# What's your best cure for PI??



## Whitespider (Aug 5, 2014)

I seem to carry a few Poison Ivy blisters most of the year... nothing too bad, just some minor spots here 'n' there, mostly on the forearms. This time is different, I've got them on my forehead, scalp, back of the neck, left arm, left hand palm, left leg, and on top of the left foot. Darn stuff is driving me friggin' crazy and it seems to be spreading... gettin' to the point where I'm startin' to feel a bit sick from it.

In the past I've used bleach applied with a rough rag with good results... but scrubbin' ½ my body with bleach ain't all that appealing. So what's your best cure?? Something I can use on the face/neck/scalp and other more "tender" spots of the body.
*


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## Locust Cutter (Aug 5, 2014)

At the risk of TMI, the worst case I ever had, I got in the summer on a friend's ranch. I was cutting and handling wood which had previously had vines on it but I didn't pay attention and somewhere along the line I visited a tree to take a leak. You can guess from there. I had it from the soles of my feet to my scalp and every imaginable nook and crevice in between. Oatmeal baths, Tecnu, cortisone cream and Collagel help but ultimately I had to get a cortisone shot. That did the trick in about 4 days (after having had it for about a week in pure misery), prior to the start of Freshman year of high school... Otherwise denatured rubbing alcohol works as well, but burns like a XXXX! Best of luck, as I've felt your pain. I've never had it that bad subsequently and I think I have either developed a tolerance for it or anti-bodies, whichever it is that might help...


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## tmlkenney (Aug 5, 2014)

Zanfel or Tecnu Extreme work for me. During the peak of the PI season, I keep a tube in the shower and hit the usual spots when I know I've been in contact with PI as preventive maintenance. Even after blisters have started forming, if I scrub with it, it'll usually stop itching within a couple of hours and dry up and disappear after a couple of days. It ain't cheap, but for me it is very effective.


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## Whitespider (Aug 5, 2014)

Locust Cutter ... LOL ...after reading your... errr... TMI, I'm feeling better already‼
*


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## redheadwoodshed (Aug 5, 2014)

I used the poison ivy cream from wal mart. It worked ok. Now, every summer when the staghorn sumac berries get ripe (they get a dust on them) I make a tea out of the berries and I have not had a poison ivy in over 3 years even though I am exposed nearly every day. This is my secret, so tell anyone.


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## NHMike (Aug 5, 2014)

The problem with PI is even if you "don't get" poison ivy, the more you are exposed to it the worse it will get. And if you don't get it now, your body's immunity will break down eventually.

As a kid, i got it like everyone else, but now it runs like wildfire on me. None of the lotions or over the counter things work for me anymore. As soon as I see it, I have to go to the doctors and get a prescription for steroids. This is the only thing that knocks it out.

As for relief, I have found if you can run as hot of water as you can stand over the infected are for 3-4 minutes, you will get 3-4 hours of relief from the itching.

Good luck, and Don't Itch!


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## DFK (Aug 5, 2014)

10-4 on the HOT Water. It will knock out the itch for a while.
It will Itch like all get out as soon as you blast it with the hot water.... But just keep at it.
After a bit the itch will go away. This truely require AS HOT AS YOU CAN STAND water.

I get eat up with it. Have learned "I Hope" to avoid it.
Sumac Berry Tea.... I have that from time to time. Never put two and two together with the PI.

David


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## Whitespider (Aug 5, 2014)

I've never heard of Tecnu before, but a search shows Tecnu Extreme on sale at my local Walmart (clearance for $7.20 per tube).
I may just drive the 30 miles and buy all they have left‼

I've been taking HOT showers the last few mornings, that gets me through until 'bout noon... and then it starts gettin' somewhat unbearable. That's when I start rubbin' it with denatured alcohol (keep it at work fore cleaning electronics).
*


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## TonyK (Aug 5, 2014)

+1 on the Technu for washing soon after you know you have been exposed. +1 on Zanfel for post exposure it itches like crazy. And how did I get it there? Zanfel isn't cheap but you would pay the devil to make it stop when it's bad. I keep a tube of both around.


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## lone wolf (Aug 5, 2014)

redheadwoodshed said:


> I used the poison ivy cream from wal mart. It worked ok. Now, every summer when the staghorn sumac berries get ripe (they get a dust on them) I make a tea out of the berries and I have not had a poison ivy in over 3 years even though I am exposed nearly every day. This is my secret, so tell anyone.


Really?


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## zogger (Aug 5, 2014)

I don't touch it with anything. If I get a rash, I just ignore it (as in no scratching, rubbing, creams, anything) until I get the chills, the chills are a good sign that you are almost there. After a bit the chills go away and little to no itch and it dries up. I stopped using any other sort of treatment, never did find any home ready or store remedy that worked.


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## lone wolf (Aug 5, 2014)

Look for it before you get it on you and take precautions is the only thing I have found that works.


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## Heavy26R (Aug 5, 2014)

For itch, hot shower or run area under hot water as hot as you can take it. Will stop itching for a few hours. Mean Green hand cleaner has a chemical composition that sticks to the urushiol oil in PI. It's also has that sandy texture like Fast Orange or other auto mechanic hand cleaners, so it's great for grease/oil. I use it right after work outside, I keep it by the shower and do my legs and arms. It's the same formula as that expensive Poison Ivy soap, but much cheaper (Buy it instead of zanfel), I bought the 60.5 Oz tub for $30. For bad case or itch, I use Quadriderm cream which has a steroid, anti-fungal, and antibiotic in it. 

"A new over-the-counter lotion is available for about 8 times the cost of calamine. Your pharmacy probably carries a box or two of the new “Z” lotion for more than $40, still cheaper than a doctor’s appointment although even the Mayo Clinic web site suggests that most poison ivy is self treatable. So are there any new self treatments that don’t cost an arm and a leg (no puns here)?

The urushiol oil in poison ivy is the cause of our allergies. That is probably why harsh soaps have been used in the past to wash away the oil. There is anecdotal evidence among sufferers that a particular hand degreaser is extremely effective in removing that oil while soothing your poison ivy. Without going into poly-bead scrubbers and the efficacy of ethoxylate and sodium lauroyl sarcosinate in Mean Green Power Hand Scrub, it is a product you will wish you had in the medicine chest because it is not necessarily available locally."

http://www.examiner.com/article/poison-ivy-beware-outdoor-enthusiasts-and-gardeners

"I’ll vouch for the Mean Green claims.
After learning about Zanfel years ago and experiencing that it worked, one of my fellow chemists and I pulled their MSDS and patent application to see if we could reverse engineer it easily (since it’s absurdly expensive). Much to our happy enjoyment the patent application, #20020183284, was obligated to refer to Mean Green which is highly similar in terms of active ingredient composition (ratios of ingredients differ). Rather than continue in our effort to reverse engineer the product, we have simply started purchasing direct from the company that markets Mean Green.
Mean Green = low cost Zanfel. Save your cash, buy a 4 – pack of 64 ounce tubs of the mean green handcleaner with scrubbies and use it extensively after landscaping, yard work, hiking, etc."

http://www.hanskellner.com/2003/04/25/poison-oak-treatment-zanfel-ingredients/

http://www.topix.com/forum/chicago/TC286R2N283PFE5C6


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## Fred Wright (Aug 5, 2014)

McNess Krestol Salve works well. Good for colds, moles and sore... well, you know. 

Seriously, I'd never heard of the stuff 'til the SheWolf got a tin of it for around the house. It relieves the itching and aids healing.


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## unclemoustache (Aug 5, 2014)

Prevention is most important. However, sometimes it's impossible to prevent even when you know it's there.

Speed is next - wash it off as soon as you can. Tecnu, bleach, alcohol, etc. A lot of things seem to work well (and differently for different people), but the whole point is to get the urishol oil off ASAP. You can't just rub it in with these other chemicals. What they do is mix with the oil and help it to be washed away. They won't do much good if you just rub some tecnu on and leave it.

My best advice is to use Tecnu according to the instructions, which say to rub it on for several minutes. Then wash off with cold water. Then I'd recommend you rub it on again, and wash with cold water again. 3rd time use hot water. Why? Cold water will close the pores on your skin, so more of the urishol will stay outside, where you can wash it off. Do this a couple times so you are sure to get as much as you can. Then the hot water will open the pores back up, and the oil already inside can wash out easier. You could also use another chemical in the scrubbing process. I like to use a couple things, not just one. PI is no joke for those of us who are allergic to it.

Don't forget that you can easily get PI from touching something else that has touched PI. Wash your clothing and boots and tools as well. Some suggest washing your clothes a few times by themselves, and then rinse out the washer afterward, so you don't contaminate other clothes. Not a bad idea, but I've never done it, and never had a problem.


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## apn73 (Aug 5, 2014)

If the ivy is on property, buy a goat, that stuff is tough! I feel your pain, almost literally. I get my first breakout in the spring when I start mowing the lawn and have it what seems constantly until fall, and I do try to avoid the stuff. I grew up in the Maine woods and never had a problem with it, came over to New Hampshire and have it perpetually. Tecnu is as good as anything out there, but you have to be on top of it constantly, which is a pain in the butt.


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## MasterBlaster (Aug 5, 2014)

For prevention - Oral Ivy + long sleeves

Cure? No cure, but Ivarest from Walmart helps a LOT to dry it up.


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## Tryin (Aug 5, 2014)

One of the guys on our team takes vitamin c until he gets diarrhea. Says it works for him. Me personally, I take a couple Benadryl as soon as I know I've been exposed. So far so good. Before that, I just dealt with it until it was bad enough for a steroid injection. Not fun.


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## CTYank (Aug 5, 2014)

MasterBlaster said:


> For prevention - Oral Ivy + long sleeves
> 
> Cure? No cure, but Ivarest from Walmart helps a LOT to dry it up.



What he said ^^^ about Oral Ivy stuff. And long sleeves.

It's apparently urushiol diluted with alcohol, in a "drip" bottle, ~$10 from Amazon.
For *prevention*, 3-5 drops in 1/4 glass of water daily by mouth for 7-14 days before exposure. Continue a/r. It works.
For *treatment*, 10 drops in 2 ounces of water every 2 hrs as needed. Place liquid under tongue. Less frequently as things improve. Really tames the misery, in seconds.

Obviously much better beforehand than after exposure.


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## MasterBlaster (Aug 5, 2014)

In regards to the long sleeve shirts, be sure they are the wicking style. Remember! Cotton kills!


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## jrider (Aug 5, 2014)

If you have it bad and you want it gone, prednisone.


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## MasterBlaster (Aug 5, 2014)

If you can wash within 15 minutes, you can usually prevent a reaction. I always keep some Dawn on the truck for just that... and wasp nests. But, even plain water will still help.


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## brenndatomu (Aug 5, 2014)

I spent this whole spring taking down a row of fence line trees that were coated with PI. Even with long sleeves and gloves I managed to get it (I didn't _used_ to get it _at all_) I bought a bar of Poison Ivy Soap (I know, real original name right?)(poisonivysoap daught com) at my local ACE hardware, it seemed to knock things back to a level I could live with (since I already had it) Like others have said, I have heard good things about Technu, and I think they now have a wipe you can take to the woods with you too...
The directions say that you can use Poison Ivy Soap to remove the oil even after you have a reaction, or use it immediately after exposure to prevent, (I know, too late for you) Between the soap every day and some Calamine lotion, I made it though my ordeal with out _too_ much scratchin 
I think many GOOD mechanics hand cleaners will knock the PI oil off, I could be wrong on that. We use Magic Soap at work (best hand cleaner I have *EVER* used, and I've tried *many*!) I think it's made in Cleveland Ohio? Ground up walnut shells or something like that, anyways, it works! I believe that helped the PI on my hands n arms to clear up even faster. All natural, could bathe with it if ya hadtah.
Also, do not reinfect yourself or give it to the rest of the house via your laundry. Supposedly Fels Naptha bar laundry soap (available at many stores including a lot a farm supply stores) will clean the oils from your clothes and skin too. I've heard (but not tried) many things to sooth the irritated skin... Aloe Vera, a paste made of baking soda, Jewel weed, a Oatmeal paste are a few things that I can remember right off the bat. Google DIY PI remedy and/or DIY PI soap, lots comes up. Feel better Spidey!


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## olyman (Aug 5, 2014)

Remember! Cotton kills![/QUOTE]
eggsplain dat.....??


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## woodchuck357 (Aug 5, 2014)

No cure advice but just a little tale I overheard while sitting in a local café. 
It seems this young man (Tommy) suspected one of his friends and Tommy's wife (Jordan) were getting a little to friendly when they studied together. Tommy worked the evening shift while taking some classes at the community college. The friend and Jordan were going to the local University and rode to school together.
One evening Tommy left for work shortly after the friend arrived for a study session. As he walked by the friends pickup he noticed a patch of poison ivy growing next to the driveway. Knowing that the friend didn't break out with poison ivy and that Jordan did, he grabbed a hand full, crushed it and ran his hands over his friends steering wheel. He then hollered for his friend to come move his truck. 
Two days later he was applying calamine lotion to some interesting areas of Jordan's body while planning his divorce.


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## mallardman (Aug 5, 2014)

I've always had the best luck with ivy dry.


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## Red Elm (Aug 5, 2014)

Bathe with Fels-Naptha bar soap after exposure. If you have an outbreak wash area several times a day w Fels and HOT water. Sharing that remedy has helped alot of people over the years.

Ticks and chiggers don't care much for it either if you use it in the bath/shower immediately upon coming home .


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## MasterBlaster (Aug 5, 2014)

That's cool, but any old soap will do. Really. They just want you to but the stuff, a gimmick.


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## Red Elm (Aug 5, 2014)

Its a laundry bar soap, never advertised for PI. No, not all soap works. The homemade lye soap I make w lard, lye and water doesn't because it has an oil (lard) base.


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## MasterBlaster (Aug 5, 2014)

Cool. But when push comes to shove and all you have is a garden hose, scrub away! Scrub away!


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## Red Elm (Aug 5, 2014)

I dont get it, I gotta experiment on my little lady, haha!


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## Streblerm (Aug 5, 2014)

If you have it bad then go to the doctor and get a dose of steroids.

As far as cleaning up after exposure, I have found that the greasy waterless hand cleaner (gojo) works just as well as Tecnu at a fraction of the cost. If I am out in the woods I'll strip down to my shorts and wash my self _thoroughly _with the stuff and wipe off with a towel before getting in my truck. You don't want the stuff with pumice!


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## Whitespider (Aug 5, 2014)

Thanks for the replies guys.
I've heard a few things I didn't know about and/or never tried... and I've heard a few things I've already tried.
I'd only do the doctor thing as a last resort... I'm thinkin' the Tecnu thing is worth a shot.
*


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## Red Elm (Aug 5, 2014)

Several years ago my wife kept getting it over and over all one summer. Id tell her "I showed you what it looks like now stay away from it". To which she would reply, "I haven't been around it". Late in the summer we were telling an older logging couple about that and the wife started laughing, she looked at me and said "you don't get it do you"? I answered "no". She turned to my wife and said " you're getting it when you do the laundry off of his clothes. He doesn't get it so he wades right through it, the oil is all over his jeans"! The same thing had happened to that couple.

I've been warshing my own work clothes ever since.


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## Torch68 (Aug 5, 2014)

In the Late Spring when the leaves are full of oil I harvest a half bushel or so, fry them up in butter and salt and have them as an appetizer does the trick.


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## MasterBlaster (Aug 5, 2014)

And DON'T EVER let the juice from a fresh cut vine hit you! BLISTERS!


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## Red Elm (Aug 5, 2014)

Torch68 said:


> In the Late Spring when the leaves are full of oil I harvest a half bushel or so, fry them up in butter and salt and have them as an appetizer does the trick.


Half bushel? Dang they must be GOOD!!!


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## cheeves (Aug 5, 2014)

redheadwoodshed said:


> I used the poison ivy cream from wal mart. It worked ok. Now, every summer when the staghorn sumac berries get ripe (they get a dust on them) I make a tea out of the berries and I have not had a poison ivy in over 3 years even though I am exposed nearly every day. This is my secret, so tell anyone.


Hi Eddie!!


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## cheeves (Aug 5, 2014)

Prednisone pac!!!


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## flyboy553 (Aug 5, 2014)

I use starting fluid. Works every time

Ted


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## Jakers (Aug 5, 2014)

DO NOT DO THIS....

the company i worked for, prior to becoming a full time tree service owner, had a guy try to dry out the oil from his skin with gasoline. this was in the late 80's or so. still had leaded gas laying around. he spent a few days in the hospital being treated for severe PI and LEAD POISONING....


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## 066blaster (Aug 5, 2014)

i had some luck with prescription strength cortisone cream. seemed to take away the itch and redness. i have heard if you catch it early benidryl can help. i use to get it once in awhile when i did landscaping. i learned to wash my hands before i took a leak. also scrubbed real good in the shower each night. i guess your body sends white blood cells to the area to heal it, similar to a burn, thats what the blisters are. i dont think there is any magic pill or cream once you got it though. good luck


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## Rburg44 (Aug 5, 2014)

I use gasoline best thing for posion ivy next best ive found is bleach but gas is best find i dont use it as much now its $3.50 a gallon but it works!!


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## hseII (Aug 5, 2014)

flyboy553 said:


> I use starting fluid. Works every time
> 
> Ted


Be careful with starting fluid.

Uncle Lucky used to clean up w/ starting fluid all the time, until it caused a very serious skin condition.


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## hseII (Aug 5, 2014)

Torch68 said:


> In the Late Spring when the leaves are full of oil I harvest a half bushel or so, fry them up in butter and salt and have them as an appetizer does the trick.



FO REAL?!!


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## MasterBlaster (Aug 5, 2014)

Now the thread is getting stoopid...

Drink thirty, I 'spect?


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## woodchuck357 (Aug 5, 2014)

Red Elm said:


> Bathe with Fels-Naptha bar soap after exposure. If you have an outbreak wash area several times a day w Fels and HOT water. Sharing that remedy has helped alot of people over the years.
> 
> Ticks and chiggers don't care much for it either if you use it in the bath/shower immediately upon coming home .


Not all bath bars are soap, most are detergents. Naptha soaps are made from a fraction of petroleum. The oil part of real soap can be from many sources, animal, vegetable, or mineral.


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## woodchuck357 (Aug 5, 2014)

Jakers said:


> DO NOT DO THIS....
> 
> the company i worked for, prior to becoming a full time tree service owner, had a guy try to dry out the oil from his skin with gasoline. this was in the late 80's or so. still had leaded gas laying around. he spent a few days in the hospital being treated for severe PI and LEAD POISONING....


I don't think his lead poisoning had anything to do with gasoline.


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## haveawoody (Aug 6, 2014)

For prevention I use a little bit of butter, on face, neck and arms.
Just enough to get a very light film of butter so it doesn't take much.
Something about the oil in the butter wont allow poison ivy oil to migrate to your skin.
Just be careful that the parts without butter don't come in contact with clothes that did, shower asap after your done working when you suspect PI was on anything you cut or walked through.
Treat your saw, clothes, chaps etc as if they are contaminated, while you still have butter film on your hands/arms give your saw, chaps, boots etc a quick clean, put your pi clothes in for a wash and then go shower.

Cure, I think showers and suffering for a week or two is about all I have heard of.
If things don't start to get better after a few days a trip to the doctors for a shot is in order.
PI is a PIA.


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## Whitespider (Aug 6, 2014)

The rashes started about 10 days ago or so, a day or two after I mowed the woodlot roads, trails and paths.
It was pretty warm and windy when I mowed, wearing a sleeveless shirt and jeans with a large hole in the left knee (hence, the rashes on the left leg and foot)... all I can figure is I hit some and sent it airborne. Normally I shower right after that job just because I'm half-covered in crap... but I had a couple other "dirty" jobs to do and didn't bother with the shower until late afternoon, just blew myself off with compressed air.

Next time I'll shower ‼ Even if it means showering three friggin' times that day ‼
Like I said, I've always got a couple little spots of rash this time of year, usually on my forearms, but never anything like this... either I'm losing my tolerance or it's been a mighty good growing year for it. Likely it's the tolerance thing; dad never had problems until about 15 years ago or so... now all he needs to do is walk down-wind from the stuff and he'll be seein' a doctor. Still, I'm gonna' walk the woodlot this coming weekend and see if I can spot a significant sized patch of it (never really went lookin' for it along the trails)... if'n I find it... it's gonna' pay the Round-Up price for my misery.
*


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## lone wolf (Aug 6, 2014)

Whitespider said:


> The rashes started about 10 days ago or so, a day or two after I mowed the woodlot roads, trails and paths.
> It was pretty warm and windy when I mowed, wearing a sleeveless shirt and jeans with a large hole in the left knee (hence, the rashes on the left leg and foot)... all I can figure is I hit some and sent it airborne. Normally I shower right after that job just because I'm half-covered in crap... but I had a couple other "dirty" jobs to do and didn't bother with the shower until late afternoon, just blew myself off with compressed air.
> 
> Next time I'll shower ‼ Even if it means showering three friggin' times that day ‼
> ...


You aint gonna mow that spot again are you?


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## Red Elm (Aug 6, 2014)

If you will use Crossbow it will kill the PI plant, but not your grasses. It should be readily available in farm stores in your part of Iowa.


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## Oxford (Aug 6, 2014)

Good evening-

I have many differences with you, but I hate to see anyone suffer.

First, are you sure it's poison ivy? I had a very similar experience recently after mowing thistles in a pasture where there was no poison ivy. Blisters, itching, and so on. It was poison parsnip, not poison ivy, and that stuff is full on nasty. There is precious little to do for it other than endurance.

If it's really poison ivy, a blacksmith friend of mine swore to me that the water from a quench tank was the cure for poison ivy, and after trying it I completely agree. If you have a local weld shop, blacksmith, or just some steel you can heat up and quench a few times, then bathe the rash in that water, I urge you to do it. I did (do), and it works overnight, like a miracle.

good luck-


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## lone wolf (Aug 6, 2014)

Oxford said:


> Good evening-
> 
> I have many differences with you, but I hate to see anyone suffer.
> 
> ...


Any idea why that works?


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## Whitespider (Aug 6, 2014)

Well, no Oxford, I can't be 100% sure it's Poison Ivy as I didn't really see it... just going on the appearance of the rash.
But the quench tank water is something I've never heard... ever... and it has me curious about what it would contain to alleviate PI symptoms (iron oxides maybe??)
*


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## lone wolf (Aug 6, 2014)

Whitespider said:


> Well, no Oxford, I can't be 100% sure it's Poison Ivy as I didn't really see it... just going on the appearance of the rash.
> But the quench tank water is something I've never heard... ever... and it has me curious about what it would contain to alleviate PI symptoms (iron oxides maybe??)
> *


I can say if you scratch open a real itchy blister then clean with Hydrogen peroxide it stops itching.


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## haveawoody (Aug 7, 2014)

Whitespider,

I bet the combination of heat, airborne PI and open skin is the reason it's much worse than a normal reaction for you.
You were probably mildly reactive to PT on the skin but when you breathed in some fine particles from mowing then had it stay on the skin your getting a full on reaction.

Watch the stuff now though, once you have a first full on reaction things can get pretty serious on all encounters with PI for you now.
Have seen guys go from lumberjacks to nearly house bound because of PI.

Get yourself a mulch cover for the mower, a dust mask wouldn't hurt while mowing , mow only on cool days and shower even if the wife thinks your to clean. LOL

PI is growing gangbuster here in Ontario Canada.
Everything else is 1/2 dead from the brutal winter and cool spring/summer but PI has taken up the slack.


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## haveawoody (Aug 7, 2014)

Oxford,

Poison parsnip might just be water hemlock.
If it's growing in a always damp area it's probably water hemlock.
Parsnip no red stem no powdery cover on it, water hemlock red stem powdery covered stem.

Really nasty stuff and rated the most poison plant in NA.
I had some growing in a damp spot and was finding all sorts of critters dead in that area.

Went about finding out about the stuff and discovered small ingestions of it kills all mamals, even skin contact can be quite dangerous, airborne from mowing can be just as dangerous.
Bleached the area and added more soil and mine is gone.


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## timbrjackrussel (Aug 7, 2014)

Watch out for this
http://www.invadingspecies.com/invaders/plants-terrestrial/giant-hogweed/


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## olyman (Aug 7, 2014)

woodchuck357 said:


> I don't think his lead poisoning had anything to do with gasoline.


 the old lead in gas,, would be absorbed into your body near instant....


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## Whitespider (Aug 7, 2014)

By gosh Oxford, after doing a bit of research... I believe you're correct on the Poison Parsnip. Interesting how the rash only develops when the sap (or oil) on the skin is exposed to sunlight.

At the far southeast end of my woodlot I mow a looped trail out into the weeds and grasses under the power lines... and I know full well there plenty of those yellow flowers out there this year. There's some along the edges of my yard also. The stuff hangs/leans over the mowed areas, it drags against my skin, it was a bright sunny day, and I didn't shower when I was done... in fact, I spent the remainder of the day working out in the sun. My left side is hit the worst, which is the side of the mower I do the edges with... my right side (the deck discharge side) is pretty clear compared to the left side. Even the blister "pattern" on my left arm resembles "drag mark" scratches.

Good call man...thanks... I've learned a valuable lesson.

I guess, from the research I've done, Poison Parsnip (an invasive species) is becoming a serious problem in Iowa and other Midwestern states... especially in ditches, meadows and other non-wooded areas. I also learned it grows near everywhere in North America... y'all may want to learn how to identify it, especially those of you living in the Midwest.

http://www.kcci.com/news/central-iowa/weed-that-causes-burns-is-spreading-across-iowa/20886136#!bxSIV0

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/poisonous-plants-like-wild-parsnip-could-spoil-your-summer/

*


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## Oxford (Aug 7, 2014)

No, I don't think it's water hemlock. http://www.dot.state.mn.us/adopt/documents/wild-parsnips.pdf is what I'm talking about, and it's spreading throughout the area where I live, which is roughly the same latitude as Spider's home turf.


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## Whitespider (Aug 7, 2014)

Oxford said:


> _*No, I don't think it's water hemlock.*_ http://www.dot.state.mn.us/adopt/documents/wild-parsnips.pdf _*is what I'm talking about, and it's spreading throughout the area where I live, which is roughly the same latitude as Spider's home turf.*_



Oh yeah, that's the stuff... and it's all over the place 'round here this year, almost every ditch.
I said the rash, or more the way it affected me, was "different" this time. I thought it was strange I could mow over a patch of PI big enough to get me like this without noticing it... heck, I can spot PI from a 100 yards. I've been doing some more reading this morning, looking at more pictures of the plant and the resulting rash... now I'm a good 90% sure that's the stuff that got me.

Like I said... good call Oxford, damn good call.
I'm appreciative; I'd have got right back into that stuff if you wouldn't have set aside your "differences" with me and tossed out your comments... yours is the character of a gentleman.
*


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## warpig6 (Aug 8, 2014)

I got a bad case early in the summer after clearing some brush. Now I keep a mini bottle of Dawn in the shower. I wash with it every time I cut firewood now. Seems to keep the poison at bay.


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## haveawoody (Aug 9, 2014)

Oxford,

Glad to hear it's not water hemlock.
A few different varieties of water hemlock exist in NA and one of them looks much like wild parsnip.
The lesser poison one is a ringer for it, and lesser poison I'm talking #2 most deadly plant in NA.

All water hemlock versions need constant damp to grow and seed.

Poison parsnip does not make good sunscreen LOL
You can walk through it all day long on a overcast day and nothing happens but lord help you if the sun comes out on that same walk.


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## zogger (Aug 9, 2014)

Great, more sucky invasive species. Wonder what happens if any critters eat it.


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## haveawoody (Aug 9, 2014)

zogger,

Water hemlock is death for mamals eating it, even small amount of it less than lethal can cause long term health problems.
Poison parsnip I don't think is highly poison to eat, it has a compound in it's oil that reacts with sunlight to cause nasty blisters on skin.
Got to be somewhat poison to eat IMO or at minimum make you or any animal hyper sensitive to sunlight if you did.

A good rule to follow is red and dusty stems most of the time are stay away signs of plants.
Same rule works most of the time for leaf also, if it has blotched red mature or bright red new leafs.


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## MasterBlaster (Aug 9, 2014)

"Leaves of three - leave em be!"

"Berries white - poisonous sight!"


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## haveawoody (Aug 10, 2014)

MasterBlaster,

You got it.

Got to love that rule with sumac, the red berries make a wonderful tasting tea full of vitamin c and loaded with other nutrients, the white berries would probably kill you in that tea.


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## Bob95065 (Aug 10, 2014)

Lowell Webb who owns Webb's Faarm Supply in the Santa Cruz Mountains told me he cuts a poison oak leaf the size of his pinky fingernail puts it on a piece of cheese, folds the chees so no PO is exposed and swallows it. He said he does this once a month and haas no PO.

I brought this up to my allergy doctor (I get shots 2x/month for allergies to everything green and growing). He said this may work but there is a problem. Lowell is covering the PO leaf with the cheese because the skin in your mouth can get PO. The trouble is the skin at the other end can also get PO. He said I should think about that before following Lowell's advice.

I haven't had the guts to eat any PO.


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## Saddle Mander (Aug 13, 2014)

warpig6 said:


> I got a bad case early in the summer after clearing some brush. Now I keep a mini bottle of Dawn in the shower. I wash with it every time I cut firewood now. Seems to keep the poison at bay.



That won't work for me. I don't know why, but Dawn gives me a poison ivy type of rash. Even if I use a sponge that still has some Dawn on it, I break out with a rash the next day.

I have some PI right now. I don't know if this helped, but I was in a public restroom and I put the rash under the hot air hand dryer for a few cycles and it seems to be drying up. Of course, spending a few hours in a chlorinated swimming pool probably helped also.

About 10 years ago I had it bad on my arm. We went to the beach and I spent a good part of the day with my arm soaking in a large bucket of ocean water. Dried it right up.


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## KindredSpiritzz (Aug 15, 2014)

I havent had PI in 35 yrs which is kind of odd since i spent so much time out in the woods every year. Must not be a lot of it in wisconsin. I remember a few bouts of it as a kid back in the 70s but nothing since then.


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## NHMike (Aug 15, 2014)

Well this thread jinxed me. I just got PI, and I have no idea how. I none on the property, and any that I find is promptly sprayed. As I mentioned, once it blistered, it spread like wildfire, and I had to go on steroids. Just started treatment yesterday.
I really hate PI!!


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