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.
Hot Water
Posted by Michele (Chicago, IL) on 06/20/2019
★★★★★
I am completely amazed that hot water relieved my poison ivy! Thank you earth clinic peeps! If I just glance sideways at poison ivy I will break out, so recently I had it on my hands and forearms, I pulled up my Dr. Earth Clinic and went searching. When I read about the hot water remedy I thought “what have I got to loose”? I ran the faucet over my arms and hands, hot as I could, being careful not to burn myself and believe me - they itch to high heaven when this is going on but then it slowly dissipates. Afterward they did not itch for over 8 hours! I promptly did it again and it was almost 16 hours this time. Each time the effect lasted longer, I'd say all total I might have done it 7 times. my skin is rather dry and flaky but that's a small price to pay for relief!
Ice Water
Posted by William (Texas) on 02/12/2019
★★★★★
I have had poison ivy many times in my life!! My "go to" remedy is ALWAYS "ICE WATER". Why? Because it is instantaneous relief from misery. 100% relief in a split second! Just leave your hand, arm, feet,... in the icy water for about one minute or two full minutes.
The relief is immediate and lasts for two to ten hours (depending upon how severe your poison ivy reaction is). Repeat as many times the first day as needed. The second day you won't need many.
By the third day you are almost home. WHY does it work? Heat is a catalyst for ALL biological reactions. Heat speeds up biological reactions. Heat is required for all biological reactions including poison ivy. When you put your hand/arm in ice water (approx. 33 deg F), the ice draws the HEAT out of the area with poison ivy. Essentially, shutting the poison ivy reaction down and giving your skin time to heal. HOW I do it: Just say I have a poison ivy outbreak on my forearm. I take a large ice chest. Fill it with water up to about 4 inches from the top. Then put in a full bag of ice. Maybe two bags. S
wish the ice around with your hand. If all the ice melts, then you should add another bag. When ready, I just submerge my entire forearm into the ice water. I like to leave my arm in the ice water for at least a full minute. Two full minutes is better. I had a friend who once had poison ivy on almost all areas of his body. He took quick baths in the bath tub in ice water. It worked and in 3 days he was done. That's it. Works 100% of the time. William Note that heat is a catalyst for chemical, bacterial, and biological reactions.
How to Develop Poison Ivy Immunity
Posted by Timh (Ky) on 05/04/2017 2041 posts
For all you've been doing to recover your health looks like it's beginning to really happen, so hurray! I forgot to mention Histamine in the first post as one of the bad chems produced in the inflammatory condition, so any antihistamine natural or pharma would be worth the trial. Pseudoephedrine was once the big otc antihistamine but the meth freaks have caused a big disturbance in it's sale because it is the main ingredient in the clandestine production of methamphetamine. Big pharma has created another chemical antihistamine to replace the problem one that can't be used as a precursor to meth. So, reduction of Histamine 1 and COX 2 is what you want. Lots of awareness of the potential in ant inflammatory diets across the world lately as this approach reduces many illnesses in itself.
I'll skip on the platelets frenzy on two counts. It is rumored that george sorros takes regular blood transfusions from young children or possibly aborted babies so??? As for healthy skin there are a number of good natural ways to achieve. Carnasine is the best. Check out Jon Barron as he's the expert on it as well as many other health & nutrition topics. He has lot's of info and excellent products (Baseline I think). I take Raw Bovine Bone Marrow regularly to keep my blood up. GABA and Ornithine are my favs for boosting HGH/IGF. I recently started D Aspartic Acid for the Testosterone boosting and getting good results. Yes, the very hormones that can take one right outa the sick-bed can immediately place you in the sex-bed, which is another situation that must be under control. But the longevity experts agree that boosting both the HGH & Test. together make for way better results.
My recovery is so difficult that it's always impossible to know the outcome. I have so many major problems and it's way to much suffering for anyone to endure. I take the smart & aggressive method and like Bill Belichick coaching football, identify & correct every mistake big or small.
Clay
Posted by Mmsg (Somewhere, Europe) on 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.
Clay
Posted by Steven (LA) on 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.
DMSO
Posted by Deedii (California) on 10/13/2015 1 posts
Thanks!
Remove Oil with Towels
Posted by Mama To Many (Tennessee, Usa) on 09/14/2015
This summer, someone told me that it was better to rub the oil of poison ivy off of your skin with towels than to wash the oil off with soap and water. Having heard to use soap and water for years and years and years, I was skeptical. He said that soap and water just spread it around and made it harder to get off than rubbing it off with paper towels.
Today I was making some salves and was having to clean oil out of jars. I used paper towels to get as much oil as possible off of the jars before using soap and water. I realized it was much easier to clean the jars if I used the paper towels. I also realized that when my hands were covered with oil, paper towels got it off much better than hot water and soapy water. Hmmm....
So I think I believe him. Next time we are exposed to poison ivy, I will try it. Maybe it is best to do both. One handy thing is that if you are exposed to poison ivy and are not near soap and water, you may be able to rub the area with your clothes, or an extra towel or garment in your car.
I think regular towels will work as well, but I like to minimize how much oil I am expecting my washing machine to get out of cloth. I have never been quite sure I was getting all of the poison ivy out of the clothes in the washer.
Has anyone else ever heard of this or tried it?
~Mama to Many~
Goldenseal
Posted by Mama to Many (Tennessee, US) on 03/28/2015
★★★★★
One of my sons had poison ivy on his forearm this week. It was painful (his poison ivy manifests with pain and not itch) and was beginning to ooze. He had been ignoring it and after a poor night sleep was wanting to be more aggressive in treating it.
He was going to be working outside and didn't want to deal with poultices or salves or anything. I thought about how I used Goldenseal powder to dry out a newborn's umbilical cord. I had some homemade Goldenseal tincture that I had been making. So we put some in a small spray bottle. Because it was an alcohol (vodka) base, it did sting when it hit the broken skin, but that passed quickly. The Goldenseal worked very, very well to dry up the poison ivy! He would reapply every 2-4 hours if he was home.
At night, I used goldenseal root powder, turmeric powder and oregon grape root powder mixed to dry up the "ooze" the first night. I sprinkled it on liberally, covered with a piece of old sheet, and attached the sheet to the arm with an old sock top. In the morning, he rinsed it off and we sprayed on more Goldenseal. He had slept much better.
It took a few days for his arm to heal up, but there were times in the past when his poison ivy took weeks to heal up, so I was pleased.
Internally, I had him taking Vitamin C (1 gram a couple of times a day), nettle leaf capsules and turmeric capsules (8 of each of those a day.)
One of my little boys had a few poison ivy blisters on his foot. The skin was not broken. We tried the goldenseal tincture spray. It did not sting and even after a couple of hours he could see improvement.
Goldenseal is an expensive herb. Supposedly, Oregon Grape Root will work as well, but I haven't tired that yet. I may make some tincture up and try that and see. I am sure I will have more opportunities this summer to try it out!
~Mama to Many~
Oak Bark
Posted by Amy (Riverside, California) on 05/07/2014
Old fashioned Poison Ivy skin cure.
I once read a book about a young man that raised Honey bees. This was back when rural areas had few telephones (can't recall the state but I think it was in the Midwest U.S.A.). Probably in the 1920's or 1930's. This family lived in the woods and the boy would explore the area enjoying the outdoors. The boy said that he once got into some poison ivy and was going through misery all over his body! No one could help him so his mother got on a telephone and called his grandmother in another state.
It took hours to get a hold of his grandmother but when the boy's mother finally got the grandmother on the phone the grandmother told the boy's mother to go out into the woods and take an ax and go to an oak tree and cut down a load of OAK BARK! She then told the mother to place the oak bark in a big tub or sink and fill the tub or sink with water covering the oak bark and to boil the oak bark and water. The oak bark was to be taken out of the tub and the boy was to soak in the oak bark hot water (hot to where the boy could stand it) and soak in this solution until the water became cold. Then the boy was to get into his pajamas and go straight to bed and sleep.
The boy claims that when he woke up the next morning the poison ivy irritation was gone! Just thought I would share this story with others. I have the book in storage but with 6 full storage units I will have a hard time finding it. But I think it is a true story.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Michelle (Milwaukee,wi) on 08/06/2013
★★★★★
This was the only thing that helped dry out my poison ivy. It wasn't instant but I could see the improvement each day. If there was any itching, baking soda mixed with the ACV seemed to help but I feel that ACV on it's own is most effective.
Baking Soda and White Vinegar
Posted by Patsy (Kentucky) on 05/17/2013
★★★★★
Thank you for the baking soda and vinegar advice for poison ivy... I was so desperate, buying everything OTC and no relief. Almost instantaneously, the paste worked. Thank you!!!
DMSO
Posted by Renee (Bergen Co., Nj) on 08/22/2012
★☆☆☆☆
DMSO, applied topically to my husband's poison ivy, caused the itching to increase and it looked more irritated. He tried several applications, all with the same result. It did not help it go away.
DMSO
Posted by D. Saettel (Farmersville, Ohio ) on 06/10/2015
When I am finished working in the garden or hiking, I come in and shower with dish soap and a small amount of ammonia using a net wash cloth. Suds up all over, rinse, never get poison ivy anymore. Think the ammonia neutralizes that poison acid.
Milk
Posted by Lorraine (Indianapolis, Indiana) on 07/05/2012
★★★★★
I blog and last week I posted something about "Poison Ivy" a reader commented by sharing the following:
One thing I've found that works amazingly well came from the website of a hospital in upstate New York, where it is the only hospital for miles around, and where campers and hikers frequently come into contact with poison ivy. Rather than withholding information in order to get people into the ER, they put this remedy on their website:
Milk. Just soak a cloth with it, and hold it on the area affected. I did this with my 3-year-old, when initially it looked as if someone had slapped her (and I suspected my 8-year-old). There was an area of distinct red with a sharp edge that crossed from her cheek, halfway over her eye, and onto her forehead. But instead of fading, it got worse, to the point when she woke up the next morning that half of her face was swollen and her eye was swollen shut. I knew poison ivy in the eye was dangerous so I was looking for advice online (when to take to the ER, anything we should/shouldn't do in the meantime), and came across the advice to put milk on it.
We had pet milk (milk from a farm, unpasteurized), so that's what I used. I put her in the tub, soaked a washcloth, and held it on her face. When it got warm, I flipped it and added more milk.
Within 15 minutes, I could see a crack of eyeball, and her face was less puffy. Within half an hour, her eye was most of the way open. And within 45 minutes, the redness and swollenness was pretty much gone everywhere on her face, with just one little spot. She was 3 and so done with sitting in the bathtub while I held a washcloth on her face, so I let her out for a bit, and then before bedtime just patted some more milk on the one remaining spot, and after 10 minutes it was no longer red. It took a few days for the blistering to heal, but at that point it wasn't itchy or spreading at all-just damaged skin from her exposure.
My husband, at the same time, started cleaning up the yard (a tornado had deposited shredded poison ivy leaves in our yard) and got a very bad case. He went with over-the-counter remedies for 3 weeks, while it continued to get worse, and then finally caved and tried my "weird" remedy. His was so many places on his body it did take a couple of days to get it all, but it was just a couple of days. Yet the next time he had poison ivy he tried the conventional stuff again and again it was over a week before he'd try milk on it, but now he has learned his lesson and turns to milk right away!
We instantly tried milk on my mom who has a rip-roaring case of PI right now, and it brought almost instant relief. Better than ACV! Hope this helps!!! :)
Over the Counter
Posted by Naturalmom (Minnetonka, Mn, Usa) on 09/23/2011
We finally figured out that my husband has poison ivy. It was difficult to discern because the moment the rash appeared I had him soaking it in a bath mixture of oatmeal, baking soda, lavender and tea tree oil, then covering it with a calendula ointment (by Hylands). It really made the rash look better than it felt because my husband couldn't sleep for several nights due to the severe itch. We finally read about the Tecnu Extreme Poison Ivy Remedy, called Walgreens and they had ONE bottle left ($15... Yikes) but immediately after using it my husband finally stopped itching and slept perfectly last night. The rash appears to look so much better now. We will continue to use it. I should note we put some aloe vera plant on it last night and this morning which is also very soothing.
Hot Water
Posted by Big T From Kc (Independence, Mo) on 09/02/2010
★★★★★
You are correct in your assumption. Oddly enough, I got the info straight from a physician, which you would think would try to prescribe some medication to help fund the medical establishment. This is how it was described to me and the reasoning behind why this works. Get the water as hot as you can stand, without burning yourself. (I have a higher tolerance of pain and have burned myself in the past, but over time, worked out the perfect temp. ) What the hot water does, is releases the histamines in that area of your body, that is being treated. Our body has an allergic reaction to the ivy. With allergies, what do we take? Anti-histamines. So, with the hot water releasing these histamines, that cause the allergic reaction, there is nothing there to cause the itch. I was told that it can take your body, on average, 4-8 hours to replenish the histamines in the applied area, so it depends on the person I suppose. My own personal experience, I get relief from the itching for about 8 hours. When it starts to flare up again, another hot water treatment. Another interesting thing occurs too. The use of the hot water tends to dry out the affected area as well, thus the reaction to the ivy only lasts 3-4 days and it's gone. The drawback to it though, is now you've got dry skin for a few days. I don't experience that too often, but it does happen on occasion and really isn't a big deal to me. But, you could use lotion if you were so inclined. What used to be an 8-10 day irritation, aside from the frustration of trying every over-the-counter method to no avail, is now completely gone within a 3-4 day period. Plus, water is much cheaper than anything else you purchase. I used to hate mowing the grass or working in the yard, due to the ivy that grew along my fence. Now, I go at it with wreckless abandon, not worrying about the ill effects of the reaction, because I've found the perfect way to take care of the problem. IT WORKS! Besides that, what have you got to lose, water is basically free.
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 Charles (Bastrop, Louisana ) on 08/24/2017
★★★★★
It works every time.
DMSO
Posted by Jill C. (Huntsville, AL) on 07/25/2021
★☆☆☆☆
I just got a spot of Poison Ivy on my forearm and it's driving me crazy itching! I have tried the DMSO and it's doing nothing. I tried the baking soda and vinegar, nothing. Guess I"ll try the fels naptha next..... UGH~!
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!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Mama To Many (Middle, Tennessee, Usa) on 06/16/2013
Hi! I love Burdock Root, too. I have used to treat neuropathy (cured it) with success. I think Burdock Root for your daugther's poison ivy. I make a salve for my children for poison ivy that has Burdock Root, Plantain and Comfrey in it. I would recommend scalding and cooling the leaft first and cutting out any large stem part in the leaf as it will irritate tender skin. (This I learned form reading about using Burdock Leaves to treat burns.)
Pour boiling water over the leaf. When it has wilted in a few seconds, rinse in cold water and apply. At least, that is what I would do. You could also have your daughter drink the burdock tea. I have found treating PI internally and externally to be very effective. Please let us know if your treatment works so we can all benefit from what you try!
Be sure to wash all clothes and bedding that may have come in contact with the oil to keep from getting it everywhere.
~Mama to Many~
Over the Counter
Posted by Linda (Erlanger, Ky) on 06/03/2008
★★★★★
I recently came into contact with some poison ivy in our flower bed at home. About a week later, here came the rash. I was using the Tecnu which is a good product but was taking forever to see any results. A co worker suggested a product called Ivy Dry so I found it in spray form at Walgreens and it is awesome! It dries up the red patches very quickly and takes care of the itch also. I highly recomend this stuff!
EC: Yes, we've tried the product and agree. It takes the itch away fast, that's for sure.
Over the Counter
Posted by Elizabeth (Charlotte, NC) on 06/26/2014
I have used Ivy Dry on myself and my son. It did help stop the itching temporarily. However, after repeated use on one rash (mine on the shin and his on his forearm where the skin is closest to the bone) I noticed a problem. The poison ivy rash eventually went away, but another scab was always there that itched--even several months afterwards. In fact, for my son, he had itchy scabs in that area for over a year.
One of the active ingredients in Ivy Dry is benzyl alcohol, which is made from benzene. Benzene is known to cause cancer, including leukemia. The CDC says this (among other things) about benzene, "Direct exposure of the eyes, skin, or lungs to benzene can cause tissue injury and irritation."
So I refused to use the product and properly disposed of it. (I am a healthy, mid thirties, female.)
Fels-Naptha
Posted by Wendi (Conroe, Texas) on 06/03/2008
★★★★★
Poison Ivy remedy: Fels-Naptha!! It can be bought at Kroger in the laundry detergent section. It looks like a bar of soap but is actually used for removing stains on clothing. Half the battle is the itching that can last for weeks. I wet the end of the bar and rubbed it on the areas. Within 1 minute it quit itching and I was itch free for more than 5 hours. That's 3 hours longer than with any thing I've tried before, including otc drugs for poison ivy. Within 3 days the blisters were dried up and healing. I suppose you could shower with it but I only had a few areas. When the itching becomes unbearable you'll just about try anything once. As for me, I'll be using the Fels-Naptha Bar!!!!
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!!!
Fels-Naptha
Posted by Timh (Louisville, Ky, Usa) on 08/15/2012 2041 posts
At first sight of poison ivy (redness & itching) a wet-cloth w/ added isopropyl alcohol (also a solvent like naptha) will also produce good results, in my own experience at least. Get those toxins neutralized asap or it's all uphill from there.
