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The urushiol oil chemically bonds to the skin so it is not removed by soap. However, detergents will break the bonding and remove the oil. If you suspect that you have been exposed, use dish washing detergent to bath or shower.
Fortunately, New Zealand is free of poison ivy, although there are a couple of related species grown in gardens that can sometimes affect people. We also have the weirdest poison honey problem, which results from scale insects feeding on the deadly poisonous native tutu plant and then excreting honeydew which contains the tutu toxin, then bees forage the honeydew and make toxic honey.
I to have said for years I can just look at it…. A forester I met told me about oral ivy (I found it on Amazon) and he says since he started taking it (a few drops on the tongue everyday) he hasn’t gotten it again. I’ve been trying to take it everyday and when I do get exposed it seems to be a much milder case.
Heather, I've really enjoyed your newsletter. This one about poison ivy particularly resonated with me. Gerald (and our daughter Sarah) experience serious breakouts from poison ivy. I, on the other hand, have never reacted to it. Sarah has huge blackberry bushes with lots of ivy growing in it. I can dig deep into the shrubs to get the berries, enveloped by shrub, and not react. Now I know it could happen.
I disagree with scratching it doesn’t spread it. My belief is that the oil gets on your fingers and when you touch another spot on your body poison ivy will show up in that spot. I have learned that you must cover up your poison ivy at night. Wear long sleeve’s and long pants. Wrap your hands if you have it on the back of your hands at night. When you sleep you touch different parts of your body and poison ivy can show up on your legs your tummy. Showering in the AM helps.
The urushiol oil chemically bonds to the skin so it is not removed by soap. However, detergents will break the bonding and remove the oil. If you suspect that you have been exposed, use dish washing detergent to bath or shower.
Gasoline and turpentine will wash away the poison ivy oil. Yes they are toxic but it takes a lot of misery away.
Fortunately, New Zealand is free of poison ivy, although there are a couple of related species grown in gardens that can sometimes affect people. We also have the weirdest poison honey problem, which results from scale insects feeding on the deadly poisonous native tutu plant and then excreting honeydew which contains the tutu toxin, then bees forage the honeydew and make toxic honey.
I to have said for years I can just look at it…. A forester I met told me about oral ivy (I found it on Amazon) and he says since he started taking it (a few drops on the tongue everyday) he hasn’t gotten it again. I’ve been trying to take it everyday and when I do get exposed it seems to be a much milder case.
Heather, I've really enjoyed your newsletter. This one about poison ivy particularly resonated with me. Gerald (and our daughter Sarah) experience serious breakouts from poison ivy. I, on the other hand, have never reacted to it. Sarah has huge blackberry bushes with lots of ivy growing in it. I can dig deep into the shrubs to get the berries, enveloped by shrub, and not react. Now I know it could happen.
I disagree with scratching it doesn’t spread it. My belief is that the oil gets on your fingers and when you touch another spot on your body poison ivy will show up in that spot. I have learned that you must cover up your poison ivy at night. Wear long sleeve’s and long pants. Wrap your hands if you have it on the back of your hands at night. When you sleep you touch different parts of your body and poison ivy can show up on your legs your tummy. Showering in the AM helps.