Poison
Ivy
What does it
look like? Where does it grow? How to treat it? Links to more info.
There are two
main pieces of knowledge that will help you recognize poison ivy nearly every
time.
• Leaflets
three--let it be.
• And, the other secret that not many people know.
Poison ivy has thumbs. Once you get those two facts down, you'll be set.
Not all PI has
thumbs, but much of it does. Frequently, it's the two outer leaves that have
thumbs
while the central leaf is either smooth margined or has symmetric zagged margins.
More pictures:
What to do when you've
been in contact with poison ivy oil (urushiol):
The links listed below
will give more details.
• If you
know you've touched PI, and there's a source of water, wash it off as soon
as possible.
• If it's
been a few hours since you've touched the PI, I recommend Technu.
I keep it in my vehicle and
use a paper towel to rub it over the contaminated body part. However, you
must know you've been
exposed to know to use the Technu. For me, Technu *might* work a the frst
moments that the rash starts,
but not after that.
• Finally,
if I don't catch the PI until the rash has developed. Zanfel
works for me to take away the itch.
It cost
a LOT. And the rash takes the usual length of time to heal up. But 90% of
the
problem is solved if the itch stops. Paradise
Road Poison Oak Soap works just as well for me and is
MUCH, MUCH cheaper. However you must order online from CA. I've stocked up
and have several
bars on hand.
• Calamine
can work to dry up the rash. I've not had success for the first few days of
heavy oozing.
But after that, the calmine does seem to help.
• Cortisone
is worthless, for me (for PI).
• When
I get a really bad caes, I get a prescription from my doctor for prednisolone.
It's one of two
steriods used to treat PI.I've heard some folks have had bad side effects
to prednisone, but I haven't
tried that steroid. Normally I prefer to not take steriods, and now that I
know about Zanfel,
I haven't needed a steroid prescription.
Valuable Links:
http://poisonivy.aesir.com/
http://www.poison-ivy.org/
Grody Poison
Ivy Pictures: http://www.poison-ivy.org/rash/index.htm
