I have never been allergic to any of the above, but I cannot say that any longer. My caching this week has been limited to sidewalk and pavement type caches as I have come down with a mega dose of Poison whatever! I think it is poison oak and I know when and where it happened.

I have used Zanfel and it has worked well, but the best thing for me has been Hot Hot showers, as hot as I can stand it! It releases the Histamine that builds up and keeps me itch free for 6 - 8 hours.

I think I have turned the corner on this stuff, but I will never look at poison whatever the same again! Previously no fear, wade right into the stuff, but no more!

Be careful out there and make sure if you place a cache and poison whatever is around the area to indicate so on the cache attributes!

You can call me one Itchy Gob-ler!

See what happens when you leave Maine! Seriously, I have never had a case of it either, but I still worry about it.

I have never been allergic to any of the above, but I cannot say that any longer. My caching this week has been limited to sidewalk and pavement type caches as I have come down with a mega dose of Poison whatever! I think it is poison oak and I know when and where it happened.

I have used Zanfel and it has worked well, but the best thing for me has been Hot Hot showers, as hot as I can stand it! It releases the Histamine that builds up and keeps me itch free for 6 - 8 hours.

I think I have turned the corner on this stuff, but I will never look at poison whatever the same again! Previously no fear, wade right into the stuff, but no more!

Be careful out there and make sure if you place a cache and poison whatever is around the area to indicate so on the cache attributes!

You can call me one Itchy Gob-ler!
this is something to ponder as i am not allergic to any of them but most of my family is. it is good hearing fro you as well. :D

I was plagued by this twice a year growing up. I have tried everything. Every shot and treatment known to man. Then a few years ago a professor in my martial arts form gave me a cure. It is a cure, it kills the oil and itching and everything.

I'm not kidding. Pour cold beer on it. It kills the poison whatever you got. Pour it on the affected areas every so often. I hate the taste of the stuff so it doesn't bother me at all to use a lot of it. The cold helps with the itching and burning and it will kill it and scare over almost immediately.

I promise this is not a joke.

This picture is the only funny part about this I promise.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m133/ekidokai/ATT00000.jpg

I was plagued by this twice a year growing up. I have tried everything. Every shot and treatment known to man. Then a few years ago a professor in my martial arts form gave me a cure. It is a cure, it kills the oil and itching and everything.

I'm not kidding. Pour cold beer on it. It kills the poison whatever you got. Pour it on the affected areas every so often. I hate the taste of the stuff so it doesn't bother me at all to use a lot of it. The cold helps with the itching and burning and it will kill it and scare over almost immediately.

I promise this is not a joke.

This picture is the only funny part about this I promise.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m133/ekidokai/ATT00000.jpg


Not funny, sad. Very, very sad. sniff :D:D:D

I was never allergic to any of them but I guess the more exposure you get than you are bound to get it like I have twice this year. I was informed by an older gentleman who is greatly allergic to poison ivy that straight bleach is the answer. I will try that the next time I have a bout of the poison whatevers!

I read of the bleach thing as well only not straight. Straight bleach is strong stuff and can burn the skin, although if the skin is burned it would probably stop itching! Hummmmmmm?

I was plagued by this twice a year growing up. I have tried everything. Every shot and treatment known to man. Then a few years ago a professor in my martial arts form gave me a cure. It is a cure, it kills the oil and itching and everything.

I'm not kidding. Pour cold beer on it. It kills the poison whatever you got. Pour it on the affected areas every so often. I hate the taste of the stuff so it doesn't bother me at all to use a lot of it. The cold helps with the itching and burning and it will kill it and scare over almost immediately.

I promise this is not a joke.

This picture is the only funny part about this I promise.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m133/ekidokai/ATT00000.jpg


Hey!!! That is alcohol abuse!!

That's just so cool.

Often times in nature, where you find the poisonous guardian plants...the natural cure isn't far away. Check out jewelweed as a topical/skin wash. There's also a homeopathic sublingual treatment out there which some find to be useful, for treatment and also for very safely building your immunity against such poisonous plants.

The Natural Living Centers often have sotes (spelling may be wrong) or homeopathic remedy for these things........when you are afflicted - anything is worth a shot. Not sure the "poison" soap bars are that good - they always seem to be on sale in Maine end of season - or is it folks don't need them here.

Oh - Gobler, hope you recover soon. And FYI - just saw 9 Goblers in our back yard or the feathered type. ;-)

I'm telling you ber works. It absolutely kills the poison whatever and the itch. It works right away. I have tried everything else and this was the cure.

I also think, I can't prove this, that it may help build up resistance to future encounters with the plants.

When I was a kid, many, many years ago, I lived near an apple orchard and picked up "drops" for 10 cents a bushel. (They used to make cider out of drops, but I guess they just tree-picked apples for that now.) Sheesh! I think one day I made $2!

Anyway, since I spent a lot of time crawling around on the ground, I caught poison ivy a lot. Someone told me to go home and put my hands under hot running water, as hot as I could stand. This would always take the itching away, and it must have immunized me, because now I can work in poison ivy all day and not have an itch.

Or maybe Ekidookie is right - it wasn't too many years after that I started drinking beer...

When I was a kid, many, many years ago, I lived near an apple orchard and picked up "drops" for 10 cents a bushel. (They used to make cider out of drops, but I guess they just tree-picked apples for that now.) Sheesh! I think one day I made $2!

Anyway, since I spent a lot of time crawling around on the ground, I caught poison ivy a lot. Someone told me to go home and put my hands under hot running water, as hot as I could stand. This would always take the itching away, and it must have immunized me, because now I can work in poison ivy all day and not have an itch.

Or maybe Ekidookie is right - it wasn't too many years after that I started drinking beer...

Wonder what I'm doing wrong then, I drink my share of beer and anytime the wind is blowing the wrong way now I seem to get poison ivy. I never got it as a kid and now I am extremely careful where I go. I also use BUJI if I know I have been in contact with it too. http://www.bujiproducts.com/

I was going to look it up but I'm in the middle of making a seafood casserole - but if I remember correctly, the more often you get poison ivy, the easier you will get it the next time.

I don't like beer much either, if I ever get poison ivy I'll try it!

I think the use of beer - according to ekidokai is topical rather t an internal...........so remember there is a differnce.

I think the use of beer - according to ekidokai is topical rather t an internal...........so remember there is a differnce.

My only experiences with beer applied topically have usually followed too much beer applied internally!:p

I think the use of beer - according to ekidokai is topical rather t an internal...........so remember there is a differnce.

Again, see no way as a non donating member to do even a right after I posted edit - so this should say - "rather than" .......

It's the alcohol in the beer that helps. The use of alcohol externally has been used for a wicked long time. So has smoke. I believe you'd find rubbing alcohol to have a similar effect on the area. Dish soap's grease cutting ability has also worked well in the early stages.

I'm not sure how or why it works. I just know how bad I suffered with it twice a year and we tried everything.

Then to just pour cold beer on it and to have it completely cured was a real find. I tell everyone I can about it.

I would still get it, not as bad or as often. I think it was because I wasn't rolling in it as I played as a kid. It was still bad though.

The beer kills it.

I'm thinking if you drank enough beer you might not care how bad the poison ivy itches.

On a serious note . . . rubbing alcohol . . . hydrocortisone cream . . . the old stand-by calamine lotion.

I am intrigued with the jewelweek as mentioned by Squirrel Cache . . . would love to learn more.

As for me, never really had any issues with poison ivy . . . although there is a rash of something on my leg . . . my wife gets nervous every time I get near here since she's wicked allergic to poison ivy, oak, etc.

I'm allergic to beer. My immune system would likely go nuts if I tried this, lol.

..... I am intrigued with the jewelweek as mentioned by Squirrel Cache . . . would love to learn more.

As for me, never really had any issues with poison ivy . . . although there is a rash of something on my leg . . . my wife gets nervous every time I get near here since she's wicked allergic to poison ivy, oak, etc.
Jewelweed is used a couple ways successfully by folks. One is to use the plant fresh on the suspected affected site before you break out. It's quite juicy in the stalk, and doesn't hurt to use the leaves as well. Some folks also process the plants and freeze the juice in cubes for future use.

You can't catch it from someone else unless for some reason they rub against you and transfer the oil. Put some vegetable oil on your skin and see how long it takes to be absorbed. ;) I know......for years while infected...I crawled into bed next to someone who also is deathly afraid and allergic. I just didn't tell that I'd gotten into the stuff ;) Mind over matters works both ways much of the time.

I have tried the Jewelweed. It does well as all the other stuff for stopping the itch for a while, but if you want to kill the poison whatever pour cold beer on it and it will kill it and the last time I used it the next day it had scabbed over when the normal cycle is about two weeks.

I have tried the Jewelweed. It does well as all the other stuff for stopping the itch for a while, but if you want to kill the poison whatever pour cold beer on it and it will kill it and the last time I used it the next day it had scabbed over when the normal cycle is about two weeks.

You seem really fired up about using beer . . . you don't own stock in Coors or Budweiser do you Mike? ;):D

Just pour the damn beer on it and kill it!

lol....... I was wondering how long it would take some beer lover to speak up!

LOL It didn't take long. I made the reference to alcohol abuse back on the first page LOL Someone has to stick up for the beer. :)

Well, now aliens are involved. Have to be. It's the only thing I can think of that would prevent Hiram from hijacking this thread especially if beer is mentioned. I can only presume that he has been abducted. :rolleyes::D

Well, now aliens are involved. Have to be. It's the only thing I can think of that would prevent Hiram from hijacking this thread especially if beer is mentioned. I can only presume that he has been abducted. :rolleyes::D

You know, I was wondering about that. The only thing I can think of is that he read that you are supposed to pour it on your skin. He knew this wasn't a thread for him and hasn't been back.:p

Well, now aliens are involved. Have to be. It's the only thing I can think of that would prevent Hiram from hijacking this thread especially if beer is mentioned. I can only presume that he has been abducted. :rolleyes::D

I'm not sure if it's good timing or not, but that's quite a statement given my current sig line. :D

According to " TOM BROWN'S GUIDE TO WILD AND MEDICINAL PLANTS "

Jewelweed or Spotted 'Touch Me Nots"

Rubbing the crushed leaves and stems on the afflicted area to minimize or take away the symtems. This also works for stinging nettle , bee stings, insect bites , sunburn, blisters,and abraisions.
Squeezed juices can be used for acne and other blemishes with good results. The juice from the cooked greens make and all around skin wash to cleanse wounds and abraisions. The auther says he mixes jewelweed with tannic acid boiling from cedar Bark as an insecticide and keeps a vial of the juices with him at camp.

Opalsns

I wonder who is more likely to get a date - Someone soaked in beer or someone soaked in various plant juices? :p

Good one....certainly brought a smile to my face.



I'm not sure if it's good timing or not, but that's quite a statement given my current sig line. :D

I wonder who is more likely to get a date - Someone soaked in beer or someone soaked in various plant juices? :p

Depends on where you are . . .

If you're soaked in beer and at one of Bangor's more notorious taverns I would go with the person soaked in beer getting the date.

If you're soaked in various plant juices and hanging around the college in my home town I would go with the person soaked in plant juices. ;):D

I didn't mean to throw out a general treatment I found to work when younger. There are So many and it's different for each person and situation. There are also so many different theories/approaches. In such cases I often refer to wisdoms of the East.

Dick brought up an important reminder. It has less to do w/age and more to do w/other factors. Diet affects whether you're susceptible or not. A change in diet away from foods that often cause food allergies will show a huge resistance in a year. Cutting back on sugar and simple carbs(beer too) helps as well. Less sugar helps keep your intestines strong against food allergies. Increase your omega3 to omega6 ratio. Flax Oil is a great source, fish oil as well.

Contact Dermatitis is more serious than we often realize or act upon. It changes how the repair mechanism of the skin works. People w/eczema generate skin faster, but the skin never acquires normal immune function. The open wound leaves you victim to infections like strep and staph...or the viruses that cause herpes and warts. Eczema also brings about sensitivity to Yeast infections.

Other than diet...there are herbal treatments like Aloe, Burdock, Dandelion, Ginko, and Green Tea. Licorice Cream, as needed, works better for most folks than cortisone. Don Quai(not tincture) in recommended dosage!!... keeps swelling to a minimum and long term builds healthy skin circulation.

Better treatments involve moisturizing...and should avoid drying soaps, alcohol or hot water. Steroids work well short term...long term they can leave the skin fragile and thin, relieving symptoms but bringing risk for skin breaks and infection.

Don't take my word, experience or research for granted. Do your own searching. Enjoy....and be safe.

Section 16734(J)iii3(b)4 of the proposed National Health Care bill makes the "Growing, possession of, harboring of, snorting or smoking of any plant deemed poisonous by the FDA, DEP, EPA, DEA, FAA, AARP a felony punishable by 50 lashes. Get out the Roundup and do your share to prevent wrongful lashing!:)

Section 16734(J)iii3(b)4 of the proposed National Health Care bill makes the "Growing, possession of, harboring of, snorting or smoking of any plant deemed poisonous by the FDA, DEP, EPA, DEA, FAA, AARP a felony punishable by 50 lashes. Get out the Roundup and do your share to prevent wrongful lashing!:)

That sounds good. One year my dad and our neighbor decided to burn it so I wouldn't catch it. I got it the worst I had ever had it. Burning it sent the oil into the air and it landed on everything, so everything I touched I got the oil on me. Of course back then I don't think anyone realized that it was the oil that caused the problems.

Did you ever try the beer on itching mosquito bites??