POISON IVY (information also applies to Poison Oak and Poison Sumac)
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Photos available at: (cut and paste)
http://ca.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/plantladywithcfids/album?.dir=3D/ca9are2=
&.src=3Dph&.tok=3DphDH_CFBnmb9ajsx
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Gardening the other day sent me to the shower ... twice. First, to remove=
soil smudges and sweat from planting annuals in 90-degree heat. The second=
time, 20 minutes later, following several surprise encounters with vigorou=
s poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans, formerly Rhus) emerging from unnotice=
d nooks and crannies. Thought I'd spotted every visible PI plant but missed=
the cluster BEHIND the huge pot containing a shrub. I lifted and carried t=
hat pot. So chances were good that PI leaves touched the pot surface and le=
ft oily sap that rubbed onto my shirt and legs.
Mumbling, I cursed urushiol, the allergenic oil that turns smooth skin into=
maddeningly itchy red rashes. Poison ivy is the plant that keeps on giving=
-- via specs of resin on bed sheets, shoes, gloves -- long after the first=
rash is gone.
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One of Batman's most interesting foes was Poison Ivy, alias Pamela Isley,=
not least of all because of her colorful outfit. She wore green garb studd=
ed with poison ivy leaves in her 1966 debut, and I remember thumbing throug=
h the pages of that comic book again and again, intrigued by the portrayal =
of the toxic temptress.
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The fact that a weed has been notorious enough to inspire the creation of=
such a villain says a lot about the plant, poison ivy. Its ubiquity and it=
s "power" to harm us elevates it above the status of an ordinary weed. Inde=
ed, even a city-slicker who can name only a handful of weeds, at best, has =
heard of the dreaded poison ivy. Yet many residents of suburbia, in danger =
of coming into contact with poison ivy, would be hard-pressed to make a pos=
itive ID on it....
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W hen exploring the woods and fields of the Great Plains, a curious natur=
alist will usually be on the lookout for dangerous animals such as skunks o=
r venomous snakes, but might not give any thought to the possibility of enc=
ountering a dangerous plant. Of course, plants cannot "attack" a person, b=
ut some plants can cause harm if they are touched. One plant that should d=
efinitely be avoided is Poison Ivy, and that can be a real challenge becaus=
e it grows in different forms, does not have a consistent leaf shape and th=
ere are some plants in the same habitat that look like it!
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Poison Oak, ivy, sumac and other members by the Rhus family grow in all p=
ortions of the North American continent (except Nevada, Alaska, and Hawaii)=
at elevations below 4,000 feet with a rainfall above 8 inches per year. Th=
ese plants are a significant cause of workers' compensation claims in the U=
nited States. They are also the source of considerable distress to outdoor =
recreationists and hobbyists.
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Poison Oak (Rhus diversiloba), poison ivy (Rhus tocicodendron L.) and poi=
son sumac (Rhus toxicondendron V.) emit the poisonous, oily irritant urushi=
ol (pronounced oo-roo-she-all) on the plant's stem, roots, branches, and le=
aves. The urushiol chemically "locks on" to skin proteins within 20 minutes=
after exposure to the plants (including dormant plants or long-dead prunin=
gs), contaminated clothes or tools, or even contaminated pets.
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Brushing against an intact plant will not cause a reaction. But undamaged=
plants are rare.
"Poison oak, ivy and sumac are very fragile plants," says William L. Epst=
ein, M.D., professor of dermatology, University of California, San Francisc=
o. Stems or leaves broken by the wind or animals, and even the tiny holes m=
ade by chewing insects, can release urushiol.
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Reactions, treatments and preventive measures are the same for all three =
poison plants. Avoiding direct contact with the plants reduces the risk but=
doesn't guarantee against a reaction. Urushiol can stick to pets, garden t=
ools, balls, or anything it comes in contact with. If the urushiol isn't wa=
shed off those objects or animals, just touching them--for example, picking=
up a ball or petting a dog--could cause a reaction in a susceptible person=
. (Animals, except for a few higher primates, are not sensitive to urushiol=
.)
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Urushiol that's rubbed off the plants onto other things can remain potent=
for years, depending on the environment. If the contaminated object is in =
a dry environment, the potency of the urushiol can last for decades, says E=
pstein. Even if the environment is warm and moist, the urushiol could still=
cause a reaction a year later.
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"One of the stories I tell people is of the hunter who gets poison oak on=
his hunting coat," says Epstein. "He puts it on a year later to go hunting=
and gets a rash [from the urushiol still on the coat]."
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Almost all parts of the body are vulnerable to the sticky urushiol, produ=
cing the characteristic linear (in a line) rash. Because the urushiol must =
penetrate the skin to cause a reaction, places where the skin is thick, suc=
h as the soles of the feet and the palms of the hands, are less sensitive t=
o the sap than areas where the skin is thinner. The severity of the reactio=
n may also depend on how big a dose of urushiol the person got.
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Poison Ivy grows in a number of different ways:
As a ground cover - It can creep across the ground surface and make a kne=
e-high thicket of foliage. This is what is shown in the picture at the top=
of the page
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As a skinny free-standing "shrub" - It can grow in the open with one stem=
and only a few side branches. It may be up to ten feet tall in this form,=
and this is the form that people call Poison Oak. (According to the exper=
ts, Poison Oak is a distinct species that doesn't occur on the prairie [see=
below], but for all practical purposes they look the same and BOTH should =
avoided.)
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As a vine - Using thin, brown, aerial roots, it can attach itself to the =
side of a tree or other object and reach high into the sky. This is the fo=
rm where it reaches it greatest size. It is not uncommon to find vines as =
thick as your arm growing up the side of large trees.
Poison Ivy has variable leaves:
Poison Ivy has compound leaves. That is, each leaf is made up of distinct =
parts, called leaflets. In this case there is one leaflet at the end of th=
e leaf stalk (or petiole) and two leaflets opposite each other below the fi=
rst. This is called a trifoliate pattern. The two lower leaflets have ver=
y short stalks and are often shaped like mittens, with a lobe on one side.
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The shape, color and texture of the leaflets is highly variable and the l=
eaf color and shape vary as the plant ages
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Poison Ivy leaves turn a vivid red color in the fall. It is usually one =
of the first plants to change. This touch of beauty on the landscape is, p=
erhaps, a small repayment for all the misery it causes!
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The fruits of Poison Ivy are grapelike clusters of tiny, white, pumpkin-l=
ike seeds with an off-white or pale yellow rind. The photo below was taken=
in mid-November and shows that the rind dries out and flakes off eventuall=
y. The fruits also contain urushiol, but that does not stop the birds from=
eating them! Flickers and other woodpeckers are fond of them, along with=
sapsuckers, thrushes, pheasants and quail. The rind provides food to the =
birds while the seeds usually pass on through their gut unharmed and, in th=
is way , birds are the agent for dispersal of Poison Ivy seeds.
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Quick Action Needed
Because urushiol can penetrate the skin within minutes, there's no time t=
o waste if you know you've been exposed. "The earlier you cleanse the skin,=
the greater the chance that you can remove the urushiol before it gets att=
ached to the skin," says Hon-Sum Ko, M.D., an allergist and immunologist wi=
th FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Cleansing may not stop th=
e initial outbreak of the rash if more than 10 minutes has elapsed, but it =
can help prevent further spread.
If you've been exposed to poison ivy, oak or sumac, if possible, stay out=
doors until you complete the first two steps:
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First, Epstein says, cleanse exposed skin with generous amounts of isopro=
pyl (rubbing) alcohol. (Don't return to the woods or yard the same day. Alc=
ohol removes your skin's protection along with the urushiol and any new con=
tact will cause the urushiol to penetrate twice as fast.)
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Second, wash skin with water. (Water temperature does matter; before the =
urushiol penetrates the skin's outer layer. Don't use warm water because it=
opens the pores and can speed the penetration of the urushiol.)
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Third, carefully remove clothing -- in this case, clean shorts, shirt, an=
d socks. I say "carefully" because each piece is likely contaminated with u=
rushiol oil, which spreads at a touch. Immediately into the wash they go wi=
th hot water and heavy-duty laundry detergent. This will eliminate spreadin=
g the oil to furniture, other clothing, skin ...etc.
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Fourth, take a regular shower with soap and warm water. Do not use soap b=
efore this point because "soap will tend to pick up some of the urushiol fr=
om the surface of the skin and move it around," says Epstein.
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Shoes, tools, and anything else that may have been in contact with the ur=
ushiol should be wiped off with alcohol and water. Be sure to wear gloves o=
r otherwise cover your hands while doing this and then discard the hand cov=
ering.
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Dealing with the Rash
If you don't cleanse quickly enough, or your skin is so sensitive that cl=
eansing didn't help, redness and swelling will appear in about 12 to 48 hou=
rs. Blisters and itching will follow. For those rare people who react after=
their very first exposure, the rash appears after seven to 10 days.
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The clinical name for the skin irritation caused by Poison Ivy is Rhus De=
rmatitis.
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Contact with this annoying oil produces a rash in three out of four peopl=
e. The rash can begin within a few hours after contact, or it can start thr=
ee to five days later. The rash starts with itchiness and swelling, followe=
d by a reddish inflammation of tiny pimples. Blisters then form and couple =
in a chain-like reaction. A clear fluid oozes from the blisters. This fluid=
then hardens to a yellowish crust. Left untreated, the rash (a typical his=
tamine response) will last three to five weeks.
Because they don't contain urushiol, the oozing blisters are not contagio=
us nor can the fluid cause further spread on the affected person's body. Ne=
vertheless, Epstein advises against scratching the blisters because fingern=
ails may carry germs that could cause an infection.
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The rash will only occur where urushiol has touched the skin; it doesn't =
spread throughout the body. However, the rash may seem to spread if it appe=
ars over time instead of all at once. This is either because the urushiol i=
s absorbed at different rates in different parts of the body or because of =
repeated exposure to contaminated objects or urushiol trapped under the fin=
gernails.
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The rash, blisters and itch normally disappear in 14 to 20 days without a=
ny treatment. But few can handle the itch without some relief. For mild cas=
es, wet compresses or soaking in cool water may be effective. Oral antihist=
amines can also relieve itching.
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Severe reactions can be treated with prescription oral corticosteroids. P=
hillip M. Williford, M.D., assistant professor of dermatology, Wake Forest =
University, prescribes oral corticosteroids if the rash is on the face, gen=
itals, or covers more than 30 percent of the body. The drug must be taken f=
or at least 14 days, and preferably over a three-week period, says FDA's Ko=
. Shorter courses of treatment, he warns, will cause a rebound with an even=
more severe rash.
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There are a number of OTC products to help dry up the oozing blisters, in=
cluding:
aluminum acetate (Burrows solution)
baking soda
Aveeno (oatmeal bath)
aluminum hydroxide gel
calamine
kaolin
zinc acetate
zinc carbonate
zinc oxide
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Several other plants look like Poison Ivy:
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Aromatic Sumac (Rhus aromatica) Also known as Skunkbush, Its berries are=
red and densely hairy and form in dense clusters. While in the same fami=
ly as Poison Ivy, it does not contain urushiol.
Box Elder (Acer negundo) A member of the Maple family, It does not contai=
n urushiol.
Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia).=20=20
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THE NATURAL PI REMEDY: JEWEL WEED
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The Jewel Weed Stem should be crushed and the liquid rubbed into the skin=
contacted by the Poison Ivy and symptoms will not appear or will be much l=
ess troublesome.
Jewel Weed usually grows near water or in shallow ponds. It is often foun=
d in areas where Poison Ivy grows.
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Jewel Weed totally neutralizes the Poison Ivy's oily antigen called Urush=
iol, and you will no longer spread it by scratching or rubbing.
Jewel Weed is still quite helpful even if you have developed scabs, thoug=
h you need to work =97 Rub =97 it in longer, and it takes time for the blis=
ters to heal.
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Based on my personal experiences, tinctures made from the plant are only =
about 20% as effective as the fresh juice, and take much longer to work.
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Jewel Weed is an effective natural herbal remedy not only for poison ivy,=
but also for poison oak, okra spines, stinging nettle, and other irritatin=
g plants; as well as bug bites and razor burn. Jewel Weed, is also used for=
acne, heat rash, ringworm and many other skin disorders.
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A poultice made from the plant is an old folk remedy and is used for brui=
ses, burns, cuts, eczema, insect bites, sores, sprains, warts, and ringworm=
.
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Mother Nature almost always has a solution for things that can irritate u=
s.
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Angie (ontario canada zone 5)
"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent"
quoted Eleanor Roosevelt
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