Learn To Identify Poison Ivy And How To Relieve The Itching

Birds and rodents safely eat the berries from poison ivy, but they're poisonous to humans.

And horses, cows, pigs, goats, deer, rabbits and other animals can eat the plant leaves and stems with no ill effects.

Poison ivy plants do create cover for small wild animals and birds,and because it thrives in disturbed habitats, it can help prevent erosion.

So if poison ivy is growing where you or other people could be exposed, it's a good idea to get rid of it.  But if it's growing in a wild area where humans rarely venture, you may want to leave it alone to provide for wildlife. 

NOTE ABOUT PETS:

The oils from the plant do not cause any rash or discomfort to animals' skin, but if you pet your dog's fur when he's brushed against a plant, the oils will transfer to YOU. So if your dog joins you outdoors and you think he may have been exposed to poison ivy, hose him down with water to remove the oil. 

photo from pixabay 

Poison ivy produces a clear and sticky oil called urushiol, (pronounced oo-roo-shee-ohl). Urushiol is highly potent and found in every part of the poison ivy plant throughout the year. The oil can remain active on dead and dried plants for more than a year.

People don't all have the same reactions to urushiol and reactions to it can change over the years.

Depending on your body's sensitivity, symptoms often appear within 12 hours and as long as 48 hours later. Symptoms include itching, inflammation, and blisters on the skin.

*** You cannot get a poison ivy rash from someone else's rash or blisters. ***

The liquid inside blisters is not urushiol, but fluids your body has produced. Still, you shouldn't break the blisters because it could prevent healing and lead to infection or scarring.

Urushiol can remain potent on objects for a long time.

You can come in contact with urushiol from unwashed clothes (especially shoes, laces, and gloves), sporting or gardening equipment, pets' fur, etc. Anything that comes in contact with the plant can carry active sap.

Be sure to wash everything you may have touched or you may end up constantly re-exposing yourself!

There's no time to waste if you know you've been exposed. 

If possible, stay outdoors until you cleanse exposed skin with generous amounts of isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol. (Don't return to the woods or yard the same day. Alcohol removes your skin's protection along with the urushiol and any new contact will cause the urushiol to penetrate twice as fast.)

Next, wash skin with water. (Water temperature does not matter).

Then you can go inside to take a regular shower with soap and warm water. Do not use soap before this point because soap will tend to pick up some of the urushiol from the surface of the skin and move it around.

poison ivy leaves in autumn on wikipedia commons 

I'm not going to show an image of poison ivy rash because it looks awful; and yes, I've had the rash several times.  You can view images of the rash here. 

Urushiol is the oily substance from poison ivy that causes the rash. The rash will only appear where urushiol has touched the skin. You might think your rash is spreading, but it might be because the urushiol is absorbed at different rates in different parts of the body, or you may be repeatedly exposed to contaminated objects like clothing or tools.

Oozing blisters are not contagious because they don't contain urushiol. The fluid won't cause the rash on the your body, either. If you scratch the blisters with your fingernails, you might cause an infection due to germs under your nails, though.

The rash, blisters and itch normally disappear in 14 to 20 days without any treatment. But you usually need relief from the itching.  

To Relieve Itching:

Antihistamines are available as a cream or lotion, or you can take them orally. The oral forms are usually more effective but can cause drowsiness. 

Menthol, benzocaine, and pramoxine are topical anesthetics to "numb" your itchy rash. You have to apply them often.

Wet, cool compresses or soaking your skin in cool water often help. Cool bath soaks in baking soda or commercial oatmeal for 15-30 minutes can relieve itching for several hours.

Drying agents like calamine or other lotions are very soothing and speed healing of the rash.

The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) considers over-the-counter topical corticosteroids (commonly called hydrocortisones)  safe and effective for temporary relief from itching.

To Treat the Rash:

Some over-the-counter products with these ingredients usually help: 

• aluminum acetate (Burrows solution)
• baking soda
• Aveeno (oatmeal bath)
• aluminum hydroxide gel
• calamine
• kaolin
• zinc acetate
• zinc carbonate
• zinc oxide

When to see your doctor:

If you have poison ivy on your face or genitals. The skin in these areas is easily damaged and scarred, with possible swelling.

Poison ivy on large areas of your skin; more than ten percent of the body's surface, or about the size of the entire front abdomen.

Pain and tenderness, and growing redness around the rash. Transparent fluid is not a sign of infection; blisters are common with poison ivy contact.

Extreme itching that can't be soothed with using over the counter treatments.

photo of poison ivy growing alongside a road from wikipedia