Vegetation Control Magazine

VEGETATION CONTROL

magazine

Sneak Peak:

10 poison ivy myths you should know pg.11

Volume 1 • Issue 1, 2021

W e ’ r e J u s t “ I t c h i n g ” To E d u c a t e Yo u A b o u t P o i s o n I v y , P o i s o n O a k , a n d P o i s o n S u m a c .

Best line VEGETATION of defense CONTROL Everything you need to know about defending yourself against poison ivy, p. oak, p.sumac (and bonus tips) pg 8

Also Inside:

Don’t tell me, was that poison ivy? pg 6

Toxicodendron radicans poison ivy - spring growth.

vegetationcontrolmagazine.com

Volume 1 • Issue 1, 2021

magazine.com

CONTENTS

VEGETATION CONTROL

magazine

Publisher Steve Greenspan Editor VEGETATION Michael Pallerino

CONTROL

Art Director Brent Cashman Contributing Writers Poison Ivy Gal Stephanie Sarno Auntie Itch Nancy Wild Andrew Kinievil CORPORATE Vegetation Control Magazine P.O. Box 537 Greenlawn, NY 11740 (631) 421-3602 BestPoisonIvyRemoval@gmail.com POISON IVY AFFILIATES www.BestPoisonIvyRemoval.com

6 Don’t tell me, was that poison ivy?

Allergy rash and prevention tips you can count on in the field

www.PoisonIvyRemoval.com www.PoisonIvyIdentification.com www.PoisonIvyRash.com www.PoisonIvyMagazine.com www.PoisonIvyStuff.com

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News & Notes: > The advantages of poison ivy (no really) > Cashews, mangos, pistachios poison ivy, oh my...

Best line of defense Everything you need to know about defending yourself against poison ivy, p. oak, p.sumac (and bonus tips) Before you go 10 poison ivy myths you should know

www.PoisonIvyStore.com www.PoisonIvyImposters.com www.PoisonIvyPoster.com www.PoisonIvyHikersGuide.com OTHER AFFILIATES www.BambooRemoval.com SUBSCRIPTIONS BestPoisonIvyRemoval@gmail.com

Vegetation Control Magazine is published quarterly. All rights reserved. Trademark tagline, “We’re Just ‘Itching”. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any means without permission from the publisher.

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VEGETATION CONTROL

Issue 1, 2021

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

‘Itching’ toward success

I

’m 16 years-old and working at West Hills Day Camp, Long Island. Wherever I go, I walk barefoot. After my first day of camp, I developed this horrible itching rash between my toes. I’m a teenager, and busy with life so I don’t give it much thought. But the itching got worse. In my attempts to repeatedly scratch myself, I noticed that my rash spread to my ankles and up my calves behind my knees. When I returned home that night, I told my mom I had bug bites all over my feet and legs.

“Put some calamine lotion on it,” she said.

So now I have pink lotion covering my lower extremities, and I’m still itching. Sleep didn’t help. When I awoke the next morning, the rash again had spread.

By now it covered my entire upper torso.

I also had lots of raised blisters inside my ears, nose, eyes, mouth and scalp.

That night, before bed, I laid out a large white bath towel on my mattress.

That next morning there was a life-sized yellow halo imprint from my ooze. I did not feel well. To make things worse, my face was so disfigured my mom didn’t recognize me. With my two eyes welded shut & severely bloated lips I had ooze dripping and running down my face, I looked like Quasimodo. Tests revealed that poison ivy blisters inside my lungs had ruptured.

I was drowning in my own bodily fluids, yet held no idea as to ‘why’.

When I arrived at the hospital ER, the doctor’s first response was, “Wow, you have a wicked case of poison ivy”! Along with prescribing meds, his post-hospital treatment recommendations were to get plenty of rest, stay out of the sun, and stay away from others.

Statistics show that 85% of the population annually is allergic to poison ivy. According to the American Skin Association (ASA), 50 million cases of

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With more than 50 years of hands-on experience behind me, my training and field research will help you avoid the same missteps and pitfalls I took when working near or around poisonous dangerous plants/insects in the field.

poison ivy rash occur each and every year go under reported, which makes poison ivy the most dangerous costliest plant to treat in the US. It is the second leading cause of worker absenteeism. Oh, and there is no cure.

For the layman, poison ivy rash is caused by an allergic response to an oily resin known as urushiol, which is found in poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac. While these three plants each share urushiol causing the same kind of rash, that is where similarities end. Even to the trained horticultural eye, each plant remains difficult to accurately IDentify, as leaves often change their shape, mutating as to form, and seasonally undergo color changes ranging from yellow, pink crimson, orange, red, chartreuse.

That’s where Vegetation Control (VCM) comes in. Each monthly issue

will provide readers with helpful insights at safe eradication for poisonous or hard to control plant and insect species.

With over 50 years of hands-on experience and field training behind me, I will help you to avoid making the same costly mistakes I made while working near or around invasive or poisonous plants and insect species.

In the following pages, and issues that are to follow, you will see photos (and read stories) of people who came into contact with some of these greater beasts.

Our intention is to make you wiser and more aware at keeping you out of harm’s way.

Stay safe.

Steve Greenspan, Publisher “I’m just ‘itching’ to get rid of your poison ivy”

VEGETATION CONTROL

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NEWS & NOTES

The advantages of poison ivy (no really) What if I told you poison ivy has its advantages. No, really, it’s true. In many coastal regions, poison ivy serves as a protective barrier, helping to keep out unwanted visitors. Due to the fact that poison ivy can survive for a long time under the most extreme of environmental conditions, it is beneficial to protecting specific areas, i.e., fragile sand dunes. These plants also favor living at the cusp edge of the forest, helping to keep intruders at bay.

Poison ivy does not require lots of fresh water nor as many nutrients as other plants do in order to survive. While it may pose itself as a nuisance plant to most humans, it has proven benefits advantageous to stabilizing specific fragile ecosystems. Toxicodendron species Poison ivy is an invasive native plant that exists living in North America. It is problematic as it causes itchy rashes from hell yet it significantly contributes to our food chain in other ways. Did you know that many animals actually feed off of its leaves, flowers and berries/seeds? That’s right, poison ivy berries are harmful if eaten by humans, but not for birds, chipmunks and rodents alike all love eating them. The poison ivy berries serve as the perfect nutritional food source for these forest critters especially during the winter months.

Poison ivy berries/seeds

THEY SAID IT...

“

The weed has been expanding to new regions in the state and its growth has become more aggressive. [It] can be found growing in fallow areas, fence rows, pastures, roadsides and creek sides.

”

— Jeffrey S Graybill, education agronomist at Penn State Extension, on a recently found poisonous weed now spreading aggressively across Pennsylvania

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Cashews, mangos, pistachios poison ivy, oh my...

Everyone tries to avoid poison ivy, right? But how many try to avoid cashews and mangos? Wait a minute.

How are these things related? For starters, they’re all part of the same cashew family. And, all these plants produce urushiol, which is what causes the itchy burning oozing blistering rash associated with poison ivy.

Pistachio Plant

Photo credit: About.com, Western Philippines University, MangoGuavaPlant.com

Cashew Plant

While it’s unlikely you will experi-

Pistachios nuts similarly are in

ence a reaction to cashews, pistachios

the same plant family as poison ivy.

or mangoes unless you have a partic-

They too contain trace amounts of

ular food sensitivity, each contains a

urushiol. Yet once roasted, their uru-

lesser concentration of urushiol than

shiol is neutralized and exists safe for

does poison ivy, oak, and sumac. But

human consumption.

you should know it’s possible. Cashews

As for mangos, they too contain

store urushiol in their outer protective

urushiol concentrations located in the

lining surrounding their seed, which

outer skin. Farm hands responsible for

makes processing cashews a time

harvesting mangos often experience

consuming difficult process. Did you

frequent bouts of contact dermatitis,

ever see a cashew nut being sold with

all due to frequent handling of this

its shell on? The shells are toxic to

fruit. Those who exist sensitive to

eat and immediately get discarded.

urushiol, upon eating the flesh of the

Cashews actually are dry roasted

mango often develop irritation which

before being sold in order to neutralize

is referred to as ‘mango mouth,” which

all urushiol, never are they to be eaten

most similarly resembles poison ivy

raw. Now you know why.

rash around the outer lip perimeter

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Mango Plant

VEGETATION CONTROL

5

PREVENTION TIPS

Poison ivy along guardrail.

Don’t tell me, was that poison ivy?

Allergy rash and prevention tips you can count on in the field

I

t was poison ivy. You checked it once. You checked it twice. But that third time’s a charm. Don’t panic. While you may have come in contact with anyone of the plants within the poison ivy family – Toxicodendron species, there are preventative measures you can take to ward off complete disaster. Following these guidelines will help keep things in check. Always consult with a doctor if your condition worsens.

You recently touched the plant, now what?

Immediately wash the affected area(s) with plenty of cold running water from a hose, stream, lake or any other nearby water source and strong detergent soap that is within arm’s reach. Using strong detergent soap is your best preventative measure. As the soaps cleansing ability serves as the release mechanism for the

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VEGETATION CONTROL

urushiol (is held responsible for causing the rash) bonds that have embedded themselves onto your skin. If you don’t have any then use any soap that exists at your disposal. Thoroughly wash both your hands and affected body parts using cold running water, never hot water, as hot opens the pores of your skin allows for the plant’s urushiol to most readily sink deeply into your skin outer surface.

While washing the contacted areas, make certain you thoroughly wash and rinse away all the soap completely. Repeat this wash rinse cycle three to four times.

Unfortunately, it is not guaranteed this procedure will prevent you from an allergic reaction. It will, however, be most effective when you wash within the first 15 minutes of making contact with any part of these poisonous-to-thetouch plants.

You touched poison ivy, p. oak or p. sumac, but do you have poisoning?

If you have recently been in contact with any one of these poisonous plants and you’re experiencing an allergic reaction, it’s more than likely you are having an adverse reaction to any one of these plant’s urushiol, which is the resin causing the rash. The itching & redness typically appear within the first 20 minutes or it might take as long as up to 48 hours after you have been exposed. The time interval

Issue 1, 2021

for this rash to first appear varies widely from person to person—similarly once the rash is established, it can last anywhere from a few days up to two weeks or longer.

Typically, the first signs of an allergic reaction is the appearance of redness of the skin accompanied by a severe burning itch.

In some cases, your skin may swell. Once your skin becomes blotchy red and itchy, most often it next forms large oozing blisters in rows (due to the way the ivy rubbed against your skin).

If the poisoning is severe enough, the blisters shall continue to erupt appearing very large, resulting in extreme swelling and discomfort. Additionally, those highly allergic individuals may experience running a fever, muscle aches and pains, swollen glands, or even sustain damage to their kidneys. Note: Kidney damage, while rare, is a very serious medical condition that requires immediate medical attention.

You already have the rash If you have poison ivy, stay calm. The rash is just an allergy to the urushiol—not an infection. If you have a severe rash on a large portion of your body, seek immediate medical assistance, especially if you’re experiencing extreme itching, or think you may be experiencing signs of an infection.

If you’re not experiencing a severe reaction, there are ways you can ease the pain of your poison ivy rash discomfort. One of the most well-known ways to reduce itching/swelling is to place the affected area of your body under cold running water for several minutes.

While this provides temporary relief, it helps by reducing the itchy feeling by calming your nerve endings that are located on the outer layer of your skin. It seems that the presence of running cold water prevents the nerve endings from signaling to your brain, you are itchy.

There also are products sold on the market created to aid in the discomfort of poison ivy, p. oak and p. sumac rash. The most popular widely used remedy, calamine lotion dries pink on the skin surface forms a protective layer over your rash, aids in keeping it clean and simultaneously relieves your itching. Doctors may prescribe taking stronger remediative action by applying either strong lotions or taking pills containing antihistamines, as these are most effective in soothing and calming your itchy rash, at the risk of making you appear groggy.

Either one of these methods, when repeated every few hours, will provide you with some form of relief, but it will not remove your poisoning. You will have to wait several days more for your reaction to clear up on its own since there exists no cure for poison ivy rash/contact dermatitis.

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VEGETATION CONTROL

Poison ivy rash victim leg.

Poison ivy rash victim arm.

Things you should not do once you have the rash.

While you have the rash, you will most likely be extremely itchy - avoid scratching yourself at all costs. Scratching will not spread the rash, however it can lead to serious skin infections and as good as it might feel, only further irritates your skin causing you to itch still more.

If you must scratch, doctors recommend scratching gently around the perimeter of the inflamed itchy areas without actually touching the rash.

BEST LINE OF DEFENSE Everything you need to know about defending yourself against poison ivy, p. oak, p.sumac (and bonus tips) The culprit is the plant’s clear odorless resin—urushiol—it is found to exist throughout the plant entirely. Poison ivy always makes its appearance known either as a bushy shrub, vine, or ground cover. Its presence is most everywhere. It can be found living in woods, climbing a tree, tall fields of grass, in areas of thick underbrush, mountain crevices, beneath

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T

he incessant itching. The redness and rash. Those oozing blisters. Sound familiar? If you answered yes to any or all, chances are you have met with either poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac. Come into contact with any one of these poisonous-to-the- touch plants and they immediately can rein down their wrath of painful symptoms in as little as 20 minutes and last up to several days. As this saying goes, “Where the devil spits, poison ivy grows, Beware!” rocks, beneath fallen leaves on the forest floor, in mulched garden beds, public gardens, used car lots, golf courses, sidewalk cracks, beneath boardwalks, or sandy coastal dunes. It exhibits three green leaflets shared by one common stem that forms the leaf entire. During spring, the leaves first emerge as tiny bright red—turning to shiny bright green

as they mature. Throughout the summer they persist as darker shades of green that provides them with the necessary camouflage to remain and go undetected.

In autumn, the leaves turn bright shades of yellow, pink, purple, orange and red always remain toxic to touch.

The unfortunate part—and far too many of us have been there—is

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that roughly 85% of us are allergic to urushiol. Once you make contact, your skin will rapidly breakout in an itchy, red, blistering burning rash—is one that can last for several weeks. Typically this rash is accompanied being met with many sleepless nights, as the rash is extremely uncomfortable to deal with.

So, what’s the secret to avoiding this unwanted rash? The best line of defense is knowing your enemy, as to how to recognize it and how to protect yourself against its ravages. Here is a working “everythingyou-need-to-know” guide to use to avoid that unforgiving itching experience.

What’s that vine?

When it looks like a hairy rope, don’t be a dope. Poison ivy regardless as to its form, can live as a ubiquitous vine within most areas of the country. The vines dimension varies from existing like a thin piece of spaghetti to one that can grow 10 inches thick.

How does the plant grow?

All poison ivy plants live either as a bush, ground cover, or trailing vine. These plants are polymorphic and tend to change both their colors and leaf shapes over time. The leaves themselves vary in shape and leaf arrangements. The common form leaves of 3, from time to time, may vary by exhibiting 4, 5, 6 leaves… all are poisonous to touch. Poison ivy can survive the harshest extremes of all known growing conditions.

It can withstand searing dry heat, heavy downpours, saltwater marshes, coastal dunes, windswept rocky mountain tops, forest floors, private and public gardens.

It thrives best in the hottest, most humid and wet conditions.

All forms are known to exist in 42 of our contiguous 48 states. Interestingly,

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mature vines can live up to 50 years plus, and attain heights exceeding 100 feet. As a measured result of climate change and increased presence of atmospheric CO2 has significantly contributed to making these plants more virulent to the touch, knowing these plants have expanded their range of growth northward continue posing themselves as a still greater threat to human safety than just a few short years ago. Judging from the looks of this, it shall continue into the foreseeable future.

All dead parts of these plants continue remaining toxic-to-the-touch long after the plant has died as the Urushiol residue once contained inside still remains active, can last upwards of seven years.

` The rash does not heal after two weeks. ` You have tender, swollen glands on

either one of both sides of your neck. ` You have swelling in either your arms and or legs. ` You have questions or concerns about your condition or care.

Return to the hospital emergency room if: ` You have a fever. ` You have redness, swelling and tenderness around the rash. ` You have trouble breathing. ` You develop an infection within the rash sores.

Self-care Always keep your poison ivy rash

Taking precautions — You and poison ivy Poison ivy rash is avoidable. Know how to IDentify this plant and all its parts that way you know what to look out for. Start by avoiding direct contact with all of the following: ` Vines ` Flowers ` Leaves ` Berries/seeds ` Branches ` Pollen ` Roots

clean and dry: Wash it often with soap

and water, and then gently pat it dry with a clean towel. Never rub your rash.

Try not to scratch or rub your rash:

This can cause your skin to become irritated, plus scratching the rash causes you to itch more and leaves you at further risk for the open sores becoming infected.

Apply a hot compress frequently and

If you come into contact with any one of these plants’ parts, immediately wash all exposed body parts with cold soapy running water to minimize rash outbreak. The active ingredient urushiol is what is held responsible causes the rash.

Once skin contact has been made, you have 15 minutes to decontaminate yourself from the invisible oils. After that, hope and pray that you caught it in time.

often directly cover your rash: Dip a clean washcloth into hot water. Wring it out and place it on top of your rash.

The heat will assist in releasing trapped histamines located beneath your skin and provide you with temporary “itch relief”.

Contact your healthcare provider if: ` The rash erupts and covers more than 1/4 of your skin, or spreads to your eyes, mouth or genital areas.

` Avoid nicotine.

When your rash is active: Ways to reduce or minimize your “itch”. ` Avoid consuming caffeinated foods:

coffee, tea, coke and chocolate. ` Avoid Red Bull. ` Avoid alcoholic beverages. ` Avoid eating pistachios nuts, cashew

VEGETATION CONTROL

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POISON PLANTS

nuts or mangoes, as they each are closely related to poison ivy and their consumption needlessly intensifies the “itch”.

If your rash is too large to cover with a hot compress, take three or four cornstarch baths daily. Mix one pound of cornstarch with a little warm water to make a paste. Add the paste to a tub full of warm water mixing well. Immerse your body into the water filled tub. Colloidal oatmeal baths equally work, always use lukewarm water.

your healthcare provider. Keep a list of all known medicines, vitamins and herbs taken—including the amounts, Bring this list or pill bottles with you to follow-up visits. Always carry your medication list with you in case of an emergency.

Follow up with your healthcare provider as directed. Write down your questions so you remember to ask them during your visits.

Medicines Antiseptics, drying creams or ointments: These medicines are good

for drying out your poison ivy rash and decrease the itching. These products may be available over the counter without a doctor’s prescription. Calamine, Witch hazel, Benadryl.

Antihistamines: Sold over the counter, these medications may or may not help decrease itching and pain, only may cause you to become groggy as they can put you to sleep. They are available over the counter without a doctor’s prescription.

Steroids: Depending upon the active

strength of this treatment it may require a doctor’s prescription. This medication helps decrease the amount of itchiness and inflammation. Topically it is applied directly to the rash either as a creme, a spray, or ingested daily as a pill.

Remember to follow the manufacturer’s label instructions on all medications or treatments you use. If you don’t think the treatment is working effectively or suffer from any adverse side effects, immediately discontinue use and contact

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Poison ivy (red) spring growth.

This happens because areas covered by thin skin erupt as a rash first. Your face and forearms may erupt in a rash before thicker skinned areas like palms or legs can occur days later..

Wear skin protection: Wearing long

pants, a long-sleeved shirt and disposable (nitrile) gloves are all good choices. When available, use a skin block protection lotion to safeguard your skin against making contact with poison ivy’s oil. Sold in drugstores without a prescription.

Wash all your contaminated clothing previously worn together, but separate from all other household laundry. It is important to rinse out the insides of the washing machine tub after you washed all your clothes, otherwise you run the risk of cross contamination taking place inside the washing machine tub which exposes the next load of laundry to the remains of urushiol. By washing out the tub prevents others later on from mysteriously getting poison ivy rash. Always discard poison ivy contaminated leather items like gloves, shoes, boots as there remains no safe way to decontaminate them. Poison ivy oil has a long shelf life and remains active on hard surfaces for up to seven years. Making contact with an old contaminated surface easily can invigorate a newer rash that develops many years later.

Never burn poison ivy plants: In the

Stopping the spread You cannot spread poison ivy simply by touching your rash or the oozing liquid that comes from leaking blisters. Poison ivy only is spread when you touch your skin directly with urushiol. You may think your rash is spreading because newer rashes continue to erupt by spreading over several days more time.

event Poison ivy smoke lands on your skin, gets into your eyes, ears, nose, mouth, throat or lungs it can cause you a deathly rash. Once poison ivy laden smoke gets inside your lungs you next run the risk of developing poison ivy blisters deeper still within your lungs, that once they burst causes your difficulty breathing, and if not treated in time can cause your death.

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BEFORE YOU GO

10 poison ivy myths you should know Myth No. 1 — Poison ivy rash is “contagious”.

FALSE: Poison ivy rash actually is an allergic response to urushi-

ol, it is the plant’s resin that is similarly shared by poison ivy, oak and sumac. While the rash, once it is touched cannot be spread from person to person, prior contact made with urushiol-contaminated items easily can spread the rash to others by them touching or making direct physical contact with any one of the contaminated surfaces.

Myth No. 2 — Scratching your blisters will cause the rash to spread.

FALSE: Since the poison ivy rash is a result of being allergic to the plant’s urushiol, you cannot spread the rash simply by touching your fluid filled blisters. However, if or when urushiol remains actively located on your hands, or elsewhere, you easily can spread it to multiple parts of your body or to others.

Myth No. 3 — If I wasn’t allergic to poison ivy once, I shall never be.

FALSE: If you have never been in contact with poison ivy

before or never experienced an allergic reaction despite making contact with any of these plants, does this mean you’re immune to urushiol? Over time, your body may develop sensitivity to urushiol after just one limited exposure. Yet for others who appear to exist as immune or more resistant, they might require themselves being repeatedly exposed several times to poison ivy before noticeable rash symptoms first appear Myth No. 4 — Once you experience poison ivy allergy, you’re always allergic.

FALSE: Your sensitivity to urushiol periodically may change or

by knowing the urushiol is airborne and immediately shall locate itself inside your eyes, ears, nose, face, throat and lungs.

Myth No. 6 — You can only get poison ivy rash by touching a poison ivy plant.

FALSE: While the most common way to get a poison ivy reaction

is to physically touch a poison ivy plant, you can still get an allergic rash by touching something that previously has the plant’s urushiol on it, such as contaminated worn clothing or shoes, your pet’s fur, a contaminated door knob, or gardening equipment, etc.

Myth No. 7 — Once a poison ivy plant is dead, the

poison ivy plant no longer remains toxic-to-touch.

FALSE: Urushiol always remains active within either a dead or alive

plant. It also remains active on all previously contaminated non-porous surfaces, along with leather and clothing. It can remain active as long as seven long years. Recent studies suggest that if urushiol were to be found existing inside any one of the great pyramids of ancient Egypt, the Urushiol to this day would remain toxically active.

Myth No. 8 — Keeping yourself completely covered

will prevent an allergic reaction from occurring.

FALSE: Although wearing protective clothing, i.e., long sleeve

shirt, pants, gloves while working is a great ounce of prevention measure, it does not guarantee you will not come into direct contact with urushiol elsewhere afterwards, since the invisible resin adheres to all clothing, tools, shoes, and surfaces allows for accidentally making contact with any outer existing surface of any one of your previously worn but now discarded protection suit, tools etc.

Myth No. 9 — If it has, “leaves of three, let it be.”

If it “looks like, hairy rope, don’t be dope!”

alter over time. You may become more or less sensitive during different peak times of the year, or for that matter within your own lifetime. By example: a) Spring provides the greater risk of exposure to poison ivy through inhaling poison ivy pollen. b) If as a child you were once allergic to urushiol, as an adult it may have the opposite effect on you, or vice versa.

FALSE: This great sayings serve as a constant reminder that are held true only for poison ivy/poison oak. Distinguishing: poison sumac leaves never are grouped in 3s. Poison sumac leaf can exhibit up to 13 leaflets, and unlike poison ivy, p. oak, poison sumac never grows as a vine.

Myth No. 5 — If you’re standing near a poison ivy

Myth No. 10

TRUE: In order to experience a poison ivy allergy, you must come in direct contact with poison ivy. When a poison ivy plant is either in flower pollinating, or by burning any of these plants and inhaling the resulting smoke, it is possible to experience poison ivy allergy,

FALSE: While there is no known cure for poison ivy, poison

plant, you may experience an allergic response.

Issue 1, 2021

— There is no way to prevent a poison ivy rash oak, poison sumac the best means of prevention is avoidance through proper plant IDentification. Learn to IDentify so as to avoid making contact.

VEGETATION CONTROL

11

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Poison Ivy - Early Red Spring Growth

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Poison Ivy Woody Vine On Fence

Poison Ivy With Flower Bracts Showing

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1. WHAT CAN I DO TO RELIEVE THE ITCH? There is no cure for the rash once it begins, only relief from the symptoms. Avoid further contact with the plant oils if possible. Once contact is made with the oil, immediately flush exposed body parts with cold running water and soap. Seek medical attention if rash persists for more than 3 days.

2. DO THE BLISTERS, OR BREAKING THEM CAUSE THE RASH TO SPREAD? No. The blisters are the body’s natural allergic response to the poisonous plants. If the blisters break and ooze, this fluid does not cause rash to spread further. Once original contact is made with the plant, the rash caused by the oil will continue spreading until such time the oil is washed from the body. If new areas of rash appear after 3 days, you are getting re-exposed to the plant oil, most likely occurs from contaminated clothing, tools, or even your cat or dog.

3. CAN I GET THE RASH FROM SOMEONE ELSE? Usually, no. When the rash appears (within 1-3 days), the original oil already has bonded to the victim’s skin, so it can’t be spread to others.

4. HOW LONG DOES THE URUSHIOL RESIN LAST? URUSHIOL DOES NOT EVAPORATE since it is not an oil, it is a resin. It can remain active for several years or longer once transfered to hand tools, clothing, pet’s fur, kid’s toys, etc.

5. I’VE NEVER HAD POISON IVY RASH BEFORE. CAN I GET IT NOW? Yes, you can begin getting the rash at any time during your life. Three out of four people are sensitive to poison ivy/oak. Sensitivity is just a matter of being exposed enough times until the body becomes allergic to physical contact being made the poisonous oils.

6. SHOULD I WRAP OR COVER THE RASH WITH BANDAGES? No. Air is helpful to healing any wound. It is important to keep the rash clean. Seek medical attention if rash persists more than 3 days, turns red, becomes feverish, or show signs of infection.

7. ARE DEAD P.I. PLANTS SAFE TO TOUCH OR BURN? No. The poisonous oils remain active, does not evaporate, should not be touched. All parts dead or alive, including the roots, contain the irritant urushiol, a resin that causes the rash. Never burn dead vines or wood.

8. DO I NEED TO CLEAN URUSHIOL RESIN FROM MY CLOTHING AND TOOLS? Yes. The poison ivy resin remains active on an item’s surface, causing a rash occurring months, or even years later. Thorough removal by washing the resin away from a strong cleanser is important to avoid future contamination by unsuspecting victims.

9. CAN I GET THE RASH FROM MY PETS? Yes. the animal’s fur protects their skin against poison ivy resin. However, the resin will remain active on their fur, and upon touching will contaminate you.

Suggested removal of the poisonous resin should be performed with a strong P.I. soap, to help avoid future contamination and rash by family members.

All photos, text and layout are copyrighted by Poison Ivy Removal Inc. 2021 ©