The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
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.
Grapefruit Seed Extract
Posted by Janice (Coloma, Mi) on 09/05/2009
I'm curious as to how you cured your candida with grapefruit seed oil. My dog has a full blown systemic yeast problem from the vet giving her too many anti-biotics (changed vets). I'm using a probiotic and feeding her raw meat but she has it in her ears, mouth and vulva area. Thanks
Grapefruit Seed Extract
Posted by Dee (Philly, Pa) on 09/04/2009
How exactly did you get rid of the candida using grapefruit seed extract? Thanks!!
Grapefruit Seed Extract
Posted by Eh (Atlanta, Ga) on 09/04/2009
★★★★★
Grapefruit Seed Extract is also good for treatment of Poison Ivy:
Just put 10 drops of GSE in a sprayer bottle and spray on area 2-3x daily, OR, if you don't have a sprayer bottle, you can put 3 drops of GSE in 2-3 oz. of water, dip a cotton ball in it, and just pat it on the area. It works beautifully! I am severely allergic to Poision Ivy -- and have tried just about everything -- even medications that costs $10-12 for a "spray on" remedy, but nothing worked as well as this simple remedy. A 2 oz. bottle of GSE is only $10 at a health food store or on-line, and it works for many, many things -- including candida, which I cured myself of using GSE. Oh! And TRY not to scratch -- that is hard, I know, but it spreads it. Thanks!
Over the Counter
Posted by Pamela G (Springvale, Me) on 08/03/2009
★☆☆☆☆
I tried using some invisible band-aid from the Dollar Tree and it has made me so much worse. It is causing my rash to weep profusely- so much so that I soak through a facecloth every hour....I cannot get the stuff off without using nail polish remover or the like, and I am not ready for that STING. I would have been better off just letting my body handle this issue with my trying to "help".
Bee Pollen
Posted by Soyjim (East Alton, Illinois) on 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.
Bee Pollen
Posted by Soyjim (East Alton, Illinois) on 07/26/2009
★★★★★
At various times in my life I have suffered with severe poison ivy outbreaks. Usually once or twice a year for a number of years then I would have no problems for a few years. in the past I originally almost always had to go to a doctor and beg for prednisone. often the doctors would not give me any until the rash spread extensively. Even with the prescription steroids I would have to shower often with poison ivy washes and use over the counter topical medicines then after about a month I would be ok but sometimes it would return even when I was very careful not to get reexposed. Because the steroid pills were so hard to get I found that I could get rid of the poison ivy if I took an Ibuprofen pill about every 4 hours until the poison ivy was gone. usually I could taper off after about 3 weeks and only take Ibuprofen when itching was severe. without some kind of Anti-inflamatory drug the poison ivy would just spread and itch unbearably. Even with the ibuprofen I would have to use washes and topical treatments to get rid of the rash. The ibuprofen treated rashes seemed not as likely to return in the current year as when I used steroid pills.
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.
Over the Counter
Posted by Deirdre (Atlanta, GA ) on 05/23/2007
I just got another bad case of poison ivy from the dogs wandering around the woods at the local park! What is very helpful is the OTC to wash away the oil from the blisters and then after drying, to paint liquid bandaid on the affected areas. My neighbor told me this in passing a couple of weeks ago except that she said she uses clear nail polish to heal up poison ivy in 2 days. Liquid bandaid has the same effect of sealing up the skin and frankly, I'd rather use that than nail polish! Looking like another season of poison ivy outbreaks. Sigh. I am going to search for homeopathic remedies to take internally and will update the site.
Rubbing Alcohol, L-Lysine
Posted by Sherry (Saginaw, Michigan) on 07/23/2009
★★★★★
Just recently, while clearing some brush and trimming some overgrown city property,I developed a case of poison ivy. I picked up some Hydrocortisone cream with 1% aloe. That worked very well, but I really don't like to use creams, so I sprayed some rubbing alcohol on the infected areas. Instant relief. The blue ribbon goes to the L-Lysine tablet taken every morning for a week. The blisters, sores, and itching quickly disappeared!
Fels-Naptha
Posted by Debbie (Syracuse, New York) on 07/01/2009
★★★★★
Fels-Naptha helped tremendously with my poison ivy. I would wet the bar of soap and my arm and start scrubbing the affected area with the fels-naptha and cold water, rinse and repeat again. Then I would pat it dry with a paper towel and apply the hand sanitizer gel. I would do this 4 times daily and it gave me great relief. It dried up within a week and did not spread.
Over the Counter
Posted by G (Wooster, Ohio) on 06/25/2009
★☆☆☆☆
From what I have been reading online tonight, you do not develop immunity to poison ivy; rather, you become more sensitive with each exposure. I did watch a youtube video of a man who eats poison ivy and claims to have built up some immunity, but not entirely. No, he wasn't Uhle Gibbons, but an accredited write for a local newspaper.
In my own experiences I feel I am becoming more sensitive to the urushiol (you-ROO-shee-ol). I never broke out in my youth and spent alot of time camping and hiking in the same places I continue to revisit (45yr young now). I contract the rash about 48hr after exposures, and have experienced outbreaks twice this season, spring-summer June 25th 2009.
Technu seems to make it irritated and caldryl seems to help with the itching. Tonight I tried dish soap and rubbing alcohol, this morning zit creams. This is the 5th day after exposure. The zit creams used this morning got mixed reactions somehow. I used two, one clear and one white paste. To my surprise not all zit creams are created equal. 10% benzoil peroxide did very little for me, on the morning of day 5 after exposure. The clear maximum strength 2% salicylic, acid 28% alcohol seemed to make visible decrease in the small area on my arm where I used the treatment. 10% benzoil peroxide product was used on my fingers and did nothing I can detect.
Rubbing alcohol was used to a good sized area on my left leg. It feels good going on, doesn't reduce the itch, and made the rash appear more evident. This was attempted just moments before writing this. After making the rash look worse, I tried the dish soap degreaser (green stuff, tough on grease, soft on hands :) Applied moments after the alcohol treatment, the itch is gone. I applied a minute amount of the soap on the end of my finger and rubbed it in until dry.
If I find a miracle, I will write again :) Until then, you know all I know.
DMSO
Posted by Jack (Tampa, Fl) on 05/27/2009
★★★★★
Cure: Use DMSO either liquid or gel applied externally. The DMSO seems to neutralize the oil from the Poison Ivy that causes the rash and immediately stops the itching and dries up the blisters quickly.
Aloe Vera
Posted by Tali (ST LOUIS, MO) on 05/26/2009
★★★★☆
I am having Poison Ivy Rush right now and what helps me for itching is the hottest possible shower and Aloe Vera Gel from Walgreens (only for couple bucks). This Gel is also fantastic for moskito bytes, sunburns and just burns. Make sure to keep it in refrigerator. It's great for babies too.
Fels-Naptha
Posted by Janice (Ionia, MI) on 05/09/2009
★★★★★
I have had posion ivy already this year. After reading all the remedies and trying several of them, I have found that Fels-naptha has worked the best. The important thing is to dry up the blisters. Having the poision ivy on my hands, face, stomach and legs, I was willing to try everything. I used the hottest water that I could stand,and lathered the soap for several minutes on the blisters, several times a day. It really does relieve the itching after a few minutes, although it will drive you nuts while you do it. I also used a blow dryer and Ivy Dry. I am now on my way to recovery.
Jewelweed
Posted by Linda (Erlanger, Ky) on 05/03/2009
★★★★★
I came into contact with poison ivy ( once again ) in our back yard while helping my husband do some gardening. I have had it many times in my life, but this time was the worst! I had it on both forearms and both lower legs. In fact, I looked like I had been badly burned on my right leg. I went to the dr 3 times for this. I was given oral steroids, a steroid shot, antibiotics ( in case of infection ) and topical steroid cream. These were all ok but the thing that worked wonders for me was a tincure I picked up at a local vitamin and natural product store that contained jewel weed. After using this stuff for about 3 days, I had amazing results and I am almost healed now. I have suffered from this rash now for over 2 weeks! This stuff is amazing!
EC: Jewel Weed (aka Touch-Me-Not) often grows near poison ivy and is easy to locate. Good photos here.
Yarrow
Posted by Garnet (Austin, TX) on 04/13/2009
★★★★★
Yarrow for Poison Ivy. I make a paste of the dried flowers, add some clay and sometimes comfrey to make it stick. Leave on 20 minutes. Blisters dry up and skin heals after one application.
Hydrogen Peroxide and Aloe
Posted by Keira W (Placerville, CA) on 11/25/2008
★★★★★
We live in a wooded area and no matter how often we point out the poison oak to my son he keeps getting it. He gets it so badly on his face that his eyes almost swell shut and his face swells up. Last night he said he was getting it again and sure enough his face was getting red and swollen. I came on to Earth Clinic's website because I always find great remedies. I read over the ideas and we decided to try the 3%hydrogen peroxide and freash aloe vera. I put some hydrogen peroxide on a cotton ball and gently patted it all over the poison oak (avoiding the eyes, eyebrows and hair-it will bleach hair). Then without rinsing it off we applied fresh aloe vera gel from my aloe plant. This morning I could not believe my eyes, the poison oak rash was completely gone! We have never had anything work like this. Thank You Earth Clinic!
Fresh Aloe Vera
Posted by Keira W (Placerville, CA) on 11/25/2008
★★★★★
We live in a wooded area and no matter how often we point out the poison oak to my son he keeps getting it. He gets it so badly on his face that his eyes almost swell shut and his face swells up. Last night he said he was getting it again and sure enough his face was getting red and swollen. I came on to Earth Clinic's website because I always find great remedies. I read over the ideas and we decided to try the 3%hydrogen peroxide and freash aloe vera. I put some hydrogen peroxide on a cotton ball and gently patted it all over the poison oak (avoiding the eyes, eyebrows and hair-it will bleach hair). Then without rinsing it off we applied fresh aloe vera gel from my aloe plant. This morning I could not believe my eyes, the poison oak rash was completely gone! We have never had anything work like this. Thank You Earth Clinic!
Over the Counter
Posted by Leslie (bowling green, ky) on 11/20/2008
★★★★★
NewSkin, brand name of liquid band-aid, when applied to patches of poison ivy, takes the incredible itch away and seems to dry up the rash. I use just a couple of brush strokes on the rash every time I get PI. I've never used any other brand of liquid band-aid b/c I don't want to take a chance that it doesn't work.
Over the Counter
Posted by DK (St. Paul, MN) on 10/28/2008
A hairdryer on Poison Ivy rash will feel great and will dry up the rash. You should only need to use this method a couple times per occassion. Also, your body will build up a temporary immunity to poisin Ivy if you get it enough in 1 season, and then every new season, purposely expose part of your body to it to keep the immunity going for the rest of that season. Eventually, in a couple years of this repeasted process, you will no longer get rashes at all. ( Unless you're not exposed to it for a number of years)
Lye Soap
Posted by Sandy (Langley, OK) on 10/19/2008
★★★★★
Lye Soap
In the early 60's my daughter who was about 7 got poison ivy. I took her to the doctor. Got shot and instructions. It got worse, between her toes, fingers, everywhere!! A little old lady in Nebraska told me to get some P&G Soap. You could buy it then. People used it for washing clothes. Bought some and it cleared up her poison ivy. They no longer market it, so when I find it at a flea market or craft shop I buy lots and give as gifts. Please believe me, this really works. Keep it in the bath or shower and see how it really destroys the oil that comes from the blisters.
DMSO
Posted by Robert Henry (Ten Mile, Tn) on 10/05/2008
In the 60's I worked for the paper company who made DMSO and supported the research. DMSO could never be used in a double blind trial because it's use caused your breath to smell of garlic. It has zero to do with garlic.
The plant was located in Bogaloosa, La. No employee in the DMSO plant ever had a cold nor the flu while working in that section. The Doctors and Big Pharma killed DMSO because it was so effective and cheap. Read Dr. Jacob's books on the subject and you will cry.
Joyce is right about the poke plant but not about DMSO.
Fels-Naptha
Posted by Debbie (Buffalo, Ny) on 10/05/2008
★★★★★
FELS-NAPTHA soap is amazing to counter the poison ivy aftermath! As with the other recommendations, I lathered up with the soap and ran my arms under the hottest water I could tolerate (don't burn yourself!!)and low and behold NO itching for several hours!! This method works GREAT!!!
DMSO
Posted by Melissa Hicks (Cadet, Missouri) on 10/04/2008
The information about putting garlic and then DSMO is incorrect!
05/13/2008: Joyce from Joelton, TN replies: "Hello, glad you had good results from putting DMSO on your poison ivy rash! Being severely allergic to poison ivy and knowing that DMSO quickly passes into the body carrying anything on the surface along with it,I definitely would be afraid to try it! Supposedly the reason why DMSO is not used widely in medicine is because a little garlic & DMSO was placed on the foot, and almost instantaneously tasted by the recipient."
DMSO when applied to your skin causes a garlic taste in your mouth. It didn't soak the garlic juices into the body. However DMSO does pull lots of water into the body.
Bark of an Oak Tree
Posted by Melissa (Cadet, Missouri) on 10/04/2008
The reason this might work is because in the process it turns into DMSO. For those of you who don't know, DMSO is derived from wood pulp!
Fresh Aloe Vera
Posted by Anna (Philadelphia, PA) on 09/12/2008
★★★★★
Poison ivy was so bad on my forearm that I honestly thought it might be a flesh-eating bacteria. I squeezed a leaf of aloe over it and the next day it was healed!
Lemon Joy
Posted by Gail Mathena (Winston Salem, North Carolina) on 09/07/2008
★★★★★
Preventing poison ivy breakouts -- Lemon Joy put on all exposed areas, yes even around the eyes will keep you from breaking out. My husband is very allergic, and I attempt to keep it out of the yard, and off the trees. Every year, no matter how many precautions I took, I would break out, especially on my face. Last year I used Lemon joy to dry it up. This year I applied Lemon Joy like a lotion and went at it. After exposing myself for hours and clearing the nasty vines out, I showered. It usually takes 2 days for the breakouts to occur, but none did. My sister, who is highly allergic, swears by it but usually showers with Lemon joy after exposure. I decided to attempted a preventative alternative, because I couldn't get to the shower quick enough.
Preparation H
Posted by Kat (Mooresville, NC, USA) on 08/13/2008
★★★★★
To John: I tried your remedy first because it was supposed to work in one day. You weren't lying! I am really impressed, but I couldn't find one with red on the tube so I bought the Wal-Mart brand max strength. People this worked for me.
