The plant looks rather like mint, only the leaves and stems have little hairs coming out of them. If you brush against them, your skin comes up with maddenintly itchy little spots.
It's too late for this now, but the next time you're exposed to poison ivy, wash the affected areas with dishwashing soap (really, any oil-cutting agent will do) as soon as possible. It breaks down the oil.
I usually do, I didn't know I had gotten into it though. There is some in our backyard and I stay away from it, but my dog must have gotten into the ivy and I pet her and kissed her and well...now I'm not very happy. But thanks, I will try the baking soda.
That stuff is nasty, isn't it? My mother brushed some against another plant while she was weeding it (with long sleeves and gloves on, of course), and when she later brushed against the plant with her skin, she got a rash.
Wow... I can't believe no one has mentioned good ol' fashioned benadryl and hydrocortisone yet.
Now, the baking soda and the oatmeal will help with the skin irritation, true, but the aforementioned non-natural methods are a good plan too.
What you're experiencing isn't a toxin, but an allergic reaction, so a combination of antihistamine and steroid is a good plan in easing the itch. I personally recommend oral antihistamines (Benadryl!) and then some cort cream. It will help stem the inflammatory response that is causing the problem and will make the natural remedies suggested more effective.
Natural medecine is great (I've been practicing herbalism for years now), but it usually works best combined with modern medecine.
Just a word of caution. When I had poison ivy and put hydro cortisone on it the irritation SPREAD and got worse. The same has happened to friends of mine.
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http://poisonivy.aesir.com/view/kitchen.html
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Ouch, Americanocentric. In the UK we don't have poison ivy; we do have stinging nettles, but they are very different.
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What are stinging nettles?
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It's too late for this now, but the next time you're exposed to poison ivy, wash the affected areas with dishwashing soap (really, any oil-cutting agent will do) as soon as possible. It breaks down the oil.
Reply
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That stuff is nasty, isn't it? My mother brushed some against another plant while she was weeding it (with long sleeves and gloves on, of course), and when she later brushed against the plant with her skin, she got a rash.
Reply
Now, the baking soda and the oatmeal will help with the skin irritation, true, but the aforementioned non-natural methods are a good plan too.
What you're experiencing isn't a toxin, but an allergic reaction, so a combination of antihistamine and steroid is a good plan in easing the itch. I personally recommend oral antihistamines (Benadryl!) and then some cort cream. It will help stem the inflammatory response that is causing the problem and will make the natural remedies suggested more effective.
Natural medecine is great (I've been practicing herbalism for years now), but it usually works best combined with modern medecine.
Reply
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