Poison ivy, oak, and nasty sumac no detectorist friend

[49er12]

Had to post this, as careful as I try to be in the woods just recently, I’m hopefully recovering from a rather bad case of poison sumac, never had, yes I dress properly however much have gotten it knelling down in the damp wooded area. I’m sure some of you have experienced this, sorry. So other than scrubbing with pharmacy stuff and even a nurse said use reliable dawn dish soap to dry up. The point is no matter what , take your clothes off after coming home, so you don’t spread to family and even pets, it’s a son of a ***** to finally get rid of depending how bad you got it, my case almost a month approximately, thanks fellowship

 

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[Kray Gelder]

I've had a bad experience with poison ivy. Huge blisters, itching and misery. A must-avoid plant.

 

[Trezurehunter]

That is some wicked stuff. My wife is so allergic, that she cant even touch my clothes when I get home.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

I don't recall ever seeing poison oak or p.sumac (but then I wouldn't recognize it). We're loaded with poison ivy in the woods around our house but, so far, I don't have any reaction.

In the 1973 National Boy Scout Jamboree we had an empty lot beside our campsite (jammed in tight everywhere else) and it was a great spot to play frisbee and catch . . . until we noticed the poison ivy! And THEN the camp director shows up with some signs and ropes to cordon off the area! One guy ended up looking like he was covered in second degree burns and had to be sent home. A couple others had a rash but most of us had no reaction. Though I understand it can change with prolonged exposure.

We have friends who cleared some of their bushy property and the husband was burning off the piles of cut brush. The wife, who is allergic to poison ivy, got a rash inside her throat and started to have trouble breathing. Apparently from the smoke of burning poison ivy that was in with with the bushes.

 

[49er12]

Yeah it’s serious stuff I found out, my knee area, red rash, oil gotta get dried out swelling, Benadryl cream for itch and allergic reaction, incredible so I’ve been not going out makes me mad cause it’s all I like to do other than being outdoors, suppose I could detect shorelines or open areas, thanks be carefully

 

[SpareSomeChange]

Dealt with this many times unfortunately. Had to go to the doctor twice for steroids to dry it out as it had completely covered my body. Got it again this past summer while out detecting. Worst than that is having to constantly put something down before you lay on anything and washing everything as after only using it once. If any of the poison oozes onto your sheets pillow, couch etc it will keep spreading. Best thing is lava soap and some poison scrub stuff they sell at CVS will little sandy beads in it.

Like Charlie said too, a friend of mine started a fire with some poison sumac (after I told him not too) 2 days later he knocked on my door looking like a monster, so swollen he could hardly breathe or see. Nasty stuff in every form.

 

[ticndig]

I took Rhus tox over 45 years ago and have not had poison Ivy since . I have been in poison of all types so thick I was really pushing my luck and came out unharmed. https://www.buyrhustox.com/what-is-rhus-tox

 

[A2coins]

Sorry that happened to you. It doesnt seem to effect me well not yet anyway

 

[A2coins]

I did step on a bees nest in the ground looked like forest hump running with all my gear those things were right with me lol

 

[villagenut]

I got ate up with it once before.......only once, and now I never go into thick brush anymore....i do not want to chance that misery ever again....ever!

 

[civil_war22]

Luckily that’s stuff I don’t have to be worried about being allergic to. I’ve rolled in it, burned it, and have them right in my front yard. Grew up in the woods, and only thing I can say I don’t want to tangle with is ground wasps

 

[Kantuckkeean]

Take care of yourself. That stuff can be fatal. There's an old wives' tale that eating poison ivy berries can make you immune or cure it or something. Seems like every few years I read about someone dying from eating the berries or inhaling the smoke from burning poison ivy vines.

Kindest regards,
Kantuck

 

[civil_war22]

I’ve seen it happen. Being a medically retired law enforcement officer, I’ve seen individuals try, and get HIGH on this stuff. They got high, they didn’t come back down either

 

[djqix]

I've never encountered sumac or oak that I know of. Poison ivy is another story. I get it every summer. My father could pull it out by the roots all day long with no problems, just the same as my 2 boys. Not me. Back of the knees is a really sucky place to get it, same with between the toes and fingers. Around where I'm at, there's a weed that grows right next to the ivy called Jewel Weed that's supposed to breakup and remove the oils from the ivy. Some of the locals here swear by it.

 

[civil_war22]

I've never encountered sumac or oak that I know of. Poison ivy is another story. I get it every summer. My father could pull it out by the roots all day long with no problems, just the same as my 2 boys. Not me. Back of the knees is a really sucky place to get it, same with between the toes and fingers. Around where I'm at, there's a weed that grows right next to the ivy called Jewel Weed that's supposed to breakup and remove the oils from the ivy. Some of the locals here swear by it.

I’ve heard of that weed. Not sure it’s effectiveness, but when I worked at city they handed out yearly packets of pills for it, course I never took any

 

[Kantuckkeean]

Jewelweed is Impatiens sp. also sometimes called touch-me-knot because when going to seed, the pods send their seeds flying when touched. Hummingbirds love the flowers when blooming. The flowers are commonly yellow or orange for the native varieties. It grows in moist soils, often along streams or at forest edges. It is sometimes associated with stinging nettle. If you break the stem and squeeze out the juice, it does soothe the burning caused by stinging nettle. I've done that before. I don't get poison ivy very badly, so I've never tried using jewelweed for poison ivy. Google Impatiens capensis (Orange jewelweed) if you want to see some photos. I can't recall the yellow species name just now.

Kindest regards,
Kantuck

 

[Kantuckkeean]

Never mind. I found it... My wife had rearranged my books. Text says that it's good for poison ivy.


From: "A Guide to the Wildflowers & Ferns of Kentucky" by Mary E. Wharton and Roger W. Barbour, The University Press of Kentucky. Copyright 1971. Lexington, Kentucky.

Kindest regards,
Kantuck

 

[fistfulladirt]

I’m another one not allergic, I can pull the plant by the roots with bare hands.

 

[pa plateau hiker]

That happened to me years ago, only it was poison ivy, and I was kneeling down digging for bottles. After digging for some time, I noticed I was in poison ivy. I told myself, no use to quit digging as I was already in contact with the stuff, so I kept searching for bottles. Sure enough I got a bad case, with blisters between my fingers. I missed a week of work. 49er12, take a hot shower, as hot as you can stand it. This has always helped me to make the itching go away. It may help for sumac.

 

[No gold in NY]

Lets not forget wild parsnip. The juice on your skin is not so bad. But when exposed to sunlight it will cause caustic burns with large blisters. After it heals, you will have a tan mark that will last a year.



Think this don't hurt? Better learn to identify wild parsnip.