Can you become poison ivy proof?

[scott_vt]

Afternoon Tim,
Thats an interesting theorem ! I used to get it when I was a kid but it doesnt seem to affect me nearly as much as years ago ! Of course I do eat cashews along with other legumes these days, and Ill be darned if I can remember if I ate those same nuts when I was a kid or not So Im not sure what that proves or disproves ! I have noticed that my skin is much more dry than years ago so that may have something to do with it also !

I remember my mother telling me not to scratch it, and of course it wasnt long before I had it on some unmentionable places !

Thanks for the tip, Ill eat more nuts before working out on the hedgerow !

 

[Oleozz]

I've read the reason goats are so fond of muliflura rose and poison ivy is that they are both very high in protein. This year the poison ivy seems especially bad, I have patches of the stuff that are close to a 1/2 acre in size. It's not easy plowing through those patches because they have a very tough root system that's all intertwined.

 

[drssg]

you could make yourself immune to poison ivy by eating a bit of it in the spring

Interesting article. When I was a kid, my mom told me that my grand father did that. He actually started by wrapping a little piece of a leaf in tissue paper and worked his way up to picking the leaves and eating them. I hadn't heard of anyone else doing that, and I grew to assume this was a made up tale, or that I had remembered it incorrectly. After reading this, I suspect my grand father really did it. He was an odd dude!

I think I'll pass, though. I've had pretty good luck with just trying to stay out of it.

 

[MossRoad]

Didn't old Euell come down with ulcers, or some such? As I recall, comics like Carson really had a field day....

I think the joke was he died of "natural" causes.

I used to like to listen to him when he was on TV. Seemed like a very smart fellow when it came to natural foods. I think I saw an interview with him one time where he was eating some greasy breakfast in an airport diner. He had a good laugh with the interviewer.

 

[Spiveyman]

I can remember several times when I was much younger when I had itching rashes from poison ivy. I have not had any symptons in the last 20 years.

This seems to be a theme - lots of people got it as a kid, but don't seem to have problems with it as an adult. Maybe some get naturally immune to it with exposure over time. I had it a couple times as a kid - I have an interesting rememdy for that too in a minute - but haven't had it in years. This past winter I wen't out with a chain saw and cut every vine I could find of the stuff through 12 acres of woods, then yanked them out of the trees. I had debris all down my shirt and definitely made the oil airborne with that chain saw. Never so much as a bump. I at my first chashew a couple of days ago. For me it's an "insurance" thing just in case it does work.

I regularly pull down and cut up poison ivy vines without wearing any kind of protection. I always wash up well with soap and water within a couple of hours after handling poison ivy so I do not know if I am not allergic or if the washing prevents me from geting it.

Very good point and a distinguishing factor between adults and kids - we're more likely to clean up afterwards.

A caller to the radio show I listen too, mentioned that her dad made her eat poison ivy/oak to make her immune. She had a severe reaction to it which made it hard for her to breathe and almost killed her. She was in the hospital for days.

Yeah, to be clear I was NOT recommending that method. My granny mixes a small amount in with a whole batch of cathead biscuits, so that probably helps dilute it. It's not like she was out there grazing.

This year the poison ivy seems especially bad, I have patches of the stuff that are close to a 1/2 acre in size.

Try 12 acres!!! I have some woods on the back of my farm, the whole thing looks like it is carpetted with the stuff. Never seen anything like it. For an explanation on why it's so bad this year see this thread:http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/related-topics/106385-poison-oak-global-warming.html? hee hee

OK, here's a home remedy for when you've gotten poison ivy. My granny - the ivy eating one - is all about home remedies for everything. One time I was on her farm and got it on my legs. She took a potato and sliced it real thin (she used to work at a potato chip factory after the war) and put the potato slice on the area with the rash. As the potato dried up so did the ivy rash. I guess the starch absorbed the oil or something, maybe draws it out of you. I can't explain it, and you wind up smelling like a potato, but it sure enough worked.

 

[SnowRidge]

Most of the poison ivy sites say sensitivity to it decreases with age.

I guess that when you are a kid, it is a real bear. As you grow older, it doesn't bother you as much, and when you are dead, it doesn't bother you at all.

 

[scott_vt]

, and when you are dead, it doesn't bother you at all.

 

[ultrarunner]

Most Health Food Stores will carry homeopathic Poison Oak extract... the dose is so minute that many allergists doubt it's effectiveness.

I'm quite allergic... I get it just from the dust created by running my dozer on a dry day... I've been systematically spot spraying about 18 acres of the stuff and use zanfel religiously for the last 3 years and so far so good.

My family doctor recommended the standard cool shower after exposure with a slight twist... he said to first shower without removing underwear... hey it works for me.

 

[Spiveyman]

I guess that's a step beyond scotty's advice to simply not scratch. Yikes! But if you are that sensitive, you do what you have to do.

 

[dbdartman]

Most of the poison ivy sites say sensitivity to it decreases with age.

I guess that when you are a kid, it is a real bear. As you grow older, it doesn't bother you as much, and when you are dead, it doesn't bother you at all.

Funny, when I was a kid I could roll in the stuff. Never had a poison ivy outbreak until I was 15 & someone threw some on the small fire we had going. EVERYONE that was there that day came down with it, some much worse than others! My worst outbreak was around the age of 25. Haven't had it since the late 80's or early 90's, but I'm always looking out for the shiny 3-leaf witch & make it a point to avoid anything that even LOOKS like poison ivy!