9 Natural Poison Ivy Remedies

How to Develop Poison Ivy Immunity

Posted by Robert Henry (Ten Mile, Tn.) on 05/01/2017

GOOD PEOPLE, especially Mama, I guess it's time I put my boast to the test. Our integrative doctor uses homeopathic drops to address almost all of the ails he finds with his DNA test. Vaccines work on the same principle except most have added toxins and is the reason we no longer get vaccines of any kind.

Here is the plan; we have lots of young tender poison ivy coming up at our little farm. I will gather a batch, soak them in gin for a period of time, and then devise a slow method of ingesting a few drops a day in water. First, I will rub the plant on my arm and show all that I am allergic to poison ivy. At the end of the summer, I will repeat my arm rub and see if the experiment worked or did not work.

The guy told me to chew young tender leaves because they have less of the chemical that causes the allergy than mature leaves. That sounds right to me. Some on EC have told me to work on my known ails instead of this hair brained scheme. Folks, that what keeps me perkin. I need a constant challenge.

Wish me well. ======ORH=======

EC: Here's a long thread on the subject that starts in 2008... https://bushcraftusa.com/forum/threads/eating-poison-ivy-to-gain-immunity.1222/

Clay

Posted by Mama To Many (Tennessee) on 07/17/2016
★★★★★

My search for the best poison ivy treatment continues. I have had opportunity to treat it in my home again this week. My 10 year old son, who reacts badly to it got into some again last week. He had scattered spots on his face, arms and legs. I had him showering once or twice daily and using Fels Naptha Soap on it, which seemed to really help him. He applied DMSO to some spots, too. He did have one spot on his wrist that was oozy. I liberally sprinkled bentonite clay on it (dry) and covered that with a piece of old cotton t-shirt and covered that with cohesive tape. It brought immediate relief to him. He left it on for 24 hours. It looked much, much better when he removed the bandage. The clay was dried onto his skin and he picked it off; I would have preferred he rinse it off. It would have taken a long time, perhaps but would have caused less skin damage. Even so, the skin is MUCH less oozy and red.

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~

Cream of Tartar

Posted by Kim (Olsburg, Ks, USA) on 11/13/2009
★★★★★

Prevent Poison Ivy

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.

Jewelweed

Posted by Steve (Germantown, OH) on 06/06/2023
★★★★★

I had a really bad case of poison ivy. I looked at Earth-Clinic for remedies and read that people had success with Jewelweed. I had never heard of it before. I ordered some and it is truly amazing. I put it directly on the rash 2-3 times a day. I notices some improvement the next day and every day thereafter. The itch was greatly reduced first then the rash started drying up and going away. By day 3 there was noticeable improvement.

Activated Charcoal

Posted by Maria R. (Knoxville, TN) on 04/01/2023
★★★★★

ACTIVATED Charcoal for bites, poison ivy and wound infection

My husband worked in the forest building trails and came back with what looked like poison ivy. He treated both legs with an ointment. One leg was remedied, the other leg stayed red for two weeks and started becoming hot to the touch. We knew that it meant he had systemic infection so I made him a poultice of Activated Charcoal, rice flour (for thickening, you can use arrow root or corn starch), and castor oil. I spread it on his wound and put a gauze over poultice and a plastic wrap over the gauze. I then wrapped the entire would around the thigh in an Ace Bandage. He did this for four days, making sure he removed the bandage in the shower as the AC is VERY messy. We replaced with new gauze each day for four days. I used an activated charcoal for whitening teeth found at Bed, Bath and Beyond!

On top of this I had him do four days of taking activated charcoal internally by capsule, found on Amazon.

Day 1 he took only 2 capsules in morning and two in evening with lots of water.

Day 2 he did the same.

Day 3 he took 1 capsule every hour all day long.

Day 4 he took 1 capsule every hour all day long.

Day 5 all was clear - accept for a VERY dry thigh, (which we rubbed Coconut oil into until dryness was gone)

All the heat and redness was gone!

Fels-Naphtha

Posted by Rebecca (Massachusetts ) on 01/09/2020
★★★★★

The laundry soap bar, called Fels Naptha...hands down, the best cure for poison ivy. Wet the spot and soap it, let dry...don't rinse! It will dry out immediately!

How to Develop Poison Ivy Immunity

Posted by Timh (Ky) on 05/03/2017 2041 posts

-ORH- Mamas post is a good example of how general health condition and injury can cause the domino effect of all sorts of potential or outright illnesses that are otherwise absent in very healthy people.

If an injury doesn't heal on it's own then you have a permanent inflammatory condition. I broken bone, for example, could heal quickly in a young & healthy person but over 50 with other issues and could likely never completely heal. My condition is so severe that I must use Magnet Therapy almost all the time, as this effectively removes both infection & inflammation. So do a very strong magnet locally on any old or recent injury.

Next is the whole body reduction of inflammation. Eat Pineapple or P juice daily, and Salmon, Mackerel or Sardines regularly, as well as Flax, Borage, and Primrose Oils. Also lots of Turmeric Root.

If one's injuries and health are not-to-bad this may resolve the situation but likely and in your case you will also need to attack those inflammatory cytokines and other bad chemistry like the COX 2 enzyme. Big Pharma makes billions on Rx and OTC meds like Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Claritan, etc. The Homeopathic you mention is designed to do the for-mentioned. Also in the natural dept is Quercetin/Bromilain which reduces inflammation. An herbal formula called "PainRx" is a good COX2 inhibitor. You may also try a small dose of OTC Claritan or equivalent to knock out the bad guys. I think there are other good pharma drugs similar to Claritan so maybe search or ask a Pharmacist.

Next is to further build immunity and antibody production. You must have an adequate amount of Zinc daily. A standardized extract of Reishi, Maitaki, and Shiitaki is good. One capsule of Raw Bovine Glandular daily.

To further build antibody production take 1grm Lysine and 125mg DMG daily. Bee Pollen (1 or 2 spoons daily) is also good for building antibody production, which reduces the inflammatory condition or reaction like in the case of Poison Ivy. Your cancer numbers should also drop.

Reishi Mushrooms

Posted by Matie (Westport, Ct) on 07/16/2015
★★★★★

After clearing large vines and patches of poison ivy, I wasn't prepared for the extreme reaction I would experience. I had covered my body well for the yard clearing process, and afterwards, washed my arms with soap, wiped them with tea tree oil wipes, and finally with rubbing alcohol. Two days later, when severe rashes and blisters began appearing I used Tecnu, IvyRest, All Terrain Poison Ivy Cream (a great choice! ), baking soda paste, and witch hazel. Despite my efforts, I was in complete misery, my neck and arms bandaged mummy style in gauze. The blisters and oozing wouldn't stop. And it all just kept spreading! I was doing 4 loads of wash a day to make sure my bedding and clothes weren't the continued source of the problem. Any one who looked at me would feel the need to start itching or run. I got very little sleep and would begin each day feeling like it had all spread to more parts of my body. I was experiencing nausea, headaches, and a fever. At a certain point, I decided there was nothing more topically that I could do, and started to focus on internal treatments. I began drinking 1.5 liters of water each day, and used Herb Pharm Immune Defense tincture, Amla capsules (ayurvedic vitamin C), turmeric capsules, and Hyland's Poison Ivy tablets. This provided some relief, but new blisters continued to appear all over. I searched online and began to learn about systemic poison ivy. When rashes start appearing in places that had no contact with the ivy, and begin spreading all over, the ivy's urushiol oil has penetrated the skin to bond with white blood cells called Langerhan's cells. Now, I had some idea of why my reaction was unrelenting. The primary option at this stage is to go with steroid injections, antihistamines and over-the-counter medications. That isn't my strategy of choice, so I researched further into alternative treatments for systemic poison ivy. I found a few references to the virtues of Reishi mushrooms for treating inflammations experienced thru poison ivy. I bought Herb Pharm Reishi tincture and New Chapter Reishi capsules. I took the daily recommended dose of each 4X/day!!! Immediately I began experiencing relief and the a healing of the blisters. My neck (at 2-1/2 weeks of rash) looked like I had been impaled and was crusted over and bleeding from from the continued re-blistering. It felt like it was on fire and looked like charred embers.

I am writing this post to share the miraculous benefits of reishi mushroom in healing the brutal effects of systemic poison ivy. Within 3 days of taking my reishi supplements, all the blistering had stopped and had begun disappearing. This above photo is 2-1/2 weeks into treating poison ivy before beginning treatment with reishi supplements. I put vitamin E on the scabs to keep them moist and to encourage healing. By day 4 of the reishi and topical vitamin E, my neck was clear of the scabs and healing greatly!!!

Bee Pollen

Posted by Sally (London, Ontario) on 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!!

Jewelweed

Posted by Mildred (Combs, Arkansas) on 07/16/2007
★★★★★

I had poison ivy from head to toe, and had given up that I would have to go to the doctor for shots, when my cousin picked me some jewel weed and told me to try it. I made a tea from this and drank 1/2 cup, with a half spoon of sugar and it dried it up immediately. I later found an old home remedy book that said to break the stem of jewel weed and rub it on. I had it too severely to do that. I have given jewel weed tea to 3 of my grandchildren with no ill effects.

Dawn Dish Soap

Posted by Sacha (Cincinnati, Ohio) on 06/24/2025
★★★★★

We've tried all the OTC poison ivy products and they do ok if you use them early on. Someone told me this remedy a few years ago. My grown son got poison ivy and I told him to jump in the shower with a (clean) green scrub sponge and some Dawn and give the rash a good scrub. He did and it was gone within a day. I recently got poison ivy and did this and the rash stopped itching and was getting better but then it came back - it's systemic with me so I need to focus on whole body picture, not just the rash. Started taking activated charcoal a few days ago and now checking out what has worked for others.

Aloe Vera

Posted by Gloria G. (United States) on 08/09/2019
★★★★★

I got poison ivy rash four days ago, I tried everything earthclinic suggest and nothing worked, last night out of desperation and seeing this watery sticky fluid coming out of the rash I put some baby powder on the rash (left arm) and voila!

My arm got colder and the powder absorbed the sticky fluid, I was relieved. I did several times today and I was happy. This afternoon however I was uneasy, my arm was hotter and the itching was stronger so I went to my backyard where I have Aloe Vera plants, I got one leave and peeled it on one side and rubbed it against my arm (gelatin against my skin) and the effect was immediate, the arm was colder, the itching and the sticky fluid stopped, and in a matter of minutes inflammation started to go down. That was an hour ago and my arm is feeling well. I know I need more time to get the final result but the difference is already amazing, inflammation is already like 30% better! I'm going to repeat this at least twice more before gong to bed hoping tomorrow I will be cured! Amazing stuff!!

Colloidal Silver

Posted by Mama to Many (TN) on 02/02/2019
★★★★★

My son keeps finding poison ivy. It is hard in the winter because the oil of poison ivy is in the roots and stems and you don't have the leaves to clue you in to pending trouble! Anyway, he had a bad rash on his leg from the poison ivy. He had been scratching it and it was starting to look infected. I had him put colloidal silver gel on it. I bought some Silver Shield Colloidal Silver Gel to have on hand as an easy treatment for kitchen burns and we have used it for such several times. Well, the silver gel did stop the infected look his rash had and he was convinced that it was helping the rash. He kept putting it on the rash and it cleared up quicker than usual. I will definitely be using this again in the future. I can't have too many remedies in my poison ivy arsenal! ~Mama to Many~

Calamine Lotion

Posted by David (Tx) on 07/10/2018
★★★★★

Poison ivy: Tried DMSO, no good. Tried acv, no good. Then I tore a paper towel so that folded into 4 layers, it would cover the rash area. The I saturated the top with calamine lotion, put it over the rash area and held it in place with an ace bandage. Next morning, the blisters were almost gone. Doing it again tonight. It is actually ok to press down on the blisters, causing some to pop as it relieves the itching somewhat. The liquid is quickly absorbed and does not spread the rash

Jewelweed

Posted by Robin (Northfield, Nh) on 09/27/2017
★★★★★

My daughter had poison ivy and I looked up home remedies on the internet jewel weed came up. I looked up a picture of jewel weed and realized I had some in my yard. So I picked the flowers and stems and boiled them in water to make a tea. Let it sit until it was cool then strained of the tea water. Transferred it to a spray bottle and sprayed the poison ivy rash on my daughter. I continued to do this 3 or 4 times a day for 2-3 days and it was all gone.

How to Develop Poison Ivy Immunity

Posted by Mama To Many (Tn) on 05/02/2017

Dear Robert Henry,

Well I will watch your poison ivy experiment with interest. I like to experiment on myself as well.

I think the current state of our immunity is what makes us more or less prone to reactions to poison ivy. A friend used to work for a lawn service. His poison ivy immunity was strong and he was the man called up to deal with the poison ivy. Well, he had back surgery and was down for a good while, likely on a lot of meds. After that, he was no longer immune to poison ivy. A son of mine used to get it badly regularly. His general health is much better now. I found out he was recently "swimming in poison ivy" doing some work last week, to my horror, but I don't think he has had any reaction.

It is the time of year that I give much thought to poison ivy. A couple of days ago I wore disposable rubber gloves to pull up and bag the new poison ivy plants closest to my house where children play. Getting it out by the roots is the best.

I know you will keep us posted on your progress and results!

~Mama to Many~

DMSO

Posted by Cindy (Illinois, USA) on 07/26/2021 563 posts

That's one of the things about DMSO. ClO2 and ozone both destroy toxins but DMSO doesn't. BUT, it will open all of the pathways to get it out of your system quicker. That said, I can't find much info on colloidal silver's effect on toxins. I've seen some remarks made about venom, which is a toxin, as opposed to living microbes, and that it has helped in the instances referenced but...I just can't find much on the topic.

I DID find a connection between venom, colloidal silver and lipids though. So, maybe that's how toxins get handled, if that's a part of their repertoire - an effect on lipids which may be what makes toxins toxic in the first place...I don't know. But it's interesting so I expect my explorations will take me down that path...

Anyway, I've only had poison ivy once, years ago, and the only thing that helped was its homeopathic remedy, Rhus-Tox.

Jewelweed

Posted by Jewelweedbunnie (Washington, Dc, Usa) on 12/06/2010
★★★★★

I picked up a Jewelweed tincture at my local health food store too. I'd had a poison ivy rash that wouldn't go away for over 2 weeks. The Jewelweed tincture cleared it up in 3 days. Now I'm never without a bottle of it in my house. I've tried it on mosquito bites and it's *great* on eczema too.

Jewelweed

Posted by Garrett (Tenn) on 05/16/2006
★★★★★

I read a while back that a plant called jewel weed has a chemical in it that goes to the same site that the oil ( the thing that gives you the outbreak) in poison ivy does and blocks it temporarily. How you apply it is you just rub the juice from the stem on the area that you know you will come in contact with the accursed plant and it will prevent it. The plant tends to get pretty big and has these red/orange flowers the stem is a almost translucent green and is kinda red at the base. wish you luck with it.

Baking Soda and White Vinegar

Posted by Devonia (Bendl, IL) on 04/16/2006
★★★★★

For Poison Ivy: Mix baking soda and distilled white vinegar to make a paste (will foam up), rub on infected area. It will burn but will dry up the rash in no time. reapply as needed.