Poison Ivy

"My girlfriend and I went on a picnic. I don't know how she did it, but she got poison oak on the brain. When it itched, the only way she could scratch it was to think about sandpaper." --Stephen Wright

Every year about this time I break out with poison ivy on my arms. It comes from our cats who wander about outdoors by day and then sleep with us at night. Each year we spray our backyard but the poison ivy keeps coming back. In our family I’m the most sensitive. For me the rash spreads into large patches covered with tiny blisters. My wife is more resistant but when she does catch it, she gets a few large blisters at the points of contact.

A poison ivy rash is the result of the plant oil reacting to surface skin. The skin becomes irritated, blisters up, and creates an intense itching and burning sensation. The top layers of skin will die off and peel away, and it takes time for healthy skin to replace the damaged layers of skin. The rash may remain for up to three weeks without treatment. Blister fluid from scratching doesn't spread the rash, but germs from your fingernails may cause a secondary infection.

There are many recommended treatments but few seem to work on me. Beware of Internet cures! For example, some sites recommend bleach but you should never use this product on your skin under any circumstances.

The ideal treatment for poison ivy is within the first 15 minutes of contact – before the skin is damaged. Wash with water, rubbing alcohol or some OTC medications. Do not use soap at first – soap will spread the oil.

Sadly most of us miss the 15-minute window and have to deal with the rash. Typical treatments for poison ivy rash are directed at controlling the itch, and can include non-steroidal creams, topical (skin) steroids, oral antihistamines (Benadryl), oral steroids (prednisone), or a steroid shot.

The traditional low-cost anti-itch medication is Calamine lotion. Wet dressings, compresses, or soaks with Domeboro Astringent solution (mixed with water) is said to be especially soothing for itchy rashes.

Other examples from About.com include:

•Atarax (hydroxyzine, a prescription oral antihistamine)
•Aveeno Anti-Itch Cream with Natural Colloidal Oatmeal
•Aveeno 1% Hydrocortizone Anti-Itch Cream (OTC topical steroid)
•Band-Aid Anti-Itch Gel
•Caladryl Clear Topical Analgesic Skin Lotion
•Cortizone 10 (OTC topical steroid)
•Cutivate cream 0.05% (prescription topical steroid)
•Domeboro Astringent Solution Powder Packets
•Gold Bond Maximum Strength Medicated Anti-Itch Cream
•Itch-X Anti-Itch Gel with Soothing Aloe Vera
•Locoid cream 0.1% (prescription topical steroid)
•Triamcinolone acetonide 0.1% (prescription topical steroid)

Newer medications that are supposed to target poison ivy symptoms include:

•Burts's Bees Poison Ivy Soap
•Cortaid Poison Ivy Care Treatment Kit
•Ivarest Medicated Cream
•IvyStat
•Tecnu Extreme Poison Ivy Scrub
•Zanfel Wash For Poison Ivy, Oak & Sumac

Bottom Line

Test your knowledge with the Poison Ivy quiz. My score was 16/20.

When killing poison ivy, be aware that the Urushiol oil can penetrate latex gloves. Use rubber gloves instead. Remember that the oil can remain on gloves, weeders, mowers, clippers, and other tools for a year (longer in dry climates). Wash equipment and shoes with soap and water while wearing protective gloves. Then wash the gloves and toss your clothes in a washing machine.

Never burn any poisonous plant. You might inhale the oils and irritate your lungs and throat.

See a doctor "if the rash is on the face, genitals, or covers more than 30 percent of the body.”

Toothpaste

“Money in the bank is like toothpaste in the tube. Easy to take out, hard to put back.”- Earl Wilson

I love the Google auto-complete feature. When you start typing a search, Google shows you similar searches that others have entered. And I’m often amazed to find that others have searched for some of the odd topics I think up like “Alternative Uses for Toothpaste”.

About this time of year I get Poison Ivy rashes on my arms. Since I’m not the outdoors type, I suspect it comes from my cat that sleeps next to me. The cat wanders around our backyard jungle and oil from Poison Ivy plants stick to his fur and rubs onto my bed sheet or arm. So today my wrist breaks out at work and I’m super-itchy. I look at my desk drawer and see only aspirin and toothpaste. So what the heck, I tried rubbing some toothpaste on my skin. And it worked. No itch and it held up well even with my watch band rubbing against it.

So, back to Google. What else can be done with toothpaste?

• Remove scuff marks from your favorite pair of leather shoes
• Clean Piano Keys (they used to be ivory teeth after all)
• Clean the rubber part of sneakers
• Clean sinks
• Clean your iron (does anyone iron anymore?)
• Remove crayon marks from walls
• Make your diamond ring sparkle (not just for sparking smiles?)
• Shine chrome or silver
• Shine your nails
• Clean your metal watchband with toothbrush and paste. Be careful not to get the watch wet.
• Defog mirrors, goggles and glasses with a toothpaste rub
• Stick posters on walls (instead of tape apply a bit of paste to each corner)
• Fill nails holes in walls
• Remove the itch from insect bites and bee strings (yes, I was right! Stops the itch by drying out the skin)
• Remove odors from hands (wash your hands in a little paste)
• Remove stains from clothes (like ink or lipstick)
• Remove pimples (use a little dab at night for acne. But only once a week to avoid leathery skin)
• Fill scratches on CDs (??? – this one I’ve got to try. We often get CDs from the libraries that are too scratched to play. Perhaps this is just an urban legend?)

Bottom Line

I’ve not tried these so I can only pass on what I’ve found on the Internet. Use common sense. Also use cheap, white, simple toothpaste. It is the fine grit you want for cleaning which you won’t get in a gel paste.

Wild Plants

“Ever eat a pine tree? Many parts are edible." – naturalist Euell Gibbons

If it comes down to death by starvation or eating an unknown plant, I suspect most people will risk eating the plant. And the risk is high. Even “experts” make mistakes and die from eating poisonous mushrooms. Poison hemlock has killed people who mistook it for its relatives, wild carrots and wild parsnips.

Suppose you do find a “safe” plant species to eat. It’s still possible to make an unhealthy mistake. Keep the following in mind when harvesting from nature:

• Plants in public areas or alongside roads may have been sprayed with pesticides. Wash them completely.
• Plants growing near polluted water can become infected with Giardia lamblia and other parasites. Boil these plants to kills the parasites.
• Avoid any plant or fruit with signs of mold, mildew, fungus, or rot
• Avoid ALL wild mushrooms
• Cashew nuts are delicious when properly prepared but poisonous when picked from a tree as cashew apples. “Raw” cashews are coated in the same chemical that gives us a rash from poison ivy. Likewise some plants are safe when cooked but not when eaten raw.
• Just because one part of a plant is safe, does not mean the entire plant is edible. Leaves, stems, roots, buds, seeds and flowers should be treated separately. For instance, rhubarb stems are tasty but the leaf blades are poisonous. Apple seeds contain a low (very low) level of cyanide. Don’t eat tomato plant stems & vines or sprouts from potatoes.
• What’s safe for you may kill your pet. Chocolate, onions and garlic can be deadly to cats and dogs.

Bottom Line

Tasting even a small piece of the wrong plant can be the last thing you do in life. However, if you must experiment or die, here are some guidelines called the Universal Edibility Test [based on Wilderness-Survial.net]

1. Separate the plant into its basic parts of leaves, stems, roots, buds, seeds and flowers.
2. Test only one part of a plant at a time
3. Smell the food for strong or acid odors. Avoid anything with a strong almond smell (cyanide).
4. Before eating, test for contact poison by placing the plant part on the inside of your elbow or wrist for 15 minutes. You do NOT want to swallow a rash inducing plant like poison ivy.
5. Prepare the plant part (steam, boil, cook, or raw). Some awful tasting (bitter) plants like acorns are improved by mashing and boiling.
6. Put a pinch of the food on the outside of your lip for 3 minutes. If it creates a burning or itchy sensation, cross that plant part off your list and restart the test with a different plant part.
7. Place the food on your tongue for 15 minutes. DO NOT SWALLOW. Spit out any saliva. If there is any reaction or numbing then spit out the food and reject the plant part.
8. Assuming no reaction from the above tests, swallow the food and wait 8 hours to detect any after effects.
9. If you feel ill during the 8 hours, induce vomiting.
10. If no ill effects occur, each a ¼ cup of the food and wait another 8 hours.
11. If still no ill effect, the plant part, as prepared, is probably safe to eat.
12. Eating large portions of “safe” plant food on an empty stomach may cause diarrhea, nausea, or cramps; for example green apples and wild onions. Eat plants in moderation.