The more time we spend outdoors, the more likely we are to come in contact with poison ivy (or its cousins, poison oak and poison sumac). That makes summer prime time for children, hikers, bikers, birdwatchers, campers and gardeners to pick up that nasty, blistering rash. The culprit is a chemical called urushiol, carried in an oil found in all parts of the plant. It causes an unpleasant-to-agonizing allergic reaction in about three-fourths of people. To minimize your chances of getting the rash or minimize the agony, here are some useful facts.
Beth Botts, ebotts@tribune.com
1. Leaves of three, let it be: Poison ivy is a woody vine (or sometimes low shrub) with three bright green pointed leaflets, one on the end of a stalk and one to either side. Merely brushing against it releases urushiol. When you are in the woods or the garden, be on the lookout and give suspicious plants a wide berth. But don’t be amazed if you get the rash anyway: The tiny amount needed to set off an inflammation can cling for years to clothes, back-packs, tents, etc. You also can pick it up from a dog or cat’s fur. (Pets don’t get the rash.)
2. Wash up: When you suspect you have been exposed to poison ivy, immediately remove all outer clothing. If possible, start by applying lots of rubbing alcohol to dissolve the oil, suggests the Food and Drug Administration. Then flush your skin with large amounts of water — enough to completely wash it away. Move fast, because within a few minutes after the oil touches your skin it will sink in and start sending your body’s immune system haywire. Then take a thorough shower with soap and water and put on clean clothes. Using plastic bags on your hands, put your discarded clothing in the washer and launder with hot water. Also wash boots, tools and anything else that may have picked up the oil — again, without touching them.
3. Ease the pain: You’ll know within 48 hours if your immune system has reacted to urushiol. There are myriad unproven folk remedies for the blisters and angry itch of poison ivy rashes, everything from Miracle Whip to buttermilk to very hot baths. Over-the-counter drugstore creams and oatmeal baths may help more. In severe cases, see a doctor, who may prescribe steroids. (Myth-busting: Scratching the rash won’t spread it and it can’t be transferred to another person.)
4. Get rid of it: Poison ivy is a vigorous, spreading vine that can get big enough to girdle a tree. Before you try to grub it out of the garden, suit up: Long pants tucked into socks in heavy shoes, long sleeves, heavy gloves, eye protection. To remove small plants, Rebecca Kolls, host of HGTV’s “Rebecca’s Garden,” suggests putting a plastic bag over your gloved hand and using it to grasp the plant and yank it up. Then turn the bag inside out over the plant and throw the whole thing away. Larger plants may need to be dug up or cut down; thoroughly wash your tools each day before putting them away. Non-selective herbicides containing glyphosate or triclopyr can be effective if applied repeatedly, but take care: They will poison any plant they touch.
5. Keep it away: Never put poison ivy in the compost heap. Seal it in paper landscape bags and place them out for pickup. Burning any part of a poison ivy plant, in a campfire or for disposal, is a very bad idea: The urushiol can be vaporized and carried in the smoke to your skin or even breathed into your lungs.
