.
• Baking Soda – Add 1/2 c. to a bath, or mix it into a paste and apply.
• Vinegar – Dabbing vinegar onto the rash has been known to help the itch, and dry out the rash.
• Calamine or Caladryl lotion – a staple of itchy skin condition, these lotions are great remedies to try and relieve the itching.

Herbal remedies:

•   Jewelweed – also known as ‘touch-me-not’ is one of the most well known herbal remedy to poison ivy.  The two plants usually grow together which makes jewelweed easy to find.  There are a few ways to use it.  Crush the juicy stem and rub on the skin.  Chop the herb, boil in water, and strain.  The pretty orange liquid can be used immediately or frozen for later.  Finally, chopped herb can be soaked in alchohol or witch hazel to make an extract.  It is also available in a natural soap combined with other soothing ingredients.  Years of anectdotal evidence supports using jewelweed, but sadly, a small scientific study of 10 people showed no improvement.  As with many herbal choices, at least it is a safe option to try, without the typical side effects of prescription medications.
• Tea tree oil – known for its antiseptic and healing ability, a small amount mixed in a carrier oil, or a cream containing tea tree oil can help speed the healing process and minimize the chance of secondary infections that are common when the rash is scratched repeatedly.
• Comfrey – well known for its ability to help heal injuries and reduce the inflammation.  Steep the chopped leaves in boiling water and apply the leaves as a hot poultice or soak a rag in the ‘tea’ and apply as an extract.  Another option is an ointment containing comfrey and other healing herbs.
• Aloe Vera – commonly used for inflammatory skin conditions like sunburns.  Aloe, especially fresh, can help soothe and heal the itchy, painful rash.
• Plantain - a common yard weed with an effective drawing and healing action that works well on bites, stings, infections, and inflammed rashes.  Harvest the fresh leaves, crush or chew them, and apply them with a bandage to hold them in place.  Caution: repeated use can cause some browning of the skin, harmless but it may bother some people.

I hope this information helps some poison ivy/oak sufferers, or at least directs you to what you need. 

DocMisty