poison oak remedies

[robinj]

Hello,

I am perpetually plagued by this plant. I try Technu but it doesnt seem to work for me. I end up just drying the rash out with alcohol and applying Calagel. Right now I have a new case that has just surfaced and has not blistered yet. Does anyone have any remedies to subside it and keep it from fully blossoming?

I have heard that drinking goats milk from goats that graze on it can help one build an immunity. Any thoughts from other sufferers out there?

Thanks,
Robin

[spam1]

Prednisone. 3 pills for 3 days, 2 pills for 3 days, 1 pill for 3 days. We talked our doc into giving us an extra prescription so we have some on hand when it appears. Saves weeks of misery. Sometimes drugs are good.


Hello,

I am perpetually plagued by this plant. ... Does anyone have any remedies to subside it and keep it from fully blossoming? ...I've heard...drinking goats milk from goats that graze on it can help one build an immunity. Any thoughts from other sufferers out there?...

[sharingwisdom]

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[Barrie]

Hi! Someone taught me to expose the poison oak to hot water, as hot as I can stand. This causes the histamine reaction to go off intensely, then it is exhausted and doesn't itch for hours. This is the most effective treatment I have ever found. These days I catch poison oak second hand from my cats. So I find myself washing my hands and arms very frequently, especially at the end of the day, to prevent the rash from developing.

The worst is when I get it around my eyes. Barrie



...I have a new case that has just surfaced and has not blistered yet. Does anyone have any remedies to subside it and keep it from fully blossoming? ...Thanks,...Robin

[robinj]

Thanks everyone for your tips. I love the hot water trick. It makes it, for a moment, almost worth having the rash, feels so good!

I bought a spray today at Rosemary' Garden by Herb Pharm today called Soothing Oak and Ivy and it is incredible! It has menthol to cool the rash and two other herbs to keep it from blistering. So far its still under control (fingers crossed)

[pkonez]

If you're unlucky and forgot to scrub with Poison Oak Soap (available at Sebastopol Hardware and elsewhere) use Technu when rash first shows. Follow instructions on the bottle. Personally, I avoid all steroids since I had terrible side effects with my first case of Poison Oak years ago. Best offense is defense off course. Learn to recognize and avoid. Also, herbalists say the remedy grows nearby, which in Sonoma County means CA bay laurel. Make a tea of local bay leaves and wash infected area with this. That said, precaution, Poison Oak Soap & Technu work well.
Also, if out on the trail and not able to get home to wash within a reasonable amount of time, and you know you've come into contact with PO, wash with cold water (find a stream or even your canteen). Water is remarkably effective.


Prednisone. 3 pills for 3 days, 2 pills for 3 days, 1 pill for 3 days. We talked our doc into giving us an extra prescription so we have some on hand when it appears. Saves weeks of misery. Sometimes drugs are good.

[farmfresh]

I've been having good success with a product called 'Organic Body Polish' made by Trillium Organics, it is a salt body scrub that has essential oils in it, there are different flavors: lavender, cedar, rose geranium, pink grapefruit.etc. I have used it at the first feeling of poison oak and it has worked extremely well. They come in 1 ounce sealed packets or tubs as well, the packets can be stowed in the car, backpack, etc for use in the field. You can probably make your own homemade version, and salt alone may work too.

[Sara S]

Please be aware of the side effects of Prednisone; I was on it off and on for 5 years (longer than you're talking about, for sure) and had to have cataract surgery later on. There are other side effects, too.


Prednisone...Saves weeks of misery. Sometimes drugs are good.

[Indiwren]

After years of itching oozing rashes, I now take Borlands homeopathic poison ivy, available at Whole Foods. Put 3-4 tiny tablets under your tongue and let them dissolve, 4 times a day. You can take them before you are exposed to minimize the allergic reaction. Or take them as soon as you are exposed.
The last time I took them after a hike in the woods, all I got was a tiny bump on my arm. And the rash doesn't spread either.
The worst thing you can do after you're exposed is take a hot shower. That opens the pores and spreads the itch-making oil over wider areas. Take a cool water shower and use Tech-nu.

[beargulch]

Prednisone...

If you really want to not develop a poison oak rash after you have been exposed, the only thing I have ever found that REALLY works is a product called Tecnu. It's not at all "natural": it's a solvent that removes the oil that causes the skin reaction. I'm very sensitive to P.O., and if I can shower with Tecnu within a few hours after being exposed (and wash my clothes with it) I rarely get even a bump.

It's better to not get it than to let it develop and then use Prednisone, or expose it to very hot water to get the reaction to be more severe and burn out more quickly.

[miadorso]

...Someone taught me to expose the poison oak to hot water, as hot as I can stand. This causes the histamine reaction to go off intensely, then it is exhausted and doesn't itch for hours. This is the most effective treatment I have ever found...The worst is when I get it around my eyes. Barrie


I have had 100% success using an anti perspirant deodorant. Arid Extra Dry works best. It seals the skin so that the oils that cause the rash cannot get into the pores and spread. If applied soon after exposure to poison oak it reduces blistering, and reduces the healing time considerably! Of course you wouldn’t want to spray it around your eyes, but you could spray it on a Kleenex and dab it around your eyes. Best luck, Mia<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

[divine inspiration]

We use Technu, available over the counter. Apply it just after you are exposed, wait a few minutes then wash it off. Labeling doesn't say to use it after evidence of breakout, but we do use it that way. First sign of a little bubble, apply some, and usually it will dry them right up.:thumbsup:
I believe an old native american remedy is to eat some new green leaves in the spring, to build internal resistance, but I haven't been brave enough to try that one! I think drinking goat milk from goats that eat poison oak is probably a good second hand way to get that immunity.

[The Owl]

We use Technu ... I believe an old native american remedy is to eat some new green leaves in the spring, to build internal resistance ... I think drinking goat milk from goats that eat poison oak is probably a good second hand way to get that immunity.

Both of the above work very well... Best thing is to avoid the plant altogether. Learn the plant, what it looks like, where it likes to grow, the several variations it has of habit (can climb as a vine or free stand like a shrub, spread underground like bamboo...) Variations in leaf appearance... some are shiny almost waxy looking, some are as non shiny as a maple leaf, rich green to pale green, thick, robust leaves and thin wimpy ones... new leaves are often reddish when they first emerge from buds and also can be very brightly colored (red, pink, orange, yellow) in the late summer and autumn. If you have pets and let them run wild and you know you live in an area where poison oak grows, know better than to hug your dog or cat with a lot of bare skin exposed. I'm immune now. I renew my immunity every spring by touching some new leaves... same effect as eating or drinking milk from animals who eat it... as a child I got it so bad I'd miss school, now I occasionally get some slight redness... but it's usually gone in a few hours. Rarely ever blister and if so, very slight and gone in hours, not days. Most of the time I get no effect whatsoever. Good luck.

[joybird]

I was told they rolled a little bit of the new green leaves in a bit of mud or clay. Next spring.
joy


We use Technu, available over the counter. Apply it just after you are exposed, wait a few minutes then wash it off. Labeling doesn't say to use it after evidence of breakout, but we do use it that way. First sign of a little bubble, apply some, and usually it will dry them right up.:thumbsup:
I believe an old native american remedy is to eat some new green leaves in the spring, to build internal resistance, but I haven't been brave enough to try that one! I think drinking goat milk from goats that eat poison oak is probably a good second hand way to get that immunity.

[marko]

I find the following combination works well to avoid poison oak rash:
1. eat grilled asparagus
2. wash strawberries before eating them
3. wait an hour after eating a big meal before swimming in the ocean.
4. do not carry raw meat snacks on your surfboard off Salmon Creek.
5. use separate sets of dishes for chocolate and vanilla ice cream.
5. stay out of the woods.


I was told they rolled a little bit of the new green leaves in a bit of mud or clay. Next spring.
joy