Along with the sun's warm rays of summer comes something a little more sinister. You spend time outside and before you know it a nasty, itchy red rash is spreading up and down your legs and arms. Summer is also the season of poison ivy.
Symptoms of Poison Ivy
Symptoms of contact with poison ivy are reddish inflamed skin that has red pimples or blister-like bumps, burning and/or itching of the area, and sometimes a fever. The rash can get gooey and runny and it needs to dry out. You will most likely get poison ivy on the hands, arms, legs, and feet and sometimes you will get it on other body parts such as your back or stomach if you were lying on the ground and it touched you there. If you get it on the face or it goes toward the genital area don’t fool around, go see a doctor right away. Also, if the rash seems to be extreme, don’t use the following natural remedies, instead, go to the emergency room.
If you have never had poison ivy you will never understand the constant nagging itch and burning it creates. You can’t sit still, you can’t sleep, and you will do just about anything to make it stop. Unfortunately scratching at it isn’t going to help. If the blisters are scratched you run the risk of getting an infection along with everything. In normal circumstances the rash will clear up in about 7 to 14 days, but those days are miserable.
Calamine Lotion is the best commercial product to use on poison ivy rash but it does leave a pink residue on the skin that can be transferred to your clothing, bedding and furniture. Here are a few natural remedies for the rash and itch of poison ivy that are just as effective.
Remedies
- If you have been in contact with poison ivy and know it, never wash yourself down in warm to hot water. The plant gives off an oil and in warm water this oil disperses itself and spreads. If you wash in cold to cool water, it will not disperse. Never get in a bathtub after known contact as you can spread the oil to areas you don’t want to get poison ivy rash.
- Knowing that poison ivy disperses an oil it is interesting to know that kitchen products known to dissolve grease will generally help dissolve this oil as well. Just rub some grease attacking dishwashing detergent on the area and rinse with cool water. This will probably sting a bit, but you will be happy you did it in a few hours.
- Aloe gel is very soothing to a poison ivy rash.
- Combine equal parts buttermilk, vinegar, and salt. Rub this into the rash. It will be painful at first but then all of a sudden you will feel relief.
- Make a paste of baking soda and water and spread it on the rash. This works just as well as Calamine Lotion.
- Oatmeal will relieve the symptoms of poison ivy. Make it up as you normally would and then let it cool. Spread it over the area and let air dry. Add a tablespoon of baking soda to stop any oozing of the rash.
- White or Apple cider vinegar is great to get the pain to stop for awhile, but remember this will hurt when you put it on.
- Honey is a great healer. It too will stop the burning and itching of the rash.
- A banana peel has been known to ease the pain of poison ivy. Rub the inside of the peel on the area and it will cool everything down and make it feel better.
- Interestingly enough, a natural remedy for poison ivy usually grows very near to it. It is called Jewel Weed and is tall and lanky and has thick stems that are filled with sap. There are little peach orange colored flowers that, when ripe, will explode open when touched to spread seeds. You can just break a branch and apply the sap to the skin or you can make an infusion by placing a handful of the plant material in 2 pints of water. Bring to a boil and simmer to 15 minutes. Cool, then strain and apply the liquid to the affected area.
Hopefully you can avoid poison ivy this summer and not get a rash at all, but if you do and it isn’t severe, try some of these natural remedies. They just might work better than anything else.
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