Poison Ivy Identification And Ways To Allow The Itch And Pain To Stop

If you see a vine growing up a tree inspect it a little better before touching it. Poison ivy grows on vines that look a bit hairy. There are always three leaves clustered together that are almond shaped and dark to light green. The leaves do not have thorns but may have a serrated edge. The leaves are usually very shiny and they will turn red in the fall and fall off the vine. These leaves contain urushiol which is an oil that can make a grown man or woman cry.

The oil of this plant can cause a rash that rivals no other. It causes an itch that never stops and it also hurts. Without attention this oil can spread everywhere and even invade the inside of the body through the nose, eyes, mouth and genitals. If this happens to you do not wait to try any home remedies. Just get to an emergency room immediately as the condition could turn fatal.

When the rash appears on the legs or arms it is usually red and inflamed, bumps can appear and then blisters rise. For generations pink Calamine lotion has been applied to control the pain and itch. People that get the rash have an allergy to the oil in poison ivy called urushiol and there are those lucky people that do not seem to be affected by touching poison ivy.

The rash can start within a few hours. Most of the time it takes about 12 to 48 hours for it to show up but the itching will start prior to that. If you take quick action you may get away with having the rash for just one week. In most cases it lasts an agonizing three to four weeks.

Unfortunately poison ivy can be spread in other ways besides touching it. If you burn the plant, even if it is dead, you risk getting a rash on the lungs while breathing in the smoke which can be fatal. If a pet or any livestock touches the plant and you touch the animal soon after you can get it because the oil will live on the fir of the animal for several hours. If you are cleaning up dead vines be aware that the oil can live for up to 2 years.

Should you notice that you have touched a leaf of this plant you need to quickly, within 10 minutes wipe the area that was touched with some rubbing alcohol. Next use the garden hose and rinse the area. If you go inside to rinse be sure you use cold water as anything else will allow the oil causing the reaction to spread to a larger area. Avoid getting into a bathtub full of water because that will certainly spread the rash where you do not want it to go. Rinse to not soak the area.

The next thing you should do is put on some disposable gloves and take off the clothes and shoes you were wearing and discard the gloves. Take a shower but do not use soap. Instead take the soap you use to wash dishes but make sure it does not have lotion in it and it does have a grease repellent. Put more gloves on and wash down your shoes and clothing with water and alcohol. The poison oil can cling to your clothing and if you put it in the washer you could infect the everyone in the house.

If you get a rash carefully rub steroid cream to stop the itch and take an oral antihistamine. You can get into the bathtub with luke warm water in which is dissolved about three tablespoons of baking soda. An old remedy is to make a batch of oatmeal using Old Fashion Oats. Cool it and spread it on to the affected area and let it dry. This will prevent air from getting to the rash and it will feel better. Eventually the oatmeal will flake and fall off and make a mess all over the house so once it dries you can loosely wrap the area with gauze.

There are several other remedies like dabbing on some vinegar to the rash to draw the oils and infection from the skin. This will sting like the dickens but once it air dries you will find it feels much better. Covering the rash with honey is another messy method but this can also be wrapped with gauze. An unusual remedy is to take a banana out of the peel then place the part of peel that touched the banana against the affected skin to cool the inflammation. Prevention is the best thing to strive for where poison ivy is concerned. Do not touch it if you can help it and if you find you have sprint into action. If you see that the rash is especially severe, is near the eyes, nose, mouth or genitals or if the area swells badly you need to go to the emergency room immediately.