I have a spot of Poison Ivy that is stubborn and slow in going away. Sometime someone or some dog brushed up against the ivy with their pant leg or their furry leg and then rubbed up against the bench in the kitchen..the bench sticks out enough that I routinely bump into it..hence the Ivy. Far Guy washed down the benches with Dawn dish soap..
I needed some Jewel Weed. It is in the Impatiens family. It is also called Touch Me Not. The seeds shoot off into the distance if you touch them when they are ripe.
The stems is what you want to harvest, we usually pick a side branch. Open the stem and spread the watery goo on the ivy..in a few days it will be gone. I have noticed an improvement in my Ivy with just a few applications. Of course I am using Far Guys Jewel Weed soap too, he special orders it off of the Internet.
This is something Far Guy came up with years ago..during his research into native plants…he dabbled into home remedies..he has never had poison ivy on his skin. He did have it in his eye once back in 1994, using the weed eater without eye protection. (He went to the eye doctor and got special eye drops.)
I hate the ivy and this is my second bout with it this year. I used to be able to get shots for it. A series of three shots in March. The FDA took it off the market..I was a real unhappy camper.
Minnesota has an over abundance of Poison Ivy…it grows wild everywhere.
Do you have Poison Ivy where you live? What do you do to prevent it, and what do you do to stop the horrific itching?:)
We had tons of poison ivy on our property when we moved here, and I continue to fight seedlings every year. To keep myself safe, I spray it with Round Up and I let it die and leave it in place. Plain old Round Up, no need for the stuff labeled for Poison Ivy.
ReplyDeleteMy family uses Round Up too. I have had poison ivy in my blood stream several times and have to watch that I stay away from burning leaves and weed eaters because I can get it that way too. One time had on shorts and let a cat lay on my legs that had been playing in it unbeknown to me. I was carrying my first child at the time. Worst case of poison ivy ever. I ran across a doctor about 10 years ago that gave me a sample of Elocon. I will always keep it on hand and just got a new perscription from my doctor. I use it as soon as I notice any itchy spot and put it on when it begins to itch until the spot dries up. It looks like water and you put it on just a dab at a time. I sure hope this info is helpful to you.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't allergic to poison ivy until I was pregnant. Got a super dose, top to bottom. FIL said, baking soda and sweet cream paste, it cured it right up. My daughter was not allergic for over thirty years(I breat fed). I also find relief with an oatmeal bath. Put oatmeal in a sock and into your bath water.
ReplyDeleteI cannot avoid it. I weed eat it, shower good when I come in and for the last few years, I have been lucky.
We don't have poison ivy, but I've been in it before. I think my parents used vinegar?
ReplyDeleteWe have stinging nettles in the PNW and I've had a few run-ins with them. But they are nothing like poison ivy and poison oak. In California I twice had terrible poison oak bouts. I used calamine lotion and eventually it cleared up, but it's pretty awful, all right. Glad you have a remedy.
ReplyDeleteWe have lots of poisin Ivy but it grows deep in the woods for some reason the poison Ivy here likes cool dampish shadey places to grow ! I have been struck with it as a kid and mum used Calamine lotion ! Love the flower photo ! Have a great day !
ReplyDeleteThere isn't any poison ivy right near my house or in our woods, here in N MN, but I know a couple of places only 2 miles from here where it is obvious, along a different river. We were in Iowa, at Effigy Mounds two weeks ago and it was thick there, right under the Caution Poison ivy signs and all along the paths. In southern MN, I've seen it growing as a hefty vine up the trunks of trees, and out onto the branches. That was a new form to me, but it was indeed poison ivy. Stupidly, we identified it using a identification book and didn't believe it at first.
ReplyDeleteNo poison ivy here.. thankfully! I have "experienced" it as a child though.. nasty stuff! Thanks for posting though and reminding me what it looks like in case my son comes across it!
ReplyDeleteWe're lucky and don't have any close to home...but...the park is full!!
ReplyDeleteHikers Beware.....
Enjoy
I don't usually get it, but my brother breaks out something hideous with it... Go figure.
ReplyDeleteI use "Roundup for Posion Ivy" and my brother uses plain old oatmeal - make a bowl of the regular quaker oats, let is cool a bit, slather it on and let it dry out. Then rinse yourself off using Head and Showered applied right to the rash... the anti-itch meds and the scalp dryers seem to work miracles for him.
No poison ivy here and I gotta say after reading your post and these comments I am once again reminded how thankful I am for living in Western Washington, no poisonous snakes or bugs, no hurricanes or tornadoes, no severely nasty plants. Yeah my corn might be short and late but boy howdy if the most uncomfortable nature makes me is an occasional face plant in nettles, thwaped by a thistle or a bee sting on my toe, then I am a fortunate girl. Cuz all this ivy talk is makin me squirm and I've never touched the stuff. Ugh. But I'm down with Far Guy on the natural remedies. A little concerned that folks use round-up with such abandoned but if ivy hurts that bad and spreads like that then who am I to judge. Just happily tree hugging in the PNW.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip. We have absolutely no grass left on our place..no weeds except poison ivy. I think it will survive radioaction along with the roaches!
ReplyDeleteOh, man, there's a TON of poison ivy in the brush around my place.* Last year I went crazy with the Round-Up and this year it's a little better.
ReplyDeleteI swear by Calamine lotion. Better than any of the prescription stuff my doc gave me. Plus it's a pretty pink. :)
*Upstate New York
Try some plantain ... smush it up and rub it on the spot. Works for me!
ReplyDeleteOff topic, here is the pattern for the prairie dress. If it has a zipper in the back, have your mom put a seam instead of a zipper and put buttons and placket in the front. I can take a close up picture for her if you want. Make sure you have an apron or your dress will float with the breeze.
We have lots of poison oak and ivy ,We try to kill it when we see it.
ReplyDeleteThat is good to know about the Jewel Weed. Grand mother had Touch Me Nots in her flower beds I think it was pink I loved to pop it.
We don't get much poison ivy on our property, but my husband does run into it more than he wants to. It's hard for him to avoid since he is quite often working in overgrown fields or wooded areas. And it doesn't take much for him to get poison ivy.
ReplyDeleteHe learned, many years ago, to wash the area with Murphy's Oil Soap and that seems to help with the itching. And he smells like clean wood for the next few days. :-)
We went for a tour of a wildlife management area in northern MN last week. The guide pointed out poison ivy and said they spray for it but birds eat its berries and then scatter the seeds in their poop as they fly around, so it's impossible to control. In all my forays into the woods, I've never gotten it, but I'll never forget my pregnant mom sitting in the sun with deep purple Gentian Violet spread all over her legs, back in the early 1950s. I don't think it relieved the itching much.
ReplyDeleteThankfully none here, and I've never run into it in other areas.
ReplyDeleteHere stinging nettles can give you a good rash, and dock leaves crushed and rubbed on it help. I've also heard that urine works too, but haven't tried that one:)
I've heard of poison ivy but never seen it.
ReplyDeleteAs you know, our retirement property is loaded with it, too!
ReplyDeleteI got some poison ivy soap I found at the drug store. Haven't had any poison Ivy since February, but I did not do anything the last trip to get into it. I was careful and pretty much used that soap every time I washed up.
I wear gloves when I do brush, which is probably why I only got it on my arms. I'll wear long sleeves next time, but when it's 100 degrees, I'll just stay well away from it.
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
I have never heard of this to get rid of poison ivy. See how wonderful bloggers are! I must now be allergic to it because I know I've never had it. I hope you win the war.
ReplyDeleteWe had some at the old place but I must not be very allergic...I never had a reaction. We usually used Round Up on it. That's interesting about the Touch Me Nots. Stopping by to wish you all a nice weekend. Love you, Mildred
ReplyDeleteThick thick thick poison ivy everywhere. I am not allergic, my husband is extremely allergic. Husband sprays it with an herbicide if he sees it but that does not stop the cat from getting into it and rubbing up against him. Very hot water on the rash, benydryl, and he has a prescription salve. Once he got it "systemically" where it broke out all over and he had to go to urgent care for some drugs.
ReplyDeleteBummer on the poison ivy. I have to work our yard cuz it gets my husband really badly. Thanks for the advice on the eye-wear. That is more reason to use it even more than getting debris in a person's eye. Why oh why did they take that shot off the market? Many people need it.
ReplyDeleteI don't think we have Poison Ivy in Oregon - but we have Poison Oak. Whenever we go walking or hiking in the woods I am a maniac to my kids - "don't get close".
ReplyDeleteI've never had it - and don't want it.
Poison Ivy: For years I have been trying to get rid of it in my flower garden which gets bigger every year. After the last bout, 7yrs ago so bad the eyes were swelled shut. I was told by a PA. Work no longer then 2hrs in it come in scrub down with a good soap in cool water and rinse then scrub down again then use warm water. Put on clean clothing. Always cover as much of you skin as possible, remover and laundry in hot water and a good soap remember to wash you glass and shoes too. Poison Ivy is not a problem for me any more. This works. G.W.{hi}
ReplyDeleteWe have it along our trout streams. Wearing waders for fishing leaves me pretty safe. I got a bad dose once when I just wore my hiking shorts and went warm water bass fishing in the fall. Just once!
ReplyDeleteWe have both Ivy and Oak. My husband is very alergic and gets it all the time. He has tried tons of different things. I've never had it and hope I don't cause I would be a baby with the itching. I'll have to show my husband this post in the morning.
ReplyDeleteHey Chance! I love water also!
ReplyDeleteFuzzy
We have poision ivy, sumac and oak here. We spray and spray and spary to get rid of it. As far as when you get on you...only a prescription seems to work for me.
Sigh
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
We don't have it here, but they do upcountry.
ReplyDeleteI do remember crouching down in some grass and weeds one summer, and getting stinging nettles all over my legs. Not a fun thing to do...
Hope that your rash goes away soon.
Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams
I should have started way back further reading ... now I see more kayak posts and lovely pictures
ReplyDeleteIve never had poison ivy. My husband can tell you a poison oak story that will get you itchin though.