Poison Oak Remedies?
 

Hello all. I was wondering if any of my fellow rural living GIMers, might know some good home remedies for poison oak. I know I can go to the Doc, and get the steroid pack. But, I am uninsured, and that would be a $200.00 bill, with the office visit, and steroids. I am taking Benadryl, and it only seems to itch, when I am showering, and warm/hot water hits the affected area. I tried Hydrocortisone cream, but was wondering if it's best to let it dry out? Any suggestions would be appreciated! (I know, don't go near poison oak!) Thank you in advance.

Re: Poison Oak Remedies?
 

Welllllllllll, I had no choice but to go to the Dr. ( a woman ) I had the biggest 00 in the west and had no choice.

Re: Poison Oak Remedies?
 

Bleach or a concentrated salt will help to "dry" the affected area up. I've had the best results with bleach, but it does burn quite a bit when first applied. Hope it helps.

Re: Poison Oak Remedies?
 

Yeah....bleach is what I use too......but some folks are way more sensitive to it than others, so it depends on how bad it affects you I think.

Re: Poison Oak Remedies?
 

http://poisonivy.aesir.com/view/cures.html


Most interesting suggestion is to heat the rash with a hair dryer until you can't stand the heat - may provide up to 2 - 4 hours of relief.

Re: Poison Oak Remedies?
 

there is some salve you can get, it removes the oil that causes the problems, it is like paint thinner, but pretty safe for the skin

I cannot remember the name, it is not common, but that stuff works great

I suspect the bleach thing others have mentioned is a similar tactic

Re: Poison Oak Remedies?
 

Yeah, the hot water in the shower does the same. I just poured bleach on it, didn't burn at all. Left it on for a minute or so, and rinsed. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks for the responses you guys. I'll try any and all suggestions!

Re: Poison Oak Remedies?
 

There is a plant called jewelweed which often grows conveniently close to poison ivy, not sure about poison oak. If you break open the stems they have a mucilaginous substance that can be spread on the rash. If you do an internet search, I'm sure you can find a picture. Clay, thinned to a slurry, would help too, I figure.

If you buy the bodymind connection thing, rashes could be a form of irritation, or anger. Got any festering boils of resentment going on in your life? I remember one time I was so pissed at my dad, I got poison ivy that started on my middle finger and spread up my hand & arm.

Personally, I have found that making friends with the plant to be quite helpful. I used to get poison ivy all the time, and I haven't had an outbreak, despite handling the stuff, since I made friends with the plant.

Grandpa said when they were young they actually ingested very, very small doses of the plant to develop a tolerance.

Re: Poison Oak Remedies?
 

How can I be angry, with Silver rocketing the way it is! LOL! I spent a couple hours on Saturday, removing a bunch of poison oak, from a couple of my beautiful Oak trees. No matter how careful you are, you always get it. At least I do. Maybe I'll go out, and roll around in it every day, 'til I build an immunity. Thanks again everyone!

Re: Poison Oak Remedies?
 

NOOOOOOO! I'd rather you give your money to Ms. Pearl Asia.

I knew a chick, Amy Whiting or something like that. When we were at summer camp she said she was immune, so she rubbed a bunch of leaves on her bare skin. Ended up in intensive care for two weeks. She had it in every orifice of her body. Think incrementally.

Re: Poison Oak Remedies?
 

My understanding is that it's a germ that lives in the oil from the poison oak. The germs grow in the bumps so they say don't scatch it cause you'll spead it around and more germs will breed in the new bumps.

What seems to work for me is rubbing alcohol. Wiping it down with the alcohol seems to dry it out and keep it from spreading. I'll even scratch it anyway and just make sure I wash my hands real good and wipe my hands and the area down with alcohol after.

Re: Poison Oak Remedies?
 

I borrow some of the wifes Clay facial mask... As it dries it pulls out the oil.
Then I soak in a Magnesium salt tub for an hour or so. I've gotten rid of Poison_____ about 4 times in the past 5 yrs that way.

Catch it quick

Re: Poison Oak Remedies?
 

I have a really good one for removing that oil,get a big cup,like a thirsty 32 ouncer.Half water,half bleach.Into the shower you go,wash from head to toe with the bleach,rinse from top down,that oil is gone and it drys up poison oak or whatever really really well.

As someone who breaks out easily from this stuff,when a friends Mom taught me this trick as a teen,ive never had an outbreak since,couple spots,thats it.

I think the trick is in it getting every speck of oil off of your entire body,hair included.

Spuds:sheep:

Re: Poison Oak Remedies?
 

Lucky buggar...poison oak rash, hot water...ahh I remember the days..lol.
Out here the Mango trees also have urushiol /are part of the same family. SO I can get the itch if i'm not carefull..:haha:

Re: Poison Oak Remedies?
 

I have never been affected by poison oak, but I went out on several abatement sessions with a friend of mine who can't seem to even look at it without getting some on him. He uses a product called Tecnu and swears by it.

The following very good site has lots of info on all kinds of ways to treat it, including home remedies, because these guys deal with it all the time in their work. Enjoy.

http://www.wildfirenews.com/fire/articles/oak.html

Snips from the site:

"The poisonous oil can remain potent on clothing and tools (or bus seats) for up to two years. Smoke from burning plants may cause severe injury to skin or lungs. Toxicodendrol is an oily resin found in the plants; it contains urushiol, and is present in all parts of the plant except the flowers, pollen, and the epidermis, or outer surface of the plant. Because neither toxicodendrol nor urushiol is volatile, the dermatitis cannot be contracted through the air unless the plants are burned. Smoke from burning plants carries a substantial amount of the irritating oleoresin and may cause serious external and systemic reactions. Inhalation may produce severe trauma to the oral and nasal mucosa and lung tissue. The time between contact and the first sign of reaction can be as short as 12 hours, but is usually two or three days. A poison oak rash may take up to four weeks to completely go away, and generally worsens 7 - 10 days after exposure."

"One of the most highly-regarded products for dealing with the rash once you've got it is a product called Tecnu Poison Oak-n-Ivy Cleansing Treatment. It was originally designed to remove radioactive dust from the skin in the event of a nuclear catastrophe, and is regarded as one of the best sources of relief for the agony caused by poison oak.

Barry Drake, a network systems engineer, and his brother Todd have some history with poison oak. "My brother is a Forest Service Technician at the Happy Camp ranger station (USFS) in northern California," says Barry. "Of the two of us, he was the more susceptible to poison oak when we were young. In the course of working on fire lines (since '89), he has contracted poison oak several times, but he is now virtually immune to it." Barry had a nasty encounter with poison oak when he spent six hours removing a jungle of it from a tree. "I thought I was immune," he remembers. "I contracted poison oak on my forearms and stomach (solidly), and had scattered patches on the rest of my body. Interestingly, there was none on my face, part of which was uncovered. A friend gave me a bottle of Tecnu. It's terrific! I followed the directions on the bottle the first couple of times (rub for two minutes, rinse with cold water; repeat process with warm water if itching persists), but I discovered that the best treatment was to rub the Tecnu on and then spray hot water on it in the shower (we have a detachable shower head). That felt GREAT!!! If I were a dog, my foot would thump up and down." "


Ragnarok