★★★★★
Finally, I have found something that works for me: Coconut oil and homeopathics.
The last significant rash I contracted a couple years ago was treated in the following way: A friend suggested that I anoint the rash with oil (she suggested olive oil, but I used coconut) and pray for it. Which I did. The rash stopped being so itchy and began healing. I continued applying coconut oil to it daily. I also noticed that it did not bother me while I was taking my homeopathic treatment for allergies.
What I've learned: the current theory of treatment for poison ivy says, "dry out the rash! " However, this isn't just a rash, its our skin. The skin needs moisture to be healthy, but water seems to irritate the rash.
I've heard that urishol is what causes the allergic reaction and that it acts like a virus in the body. So the immune system is involved.
Coconut oil is a known anti-viral. I have been surprised at how it can help irritations on the skin. I simply apply some oil to the rash in the morning, after showering, before bed or as needed.
The homeopathic medicine I took was for respiratory allergies, but it helped. I have tried homeopathic remedies that are labeled for poison oak/ivy, but they didn't seem to help as much.
Since we can't name products, I'll list the ingredients in the homeopathic remedy I use:
- Echinacea angustifolia 4x, 12x, 20x, 30x
- Ignatia amara 6x
- Lycopodium clavatum 6x
- Sulphur 6x, 12x, 20x, 30x
- Thuja occidentalis 6x
- Ledum palustre 8x
- Phosphorus 8x
- Antimonium Crudum 12x
- Histaminum hydrochloricum 12x
- Selenium 12x.
I use as directed on the label which amounts to taking one tablet every four hours.
Other things that help:
I take the usual precautions of washing my clothes and skin within twenty minutes of exposure to the plant.
When I discover the itchy red spots I wash the area with soap and water before applying the the coconut oil the first time, just to make sure any remaining plant oils are removed.
I've noticed that the itchiness is the worst when I am hungry and/or tired. So I try to take care of myself. Taking vitamin C also seems to help as well as anything that boosts the immune system.
As a teen I contracted the severest case of poison ivy of my life. The rash formed the hard leathery stage from my wrist to my elbow on both arms. (Agony) It only seemed to heal when Mom gave me a combination of Chinese herbs for the immune system. The herbs helped so much that she stopped giving them to me before the rash was fully healed. It resurged, so she had to give them to again til it was gone.
I also avoid sugar and wheat. I really believe these things aggravate so many negative conditions in the body, at least for me anyway.
Since discovering this remedy I have avoided contracting any significant cases of the rash. Instead, I'll find an itchy, red spot or two from time to time. I just use the protocol described above and the spots go away shortly without spreading and without causing suffering.
I really hope this info helps others.
Banana Peels
★★★★★
Each time it took 4-6 weeks just to go through the healing process. I used over the counter medicine and some of them only provided temporary relief, and they were rather expensive. Then I tried banana peels. It worked! I rubbed the banana peel over one arm only to conduct an experiement. Instant relief!
Then I got to thinking about other natural products that may provide the same relief... honey.
On the other arm I swabbed it with store brand honey, wrapped arm with a paper towel so I wouldn't leave a sticky mess, and INSTANTLY the itch was gone! I left the honey and paper towel on for 4-6 hours (until bedtime) took my shower and to my amazment the sores dried up.
I also took 1 tablespoon of same honey by mouth and it caused the other places on both arms to stop itching, and only within about 5 minutes! The next day I allowed the spots to dry out, then began applying aloe jel (the type advertised to help with sunburns) and after just a few applications of the gel my arms were beginning to heal!
Then...
While battling with current outbreak on both arms, I had a new spot appear closer to my wrist, (again after I spent some time with my cat). Immediately applied the honey, wrapped lightly with paper towel and tape to secure it and got the same results!
Tried it a 3rd time when I noticed the small bumps had appeared on other wrist, before I ever scratched it, applied honey and covered with a bandaid, before bed I showered and removed the bandaid and the poison ivy was gone!
The banana peels, provided relief, but the honey has taken a 6 week process and reduced it to only days, with immediate results.
Thank you ec for a wonderful site.
★★★★★
My son lives in a woody area and has a severe reaction to poison ivy. I usually have to take him to the doctor for a course of steroids, but since his infection happened right before Christmas, my only option was to go wait in an ER which he did not want to do. While I was in my pantry searching for my ACV, I came across my diatomaceous earth and a light went off inside in my brain.
I had him take a very hot shower and then made up paste of diatomaceous earth and water. I had to put it on him at least 3 times a day. I then gave him an allergy pill. By the 3rd day, it completely dissappeared with no scabbing. I had read many posts that said scrub the heads off, but I did not have to do that. Depending on how severe your infection is- 3 days is what it took for a mild infection.
I hope this remedy will bring you relief. Good luck!
Grapefruit Seed Extract
★★★★★
DMSO
I DID find a connection between venom, colloidal silver and lipids though. So, maybe that's how toxins get handled, if that's a part of their repertoire - an effect on lipids which may be what makes toxins toxic in the first place...I don't know. But it's interesting so I expect my explorations will take me down that path...
Anyway, I've only had poison ivy once, years ago, and the only thing that helped was its homeopathic remedy, Rhus-Tox.
Jewelweed
★★★★★
EC: Jewel Weed (aka Touch-Me-Not) often grows near poison ivy and is easy to locate. Good photos here.
★★★★★
When I use the powder, I make a paste that I water down to create a sticky film. I wet the affected area, sprinkle the garlic powder over it and rub it around. Once the paste starts to develop, I wet my fingers as needed to help dissolve most of the garlic. You don't want to wash it off, but if you do, you can always sprinkle on more powder. Once most of the powder is dissolved and has become tacky, I let the film dry and it becomes like a second skin. If some of the powder cakes up, you can rub it off after it dries. Sometimes I will purposely cake the wet powder over a weeping blister to help it dry up. This second skin will stay on for hours, even over night, drying and protecting the rash. Wash it off and reapply as necessary. I have found that this will dry up mild blisters within a day, and severe rashes within 3 to 5 days. Garlic is awesome!
There is no burning, it really stops the itching, and I don't need to use anything else. This is much better than the bleach my mother used as a kid, and much less toxic!
DMSO
★★★★★
Jewelweed
★★★★★
★★★★★
Baking Soda and White Vinegar
★★★★★
★★★★★
Then, in my late 20s while staying at a summer cabin in the woods, I came back from a walk one day to feel an itchy patch on my leg. Uh oh. So I quick went into the shower to wash off any oil before it got spread any farther.
The warm water felt so good, that I increased the heat and focused the water jet on that part of my leg for several seconds. Ahhh. Since that worked, I increased the heat some more. Ohhh, ahhh, even better. It felt like I was scratching it without scratching it.
I got the temp as hot as I could stand it, when the thought entered my head to blast it with cold. So I did. I let the icy cold water run on it for several seconds. Feeling relief and no more itching, I dried off, got dressed and went about the rest of the day.
A good 12 hours passed before I felt a little itching starting up again. So I did the warm-hot-hot water followed by a cold blast again. Another 12 hours without itching. This is great! Even better, I noticed that the patch that had been reddish was turning brownish.
It may have flared up slightly one or two more times before it totally disappeared as a brownish color in the skin, but it never spread and it never itched again. It just kind of faded away.
Of course, you would want to do this water therapy with a cloth if the rash is on your face or neck; but anywhere else on the body, with the shower head pointing at the spot, heat will do the trick. The best part? It only takes a few minutes and - it's free!
Ice Water
★★★★★
After 2 or 3 days the poison Ivy was gone. Thank you so much for sharing this.
Salt
★★★★★
My husband got into some poison ivy while cleaning out weeds on a cyclone fence and was covered with poison ivy. He came home in pain and itching very badly. I was told about the remedy and tried it on him. I had him to wet his arms and then I put table salt on them and he could only take letting it stay on about ten minutes and then washed it off. The salt dried up the bumps and calmed the itch and within a hour, for him, everything had stopped. I put Olive oil on his arms to moisturize his skin because it was very dry and he had no problems with it again. I also treated three boys the same way with the same results.
★★★★★
How to Develop Poison Ivy Immunity
The worst case I ever got was when I was a counselor at a Boy Scout camp and we had a long rope swing. My hands slipped and I was drug on my stomach through a patch of poison ivy. My stomach turned to two inches of poison ivy blisters. My life was miserable for quit awhile. Yep, I understand what my experiment entails.
The thing that I'm wanting to prove is that you can control your problems with intelligence. Homeopathic's work and that is a given. So if my experiment allows someone to experience the out of doors without pain. Then the Lord will give me another star. With my background, I need all I can get.
======ORH======
Clay
Mama's Herbal Tea
★★★★★
For the child who had poison ivy all over his arms and legs, I also gave him several tea baths. I would make a gallon of strong herbal tea and add it to his bathwater. He would soak for about 30 minutes a couple of times a day. (This was not convenient to him but he was pretty miserable and therefore willing. In fact, in spite of diligent home treatment internally and externally, he ended up needing prednisone. We continued the spray even when he was on prednisone.)
Recipe for Herbal Spray for Poison Ivy
- 1 Tablespoon dry comfrey leaves
- 1 Tablespoon dry plantain leaves
- 1 cup boiling water
Put dry leaves into a mason jar. Add boiling water. Let steep for 30 minutes. Strain leaves out of tea. Store in a spray bottle in the refrigerator. Make a fresh batch of tea each day.
Recipe for Herbal Tea Bath for Poison Ivy
- 1/2 cup dry comfrey leaves
- 1/2 cup dry plantain leaves
- 1 gallon boiling water
Bring 1 gallon of water to boil. Remove from heat. Add dry leaves. Cover. Steep 30 minutes to 2 hours. Strain out leaves. Add to a tub of water. If water is very hot, be careful not to let very hot water hit the skin of the child in the tub, if he is in there already. :)
One morning my three year old woke up and said, "I want a comfrey bath!!! " He had poison ivy and had seen his brother have many "comfrey baths." He wasn't feeling too patient, so I put him in the tub with warm water and a cup of baking soda (which I find helpful for itching and nearly everything! ) I put 1/2 cup comfrey leaves into an old sock and tied it off, like a giant tea bag. I put it into his bath water (since I didn't really have time to make the bath tea on the stove because he wanted his bath NOW.) Periodically I would squeeze the sock to release the comfrey tea. By the end of his bath, the water was tea colored! It worked quite well. And he felt a good bit better and was in a much better mood.
~Mama to Many~
Stick Deodorant
★★★★★
Apple Cider Vinegar, Hydrogen Peroxide
★★★★★
Hot Water
★★★★☆
Bee Pollen
Usually ibuprofen will give me two hours of itching reduction. then most any topical treatment will give me another two hours of relief. At which time I can take another Ibuprofen without exceeding the recommend daily dosage of Ibuprofen. The ibuprofen, washes, and topicals prevent the inflammation from erupting and damaging the skin which then lengthens the recovery time beyond a month. I am confident enough in this ibuprofen relief that I would recommend any one that is exposed to poison ivy take ibuprofen if severe itching and inflammation start. The problem with ibuprofen is no doctor will give prednisone if they don't see evidence of suffering (Inflamation).
I thought that the way to generate some responses might be to ask a few people that are are suffering from a severe poison ivy reaction post whether they eat much honey regularly. I really think that there is something about Honey and Bee pollen that if ingested at adequate levels significantly reduces the severity of Poison Ivy outbreaks.
It has been 5 years since I have had any severe poison Ivy outbreaks. This year my vigilance and practices have lessened. I need some kind of reinforcement that the honey and bee pollen I do take are the reason I am not getting Poison Ivy. It is no real hardship to use honey and occasionally bee pollen but my motivation is noticeably dropping. If these things do help I would like for others that suffer severe poison ivy outbreaks share them.
