Bee Pollen
★★★★★
About five years ago I read a recommendation that eating honey might keep one from getting poison Ivy. since that time I have started putting a spoon of honey in one of my morning cups of coffee occasionally doing it more often in the likely high out break seasons - spring to mid summer. Although once in the past I did get poison ivy in winter. My own thinking on the subject led me to take some bee pollen pills that I got at thedrug store. These can be over done. When I first stared taking them daily, after a couple of weeks I broke out with a poison ivy type rash all over my body but it went away in a few hours. I encountered a second occurence of this rash when I took the pills daily after a few lay off days. Now I take them occasionally during poison ivy season. Maybe once a week at the start then cut back to one or two more pills over the next few months. This year I only took a couple in the spring and have eaten honey occasionally. I don't know if this has helped me but in the last five years I have not had any severe poison ivy outbreaks. I remember a couple of times having a few itchy bumps on my fingers that went away in a few days. I do not know what they were but when I got them I sure worried that they were poison ivy.
(East Alton, Illinois)
07/29/2009
I was hoping that someone would have some responded to my first post. Most people that don't get poison Ivy are not going to read about it. The theory that I have read is if you eat a lot of honey you don't get poison ivy. I am not going to test this by intentionally exposing myself to poison ivy cause I think I still get poison ivy but it is not the systemic kind that spreads uncontrollably. I think I am more or less in the state that I had in the seventies when the poison ivy immunity vials were available. They made it possible for me to get rid of poison Ivy without doing something every two hour to relieve the unbearable itching. That is how I found the ibuprofen relief.
Usually ibuprofen will give me two hours of itching reduction. then most any topical treatment will give me another two hours of relief. At which time I can take another Ibuprofen without exceeding the recommend daily dosage of Ibuprofen. The ibuprofen, washes, and topicals prevent the inflammation from erupting and damaging the skin which then lengthens the recovery time beyond a month. I am confident enough in this ibuprofen relief that I would recommend any one that is exposed to poison ivy take ibuprofen if severe itching and inflammation start. The problem with ibuprofen is no doctor will give prednisone if they don't see evidence of suffering (Inflamation).
I thought that the way to generate some responses might be to ask a few people that are are suffering from a severe poison ivy reaction post whether they eat much honey regularly. I really think that there is something about Honey and Bee pollen that if ingested at adequate levels significantly reduces the severity of Poison Ivy outbreaks.
It has been 5 years since I have had any severe poison Ivy outbreaks. This year my vigilance and practices have lessened. I need some kind of reinforcement that the honey and bee pollen I do take are the reason I am not getting Poison Ivy. It is no real hardship to use honey and occasionally bee pollen but my motivation is noticeably dropping. If these things do help I would like for others that suffer severe poison ivy outbreaks share them.
(London, Ontario)
04/04/2010
★★★★★
To soyjim,
Well do I have news for you!! You may have just answered my question - My husband and four children all went into the woods and were exposed to poison ivy. All of them but 1 now have an outbreak, and I couldn't figure out why this one didn't get it. Well... I think now I know... This child eats lots of RAW HONEY every day! She loves it, she eats it right out of the jar, and she doesn't have an outbreak like the rest of them. It baffled me until I read your post. That has to be it. But I do think the KIND of honey will make a big difference. She eats honey that is taken straight from the hive to the jar with honey comb in it and propolis as well as some raw bee pollen in it. It has been said to be miraculous with curing allergies.
I also used this same honey to cure chicken pox before they ever popped open - they just shrunk in a few days.
Very interesting!!
(Bastrop, Louisana)
08/24/2017
★★★★★
It works every time.
Benadryl
★★★★★
Bleach
★★★★★
Bleach
★★★★★
Breast Milk
★★★★★
Calamine Lotion
★★★★★
Clay
★★★★★
Clay
★★★★★
Meanwhile, a friend texted for some suggestions for poison ivy. She had some on her leg that was really bothering her. I told her about Fels Naphta and she did that and felt it was helping. But she did have oozy poison ivy. I told her about clay. she used French green clay the same way I used bentonite clay on my son. It gave her relief and helped her to be able to sleep comfortably. It washed off easily in the shower and was less oozy the next day. She just left it on overnight.
I am guessing any medicinal clay would work well for oozy poison ivy. French green clay can be drying, so I think that would be my first choice. But the bentonite clay worked very well for my son, too.
I am sure my poison ivy stories are "to be continued...."
~Mama to Many~
(Somewhere, Europe)
07/18/2016
M to M, we rarely pick off the dried clay. It just stays there for as long as it wants and eventually comes off in the shower. If it still needs attention, we put new clay (usually wet) on top.
(Ten Mile, Tn.)
07/18/2016
(Tennessee)
07/18/2016
Dear Robert Henry,
Yes, I have known of the notion to eat poison ivy to gain immunity for years. Have you done this and found it to be an effective solution?
The thing is, that a friend knew a guy who did this and he got deathly ill and hospitalized.
While I love to use natural things for my children, I firmly believe that I must "first do no harm." I would be more likely to try something that I thought had some risk on myself, but would not be willing to take risks, even if they only seemed to be slight risks, with my children.
And, fancy me in the ER telling the doctor that my child was sick from eating poison ivy leaves because I told him to do so. They would lock me up in a hurry and rightly so.
So, I will plod along with my clay and Fels Naphta and DMSO and herbs etc....
~Mama to Many~
(Somewhere, Europe)
07/19/2016
Ye but ORH, a person would need a hefty dose of courage to do that, me thinks....
(Ten Mile, Tn.)
07/30/2016
HI U MAMA TO MANY,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, my integrative Doctor uses homeopathic methods to address what he finds wrong with me. The chewing of young poison ivy leaves is of the same principle. He is so successful that I'm going to chew the young leaves of poison ivy to prove this point. We all know that is the principle behind all vaccines. You just get enough that your body builds up an immune system to combat the bad guy.
In your last post you said that the Gov. would rightly put you in jail if you used the method I suggested. I think you had no solution, so that was your response. So let's see if I go to the ER or if I am now immune to poison ivy when I chew a little leaf or two.
Some folks talk the talk and some walk the talk. We'll see. ===========ORH===============
(LA)
01/20/2022
Even if it works for you, that is not proving anything. What works for some people does not necessarily work for others, and in the face of people becoming deathly ill from doing this, the mom is unequivocally RIGHT for not experimenting/trying this on her son.
Go try it on your kids (which you definitely do not have, because if you did, you'd never advise anyone else to do this with such naive sureness) but don't tell someone else to do it.
(Usa)
07/31/2016
ORH, you ole Patoot, I love you but Mama is right; experimenting with such things on young children would be considered intentional child endangerment and she would indeed be in hot water if one of them fell ill and needed medical intervention.
I believe she 'walks the walk' and experiments on herself, but isn't willing to take the same chances with her young children, with good reason.
Plus, what doesn't harm one might harm another. We needn't look any further than food allergies to prove that point. I can eat all the shrimp I want, but others can't eat a bite of it without ending up in the ER with a life-threatening reaction.
Clove Oil
★★★★★
http://www.biconet.com/lawn/poisonivydefoliant.html.
Getting Poison Oak and Poison Ivy - no fun for kids of any age. Try an at home treatment of Poison Ivy (or Poison Oak) by:
Making a paste of a food grade clay and saline solution.
Set up your Witch Hazel paper towels and cotton balls with clove oil near you. Open trash can lid and start washing machine on heavy soil cycle.
Put on Kitchen dishwashing gloves that you can dispose of after treatment.
With gloves on, apply paste over the affected area. Let dry.
Wipe off dried paste with a paper towel, moistened with Witch Hazel. Let area dry. (Vinegar stings more.)
Apply Clove Oil. Cover with a gauze bandage and bandage tape to protect area with Clove Oil application.
Soak plant oil affected clothes in sink, with lots of Vinegar and soapy water. Rinse, and launder.
Throw away paper towels and cotton balls.
Throw away disposable Kitchen Dishwashing Gloves.
Sometimes, kids like a big production, so when you want to do that, recycle some plastic shopping bags and use some gauze tape. Tape bags around the area w/Poison Ivy or Poison Oak - so that only the affected area shows. Then do treatment. Doing that also prevents any of the plant oils from transferring to unaffected skin during treatment. After treatment, with gloves on, remove bags. Throw away shopping bags, then remove disposable gloves, and then throw them away, as they have the plant oils on them.
Coconut Oil, Homeopathics
★★★★★
Finally, I have found something that works for me: Coconut oil and homeopathics.
The last significant rash I contracted a couple years ago was treated in the following way: A friend suggested that I anoint the rash with oil (she suggested olive oil, but I used coconut) and pray for it. Which I did. The rash stopped being so itchy and began healing. I continued applying coconut oil to it daily. I also noticed that it did not bother me while I was taking my homeopathic treatment for allergies.
What I've learned: the current theory of treatment for poison ivy says, "dry out the rash! " However, this isn't just a rash, its our skin. The skin needs moisture to be healthy, but water seems to irritate the rash.
I've heard that urishol is what causes the allergic reaction and that it acts like a virus in the body. So the immune system is involved.
Coconut oil is a known anti-viral. I have been surprised at how it can help irritations on the skin. I simply apply some oil to the rash in the morning, after showering, before bed or as needed.
The homeopathic medicine I took was for respiratory allergies, but it helped. I have tried homeopathic remedies that are labeled for poison oak/ivy, but they didn't seem to help as much.
Since we can't name products, I'll list the ingredients in the homeopathic remedy I use:
- Echinacea angustifolia 4x, 12x, 20x, 30x
- Ignatia amara 6x
- Lycopodium clavatum 6x
- Sulphur 6x, 12x, 20x, 30x
- Thuja occidentalis 6x
- Ledum palustre 8x
- Phosphorus 8x
- Antimonium Crudum 12x
- Histaminum hydrochloricum 12x
- Selenium 12x.
I use as directed on the label which amounts to taking one tablet every four hours.
Other things that help:
I take the usual precautions of washing my clothes and skin within twenty minutes of exposure to the plant.
When I discover the itchy red spots I wash the area with soap and water before applying the the coconut oil the first time, just to make sure any remaining plant oils are removed.
I've noticed that the itchiness is the worst when I am hungry and/or tired. So I try to take care of myself. Taking vitamin C also seems to help as well as anything that boosts the immune system.
As a teen I contracted the severest case of poison ivy of my life. The rash formed the hard leathery stage from my wrist to my elbow on both arms. (Agony) It only seemed to heal when Mom gave me a combination of Chinese herbs for the immune system. The herbs helped so much that she stopped giving them to me before the rash was fully healed. It resurged, so she had to give them to again til it was gone.
I also avoid sugar and wheat. I really believe these things aggravate so many negative conditions in the body, at least for me anyway.
Since discovering this remedy I have avoided contracting any significant cases of the rash. Instead, I'll find an itchy, red spot or two from time to time. I just use the protocol described above and the spots go away shortly without spreading and without causing suffering.
I really hope this info helps others.
Colloidal Silver
★★★★★
Colloidal Silver
★★★★★
Comfrey
★★★★★
Even f the rash is old, swollen n leaking fluid, comfrey is probably the only medicinal herb that immediately stops the itching n starts the healing. Personal experience. It is truly better than the expensive otc junk, hot showers - which seems to aid in spreading the itchy oils systemically, and the other stuff I've tried which seem useless after the initial set in stage.
Cream of Tartar
★★★★★
I suffered something awful when they stopped giving the prevention shots for poison ivy at the doctors office. I am so susceptible to it that I'd swear I can get it by looking at it through binoculars! If I broke out in the spring it would stay with me through October. No exaggerating. I finally met a lady whose grandma told her to add a teaspoon of cream of tartar to water and drink it in the early spring (it's awful bitter!). My family has been doing this for years, now, and it really does work! If we're going to be out around poison ivy, or oak in the fall we take another dose just to be safe.
(Fl)
09/22/2015
★★★★★
This works great! I read about cream of tartar in another place a couple years ago, and it just said to take it, so l ate a half teaspoon right off the spoon and followed it with water. It tastes tart, not bitter this way. It prevented my husbands allergic reaction to the grass and weeds as he cut the grass as well. l also used it to stop an asthma attack from mold when l was out of meds, and it worked. It is a by-product of wine-making, the powder forming on the barrels from a substance in grapes and other tart fruits.
Dawn Dish Soap
★★★★★
