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Herbal Wisdom:  Remedy for poison ivy/oak/something-or-other?!?  |
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fiddlers wife
True Blue Farmgirl
248 Posts
ginny
pacific
mo
USA
248 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 26 2008 : 08:01:28 AM
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I'm not sure what it is, but it itches and it's spreading. 
Not having much relief with TechNu and Calagel or Benadryl gel. Would actually rather go the homeopathic route.
Do you know of anything topical, for starters?
www.handcraftedatwitsend.weebly.com
www.ginnymae.etsy.com
Restyled vintage elements featuring feed sack purses and totes |
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Marybeth
True Blue Farmgirl
6418 Posts
Mary Beth
Stanwood
Wa 98292
USA
6418 Posts |
Posted - Jul 26 2008 : 6:08:01 PM
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Well this may sound crazy and may not work for everyone--BUT--peel a banana and use the inside of the peel to rub gently over the rash area. It works. I think what ever is in the banana dries out the blisters and they won't weep any more. That is if it is poison oak or ivy. Then there is a product called IVY-DRY and it stops the itching and dries up the blisters. there is always Calamine Lotion too. Good luck. MB
www.strawberryhillsfarm.blogspot.com
www.day4plus.blogspot.com www.holyhouses-day4plus.blogspot.com
"Life may not be the party we hoped for...but while we are here we might as well dance!" |
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Farmtopia
True Blue Farmgirl
1465 Posts
Zan
New York
New York
USA
1465 Posts |
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fiddlers wife
True Blue Farmgirl
248 Posts
ginny
pacific
mo
USA
248 Posts |
Posted - Jul 27 2008 : 08:24:55 AM
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Thanks, girls.
The weird thing is there were no blisters, really, just a bazillion teeny tiny red bumps scattered all over.
I got a prescription for Prednisone (which had me up until 2:30 this morning, thankyouverymuch) and some of the inflammation seems to have gone down. My eyelid, ear and behind it (my "earpit" as my dd says) still itch like the dickens, but the rest of me is semi-tolerable.
The good news is that the Prednisone-induced mania resulted in six new feed sack purses being finished and I'm off the the studio to make more!
Pooch has been bathed, too. ;0) I will get some herbicide and kill that patch of stuff because the hot vinegar I sprayed on it did not so much as wither any of it.
www.handcraftedatwitsend.weebly.com
www.ginnymae.etsy.com
Restyled vintage elements featuring feed sack purses and totes |
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Marybeth
True Blue Farmgirl
6418 Posts
Mary Beth
Stanwood
Wa 98292
USA
6418 Posts |
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fiddlers wife
True Blue Farmgirl
248 Posts
ginny
pacific
mo
USA
248 Posts |
Posted - Jul 27 2008 : 1:12:47 PM
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I was wondering that, but I can't find anything that looks like what I saw on the internet. Besides that, it wasn't me, it was my 11 wk old GSD that got into something and then shared, generously, with me while I was snuggling him. ;0)
www.handcraftedatwitsend.weebly.com
www.ginnymae.etsy.com
Restyled vintage elements featuring feed sack purses and totes |
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Mumof3
True Blue Farmgirl
3890 Posts
Karin
Ellenwood
GA
USA
3890 Posts |
Posted - Jul 27 2008 : 2:06:03 PM
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Ugh. That is so not fun. Have you tried soaking in a colloidal oatmeal bath? Or a tub of warm-ish water with sea salt added? I am horribly allergic to poison ivy and both of those seem to help. Too bad you're not near the ocean. When I was 12, I had a terrible case of poison ivy- all over my arms, legs and face. My grandparents took my brother and I to Maine for 2 weeks and we swam in the ocean every day. Within a week, it was all gone.
Glad the prednisone worked for you. Good luck. :)
Karin
Farmgirl Sister
# 18 :)
Wherever you go, there you are.
www.madrekarin.blogspot.com
www.madrekarin.etsy.com |
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FroggyFarmer
Farmgirl in Training
13 Posts
Jackie
Grass Valley
ca
USA
13 Posts |
Posted - Jul 28 2008 : 6:08:53 PM
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I get HORRIBLE poison oak, and have found the the best homeopathic remedies are aloe vera (to dry it out), oatmeal paste (dries and helps sooth the itch) and lots of cool baths.
I've also heard that a manzanita tincture works if you live in an area with it- we have forests of it here in CA. Also, plantain (the yard weed, not the banana) helps with the itch- any itch, in fact, from mosquitoes to poison oak, just mash it up in a food processor(as kids we used to chew it up, which is equally effective), and slap it on. Mixed with the oatmeal you've got a good thing going.
Keep yourself slathered in aloe vera, though, to get it dried out quickly. Be sure to use the plant not the bottle, if you can, something in the bottled gel (sold as a sunburn remedy usually) just doesn't do nearly as good of a job.
Also, keep up with the Tecnu. I use it as directed right before every shower when I have poison oak. It helps get rid of any oils on the skin, which keeps it from spreading. I also think that they have a "poison oak soap" which I usually find at the farm or hardware stores around here this time of year. It has a lot of soothing/drying herbs, a nice smell and washes off the oils in a way similar to Technu. Technu is best used before going in the woods, btw. Just put it (or a thin layer of dry bar soap or a thick layer of sunblock) on before going out, and be sure to wash off right when you get home. That way a barrier is created which prevents the poison oak/ivy oils from getting to your skin.
So there you go, words of wisdom from a girl who's gotten head to toe poison oak since early childhood. Hope it helps. |
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0missy0
Farmgirl in Training
20 Posts
Melissa
Oklahoma
USA
20 Posts |
Posted - Aug 30 2008 : 08:36:27 AM
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I have Poison Oak right now. I have been fighting to get rid of this for five- six months now. It will go away and then come back. Yesterday I soaked a rag in vinegar and placed it on my neck and behind my ears, I left it there for about 15-20 minutes. It turned it all white looking and today it looks like scabs so it is drying out. I will warn you though, it stings quite a bit!!! That was my first time to try that and I wish I would have done it sooner. Might give that a try. 
Good luck! I know how you feel! |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
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FroggyFarmer
Farmgirl in Training
13 Posts
Jackie
Grass Valley
ca
USA
13 Posts |
Posted - Sep 01 2008 : 08:44:13 AM
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Melissa-
Five or six months?!! I'd have gone nuts long ago! Do you live in a poison oaky area or do you pets that come and go (that is why I end up with it most of the summer) or what? That just must be misterable. I've never thought of vinegar, but I usually try to "dig out" the itch in my sleep, so it would probably hurt a lot if I tried it! |
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Daisydu
Farmgirl in Training
40 Posts
Becky
Rock Hill
South Carolina
USA
40 Posts |
Posted - Sep 05 2008 : 09:18:43 AM
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My Dad always told me when I got poison ivy...to find a wild touch me not plant. Crush the stem and apply the juice to the poison ivy sight. It would get rid of it overnight.
Google "wild touch me not" to find a picture of it. I got a real bad case of it when I was 16 and haven't had it since. It usually grows near water. If you try it and it works, I would love to know!!!
Loving a simple life in the country!
www.twistedfencepost.wordpress.com |
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Janneane Hazlip
True Blue Farmgirl
67 Posts
Janneane
Fort Scott
Kansas
USA
67 Posts |
Posted - Sep 05 2008 : 2:41:48 PM
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A good dip in a chlorinated pool is not only recipe for a good time but helps with the drying process. We could name our acreage poison ivy farm.
Janneane |
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Tammy Claxton
True Blue Farmgirl
1559 Posts
Tammy
Glen Burnie
Maryland
USA
1559 Posts |
Posted - Sep 08 2008 : 8:21:08 PM
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Tea tree oil helps dry it up and stop the weeping and hydrocortizone cream 1% helps heal it. My son just got over a really bad case of poison iovy all over his face and that's what I used.
Crafty Bay Farmgirl Chapter
"What doesn't kill you will only make you stronger"
Farmgirl #152
http://countryintheburbs.blogspot.com/
http://bigdogmom130.etsy.com |
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82kygal
True Blue Farmgirl
548 Posts
Laura
Somerset
Kentucky
USA
548 Posts |
Posted - Sep 09 2008 : 05:45:25 AM
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The first year I lived here I got into poison ivy bad. I was told to use epsom salts mixed with vinager into a paste and put it on wait 30 minutes. It is very messy but does help a lot. I also ended up going to the doctor and getting a steroid shot. That stopped it like right now. The only wierd thing with that was a couple of months later I could see a big dent the size of a quarter where it had killed the muscle in my butt. It did go away and the dr. said that would happen. I have been very good to stay out of it this year and hubby has worked hard to get rid of it. He could take a bath in it and it would not bother him.
With God, all things are possible. (Mark 10:27)
What ever you are, be a good one. (Abe Lincoln) |
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Miss Bee Haven
True Blue Farmgirl
4331 Posts
Janice
Louisville/Irvington
Kentucky
USA
4331 Posts |
Posted - Sep 09 2008 : 06:14:23 AM
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That 'touch me not' plant that Becky recommended is also called Jewel Weed and grows wild in many places(here in KY). Last weekend, I bought an old Rodale Holistic Health book from the 1950's, that swears by that remedy. You pick it and crush the stems and leaves and rub that over the rash and it is supposed to clear up within 24 hours.
Farmgirl Sister #50
"If you think you've got it nailed down, then what's all that around it?"
'Br.Dave Gardner' |
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pmorello
True Blue Farmgirl
56 Posts
Patricia
Montgomery
NY
USA
56 Posts |
Posted - Sep 29 2008 : 5:31:38 PM
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well, that was going to be my suggestion. Jewel weed has always worked well in my house. It's very pretty besides! have a little patch that I guard zealously.
Pat |
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Herbal Wisdom: Remedy for poison ivy/oak/something-or-other?!? |
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Remedy for poison ivy/oak/something-or-other?!?
