This may sound strange but this is got to be connected to big game hunting. I went with some hunting buddys friday and set up stands and put out corn for bow season. While there I managed to get in close contact with poison ivey, oak, or sumac. Dont know which and dont care. I know what it looks like by sight but where we hunt it is so thick to avoid it means to stay home. So I came home and saturday started itching. Now I have been here before, no problem, I went and got some benidril 2% cream and applied it. Problem was I got infected (???) very near my shooting eye and started itching and swelling something awful. I tried putting cream on it but was too close to my eye. Went to Dr. today and $65.00 later am on my way to recovery.

I said all that to say this; Is there anything that can be done to prevent this problem? Someone said there is a spray that you use to keep from contracting the dreaded ivey/oak/sumac. Does anyone know of such an ointment? This happens to me almost every year and is getting a bit old. Thanks for the help.

Good luck and good shooting,
Eterry

Eterry, I don't know of a preventitive medication for the poisons, but here is a tip. All of the poisons you mentioned produce an oil called urushiol. It is transmitted by the leaves, or vines if they are broken or cut. Long story short, if you can get the urushiol off of your skin before the reaction is in effect it will be a better situation. There is an over the counter product called ZANFEL Wash, which is specifially for the elimination of urushioil. I have used it after being certain of getting into various of the poisons, and it has been a huge help in stopping/reducing the itching and breakouts. In fact it just flat stops both for me. If you do a search online, you will probably find a lot of info on this stuff. I am a big fan of ZANFEL, and I keep a tube or two around the house, it isn't cheap, I think about $25 or so a tube, but I really think it is worth it. It is a myth that scrathing it and 'weaping' cause the urushiol to spread.

Regards--Don

Try this link Eterry--Don

http://www.zanfel.com/

when you are out there in the stuff pick some manzanita leaves if you know you have come in contact with some poison oak. not sure about its use on sumac or ivy but on poison oak it works...first of all use a strong soap and a cold shower to where you know you have had direct exposure. next use the manzanita leaves to make a tea. boil the leaves in a little bit of water (approx 20 leaves for 5 min) let it cool and use cotton balls to swab and dab the area apply a few times and this will take away half the itching and reduce the duration by about half. after the manzanita use benadryl GEL the gel will coat the area and prevent further spreading and the antihistamine will take out the itch. and most of all DONT ITCH! i have had it many times and over 1/3rd of my body on most of those. had it so bad once i went to the hospital. i speak from experience on this one. if you break the skin and it starts to weap it will spread like crazy so if you cant stop scratching cover it with a bandage. the manzanita is free and the gel will cost about 8$ good luck
http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images/view?back=...no=3&tt=193&ei=UTF-8

One of my hunting buddies gets it real bad. Now before he gets into it, he coats himself with a barrier like IVY BLOCK or the barrier cream from TECHNU. He claims this helps a lot.
Good Luck!

I do not get Poison Ivy, or any of that other stuff either. However my wife is VERY suspectable to it. We have it in the creek behind our house, she gets it every year from our cats. Some times she gets it so bad she has to call the doctor. He prescribes something that works pretty good. If you have it bad call your doctor.

Ivy Block works well. If you think you got into some, LYE soap works to get the oils off. Since I started with this combo, I have not had any rashes in two years. My B-I-L put his stand in a place that looks like it was cultivated in poison ivy. Obviously not real bright.

I don't get poison ivy, but my wife does. for years she didn't but after getting it once, each year she gets more and more susceptible. something you may have to watch out for in the future

Thanks for the replies. I am doing better, rash near eye is doing good. Am on methyprednisone and a big shot of something in my butt.

Don, I have located a dealer for Zanfel and will get some later today. I will probably need it, went back to the red river today to put up a ground blind. The best news is I saw a nice 8 point buck, spread to the ear tips, nosing around my feeder. Am gonna try to stick an arrow in him saturday morning.

Boom Stick, I looked at the attachment and have never seen a tree like that in this country. I am afraid it is not indiginious to this region.

Blacktailer, am still searching for ivy block or Technu locally. You guys should buy a few shares of stock in all of them, as if it works will be using a LOT of it in the future. Its funny how when young I hardly ever got it, but am getting infected now several times a year, mostly during bow season. Well, am off to practice with my bow. Thanks for the help.

Good luck and good shooting,


Eterry

HELLO THE CAMPFIRE:
Speaking as a self inflicted expert on poison ive and poison oak,. the best thing to do is stay the hell out of it That said, any poison ive or oakon the face need to see a Dr. ASAP.
Washing works if youcan do it quickly enough.
Ive bolck is good if you know you are gong to get into it. I am not sure about how it works if ou are sweating.
Remember you can be Re-exposed handeling your dirty clothes as the oil stayes on them util washed.
I was not suseptable to poison oak or ivefor many years and often pulled it out for other peple. Then I started being affected a litle. now a lot. The reaction gets worse with each exposure.
I am thinking about the anti-poison ive/oak shots, and would recomend them to any one who has a bad reaction.
An imoprtant note is to be sure of what you wipe your butt with, and to not handle your male members if it might be on your hands. It can be a BADDDD PROBLEM in either of those places.
Finally remember that the vine itself is infectus even if the leaves are gone.
JS

some manzanita info...

it grows throughout the southwest


http://www.laspilitas.com/groups/manzanita_arctostaphylos/Manzanita.html

http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2002/April/04/.../stories/12style.htm


it grows in arrid areas and is pretty common in california. it also mentions about the poison oak


Travis Semmes: Native Guide
Manzanita berries are best cooked
From the Jan. 25, 2001, Sentinel file

With its smooth, reddish-brown bark, manzanita begs to be touched. This flashy shrub occurs in many forms throughout the West. So many that I lump them all together under their genus, Arctostaphylos, and refer to them as manzanita.

Whereas some of the uses of this plant differ between species, all manzanita berries can be eaten raw — though most people prefer them cooked — made into jelly, or used to make a cider-like drink.

You’ll probably find the berries too dry and mealy to enjoy while on the trail, but because they occur in such large quantities, and strip from the plant so easily, it’s not difficult to harvest the half-gallon you’ll need to make jelly.

It was once common knowledge to many Native Americans (and well-known by settlers and pioneers) that the leaves of one species, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, make an excellent tobacco substitute, or smoking mixture ingredient.

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, or kinnikinic as it was called when used for smoking, does not grow in Santa Cruz County. But it does grow from northern California to Alaska, in the Rockies and across Eurasia. It’s a very low- growing variety that creeps like ground cover.

This species was once sought and gathered for the sole purpose of adding it to a smoking mixture, or in the cowboy’s case, stretching a dwindling tobacco supply while out on the range.

At the recommendation of a local botanist, I’ve roasted the shiny, exfoliating bark of local manzanita species, A. tomentosa, to add to a smoking mixture.

It had an appealing taste, almost nutty.

"Edible and Useful Plants of California," by Charlotte Bringle Clarke, notes some other uses of manzanita. She wrote that some native Californian tribes used manzanita leaves to make a "wash or lotion for poison oak, a drink for headache, (and) a poultice for sores."

You won’t be able to gather manzanita fruit right now, but I suggest you learn the plant, find where it grows in large numbers and return in the summer with a basket. Use the berries in any jelly recipe.

When collecting, be sure to leave some for critters, like foxes, as they rely heavily on the fruit when they’re in season. Bears also feast on the small berries — not here so much, but where the plant and the omnivore overlap there’s always a reliance of the big one on the little one.

Down south in the coastal Transverse Range of San Luis Obispo County, a black bear visits my parents’ rural property at the end of every summer, eating apples from an old, forgotten tree and leaving some how-do-ya-do, manzanita- berry-laden scat as way of saying thanks.

When collecting, also keep in mind the California Native Plant Society has put many of the Arctostaphylos species on their rare and endangered plant list. Like always, treat the shrub with respect, and in this case don’t ever kill, damage or disturb one.

(Just a note: manzanita’s smooth-red bark will not retain its beauty if you cut it from the tree. It’ll dry out, fade and crack, so just admire it in situ, and leave the saw at home.)


Common names: Manzanita, bearberry, kinnikinic, pinguica, madroño borracho.

Botanical name: Arctostaphylos sp.

Family: Ericaceae (Heath Family).

Description: Bark is reddish-brown, shiny and smooth, but usually exfoliating on older branches and trunks. It’s similar to the bark of its cousin, madrone, but manzanita’s bark a darker red, and it’s foliage is more refined.
Leaves are leathery, under an inch and a half long, green to gray-green and round-oval or oval-pointed. Very small pink to white, urn-shaped flower clusters appear in early spring and give way to reddish-brown fruit in summer.

The berries are about a quarter-inch across. Manzanita is a Spanish word meaning "little apple." With a some imagination, you should be able to see the comparison.


Habitat: Found in nearly every county throughout state, manzanita likes dry areas and is common in chaparral and among live oak, juniper and/or pine.

Locally found: The Santa Cruz Mountains are home to several different species, and with its easy-to-identify red bark, you should be able to locate at least one of them if you keep your eyes open. Try areas above 950 feet, with moderate to full sun. In other words, check the chaparral.

Collecting: Berries can be picked when green or red, and used appropriately. Remember to treat the plant with respect, and not to pick all your quarry from one area.

Thanks Boom Stick,
Next time my wife gets a good case (she gets it from the DOG not from ME), I'll whip out the back door to the big old manzanita tree and make up some tea. It's certainly worth a try.

In the northeast there is a plant called jewelweed. The sap from the stem will relieve the itching and rash of poison ivy.

quote:

Originally posted by Blacktailer:
Thanks Boom Stick,
Next time my wife gets a good case (she gets it from the DOG not from ME), I'll whip out the back door to the big old manzanita tree and make up some tea. It's certainly worth a try.

another mention of manzanita for a cure

more than you ever wanted to know.

http://waynesword.palomar.edu/ww0802.htm

Poison oak urushiol causes a complicated delayed allergic reaction with the body's immune system. It is technically classified as a cell-mediated immune response and the "peak misery" may not appear until days or weeks later. It is quite different from the primary irritants of nettle and euphorbias, the effects of which are immediate. The following hypothetical "two-phase" scenario for poison oak dermatitis is summarized from Epstein (1984). PHASE I (Induction): Initial contact with poison oak may result in urushiol penetrating the stratified squamous epithelial cells of the skin and binding to large dendritic (branched) white blood cells in the epidermis called Langerhan's cells. See Figure 4 below.



Figure 4. Illustration showing a hypothetical mechanism for the poison oak scenario: a delayed action, cell-mediated immune response.
[Note: Some immunology textbooks state that the urushiol allergen is engulfed by the Langerhan's cells. The allergen and a small protein fragment called "major histocompatibility complex" (MHC) is then displayed on its membrane and presented to the effector T-cells.]


The Langerhan's cell (with urushiol allergen and MHC protein on its membrane) migrates to a nearby lymph node where clones of special white blood cells, called effector T-cells, are programmed to recognize urushiol. [Note: Some immunology textbooks refer to these clones of T-cells, with urushiol receptor sites on their membranes, as "helper T-cells." There are literally millions of effector T-cells (helper T-cells) roaming throughout the blood and lymphatic system, each with special receptor molecules on their membranes for a particular allergenic chemical, such as the urushiol of poison oak. T-cells patrol our circulatory system looking for invading cells and viruses, inspecting surface membranes like security guards checking I.D. cards.

PHASE II (Elicitation): If you get urushiol absorbed into the skin during a subsequent encounter with poison oak, an effector T-cell may encounter it bound to a Langerhan's cell and attach to it by a complicated and specific recognition system. The effector T-cell then produces more clones of itself and releases special proteins called lymphokines (cytokines) which attract a legion of different white blood cells, including "cell engulfing" macrophages and cytotoxic ("killer") T-cells. The killer T-cells are also produced in regional lymph nodes during the Elicitation phase, and according to some textbooks, they also have urushiol receptors on their membranes. The new army of white blood cells releases lytic enzymes and protein toxins (perforins) which destroy everything in the vicinity including membrane-bound urushiol and other skin cells, thus producing a blistering rash. Fluid oozes from the blood vessels and lymphatics (edema) and cell death and necrosis (breakdown) of skin tissue occurs. Milder effects range from redness (vasodilation) and itching (nerve injury) to small blisters (vesicles and bullae).

Explanations for natural immunity to poison oak are complicated by myths, conflicting reports and ongoing controversies among authorities. Sensitization depends on the chance meeting of a special effector T-cell (with correct receptor site) and the poison oak allergen--a painful biochemical rendezvous. You may not have effector T-cells with the special receptor for urushiol--or perhaps your relatively few effector T-cells with precise poison oak receptor may never encounter the urushiol allergen. The allergen may be absorbed and degraded before the T-cells find it. If the truth is known, most people will probably experience some degree of dermatitis if a sufficient quantity of urushiol is thoroughly rubbed into their skin. You may even be sensitized by a white blood cell transfusion from a sensitized person. Immunity to poison oak with age, exposure and homeopathic remedies may involve suppressor T-cells which inhibit or block the action and reproduction of other T-cells. Circulating IgG immunoglobulin antibodies that block the T-cell receptor for urushiol may also be involved (Stampf et al, 1990).

Since the HIV virus attacks helper T-cells, persons afflicted with the deadly disease AIDS have a serious deficiency in cellular (T-cell) immunity. AIDS patients may not have problems with poison oak dermatitis and this likely reflects their decreased cellular immunity. In fact, one treatment for AIDS patients is to try to sensitize them to another allergenic chemical (dinitrochlorobenzene) in order to stimulate T-cell production (Striker et al, 1994).

During the last century scientists have tried all sorts of homeopathic remedies made from extracts of poison oak. Some products, such as poison oak tablets and droplets, have been withdrawn from the market because of severe allergic reactions in hypersensitive people. In fact, the side effects in some people, such as severe anal itching, is often unacceptable. One promising area of desensitization research involves oral pills and intramuscular injections of related or modified urushiol: A molecule similar enough to urushiol to have the same immunological effect, but different enough to avert its excruciating side effects. Several compounds have been used successfully with laboratory animals (Stampf et al, 1986). Future research currently underway may lead to a vaccine that blocks the specific urushiol T-cell receptor and immunizes "high risk" people against urushiol for periods of time (Stampf et al, 1990). In fact, Allergene, a biotech company in San Mateo, California has successfully produced a hybridoma (fused lymphocyte and carcinoma cell) that makes urushiol-binding monoclonal antibodies. These antibodies prevented sensitized mice from reacting with urushiol and may eventually be available in a serum for people.

According to Albert M. Kligman's classic paper on poison oak (1958), there is no evidence of racial immunity to poison oak urushiol, not even among full-blooded Indians; however, black skin is slightly less susceptible. Native Americans were much more "in tune" with nature and probably learned to recognize, respect and avoid the plant at an early age. There is some evidence suggesting that native-born Hawaiians and Asians may be less susceptible to poison oak possibly due to early exposure to mangoes and Japanese lacquer (Epstein and Claiborne, 1957). Eskimos also are thought to be relatively immune, but the genetics of poison oak/ivy susceptibility are very poorly understood on a population basis. On an individual basis, children of very sensitive parents are highly likely to become poison oak sufferers (Walker et al., 1989).

It is difficult to explain how California Indians utilized poison oak so extensively without suffering the ill-effects of urushiol. Perhaps some may have acquired an immunity from early exposure to the plant, or perhaps they handled the plant very cautiously. In addition to using poison oak lacquer as a black dye, Pomo Indians reportedly used it to cure warts (Saunders, 1933). The wart was incised and then fresh resin was applied to the incision. Fresh resin was also used as a cure for ringworm and was applied to rattlesnake bites. Several tribes used the young flexible stems to weave baskets, although squaw bush (Rhus trilobata) branches were more commonly used. According to Balls (1970), Karok Indians of northwestern California covered the bulbs of soap lilies (Chlorogalum pomeridianum) with poison oak leaves and then baked them in earth ovens for food. Other northern California tribes wrapped acorn meal with poison oak leaves during baking.

The list of "treatments" for poison oak is bewildering and in some cases preposterous. Just about every conceivable substance has been tried for topical therapy, from morphine and kerosine to buttermilk and gunpowder. Most authorities agree that lotions, creams and sprays containing anti-inflammatory corticosteroids (hydrocortisones) are the most effective agents to relieve painful, itching rashes. Serious outbreaks may require medical attention and hospitalization. Ideally the best therapy when exposed to poison oak is to wash the contaminated areas thoroughly. The problem is that most ordinary bath soaps have little effect on removing the resinous sap. Have you ever tried removing pine pitch from your arm with facial soap? In fact, added moisturizers and oils in the soap together with brisk rubbing may even spread the urushiol, increasing the area of allergic response. Strong laundry soaps, such as Fels Naptha, may also spread the allergen and be harsh on sensitive skin. Some books still recommend antipruritic (anti-itch) agents such as calamine lotion for mild cases.

Another remedy for the discomfort of itching poison oak lesions was recently reported to WAYNE'S WORD. It is a "pore minimizer" acne treatment with 2% salicylic acid (available from several manufacturers, including Neutrogena® and Johnson & Johnson). According to a recent e-mail message, the pore minimizer "really stops the itching much better than any cortisone or calamine type product, and also stops the weeping and proliferation of the lesions." Although we have not tested this treatment on the WAYNE'S WORD staff, it might be worth trying.

A poultice made from the resinous flowers and leaves of gum plant (Grindelia robusta) was commonly used by Indians and early settlers in California to relieve inflammation and itching.



San Diego gum plant (Grindelia camporum var. bracteosum), a resinous California wildflower used to relieve poison oak dermatitis by native Americans and early immigrants. The unopened flower buds are covered with a white, sticky, aromatic resin that was applied to afflicted areas of the body. This species is listed in older references as G. robusta var. robusta.

Native Americans also made concentrated poultices from boiled leaves of the common shrubs yerba santa and manzanita (Eriodictyon and Arctostaphylos spp.), and from the thick roots of mule ears (Wyethia longicaulis), a resinous, balsam-scented sunflower with large basal leaves (Balls, 1970; Bean and Saubel, 1972). Other reported naturopathic remedies to relieve the inflammation and itching of poison oak rashes include salves made from the crushed leaves of Aloe vera and narrow-leaf plantain (Plantago lanceolata). A poultice made from juicy stems of the North American jewelweeds (Impatiens capensis and I. pallida), succulent wildflowers that grow with poison ivy in the eastern states, is also listed in herbal manuals (Schwartz, 1986); although its value as an effective therapy has been amply disproved (Zink et al, 1991).

A recent editorial in Mushroom The Journal (Winter 1994-95) discussed a mycological cure for poison oak rash by rubbing fungi such as Boletus and Polyporus on the affected skin. This treatment is based on the fact that freshly cut pieces of mushrooms, apples and potatoes turn dark when exposed to the air. The actual mechanism for this blackening process involves the oxidation of phenolic compounds in the tissues of these pieces by the enzyme tyrosinase. The resulting quinones rapidly polymerize into a brown residue. Placing the pieces under water prevents this "unsightly" oxidation. In fact, chefs add lemon juice, which contains the strong reducing agent ascorbic acid; this keeps the phenolics reduced. Since urushiol is a phenolic compound, tyrosinase would probably also detoxify it. The enzymes might also reduce the spreading of urushiol to other parts of the body by deactivating it at the initial site of exposure.

One of the authors (WLE) has studied an even more specific and potent oxidase for urushiol called catechol 2,3 oxidase. This enzyme actually oxidizes the ring structure between carbon atoms # 2 and # 3 and basically destroys the molecule. A bacterial gene was cloned and expressed to produce this recombinant enzyme. In vitro (in a test tube), it oxidized urushiol within seconds. When applied to skin it sometimes prevented a rash, but only if the urushiol was inactivated before penetrating the epidermis. The efficacy of patented creams containing oxidase enzymes depends on the oxidation of urushiol at the initial site of contact before it has penetrated the skin. Once urushiol binds to the protein of skin cell membranes, these creams would have little effect on the subsequent immune response.

A product called Tecnu Oak-n-Ivy® Cleanser is now marketed through forestry supply catalogs. It contains a mixture of organic solvents and wood pulp by-products which remove terpene resins and urushiol from the skin. Thorough rinsing with water is recommended. Other organic solvents, such as rubbing alcohol, would probably also remove the urushiol residue. Of course, if the allergen has already penetrated the epidermal layer and bonded to deeper skin cells it is too late. Interestingly enough, the original Tecnu product was developed to remove radioactive fallout dust from the skin without water (Mermon, 1987). It was supposed to be stocked in fallout shelters across the United States. Later it was found to be highly effective in removing paint resins and, quite by accident, urushiol. [Tecnu is a crude distillate of gasoline and is quite expensive compared to other solvents such as gasoline, paint thinner and acetone.] Another product that claims to remove urushiol from the skin, even after a rash has developed, is called Zanfel™. Check the Zanfel web site for more information.

Another product developed for the U.S. Forest Service is called Ivy Block®. It is an aerosol spray or lotion containing activated bentonite clay used in antiperspirants. Ivy Block® forms a barrier that both prevents urushiol from touching the skin and chemically binds with it so it becomes inactive. Ivy Block® is very effective, but is not a panacea for extremely sensitive people. Another effective blocking agent called StokoGard Outdoor Cream®, a fatty acid ester, is available through industrial supply houses and by asking your pharmacist to order it from Stockhausen, Inc. of Greensboro, North Carolina.


Ivy Block® is a protective lotion containing activated bentonite clay. Ivy Block® forms a barrier that both prevents urushiol from touching the skin and chemically binds with it so it becomes inactive. The cream is applied to exposed areas of the body before going out into poison oak country.

The evolutionary significance of poison oak resin containing urushiol is difficult to explain. The resinous sap probably helps to seal wounds and may retard the growth of infectious fungal and bacterial spores. A chemical defense strategy against "predatory pressure" seems unlikely since the foliage and fruits are eaten by deer, goats, horses, cattle and a variety of birds. In fact, wood rats even use the branches to construct their nests. Only humans appear to have painful encounters with the plant, although laboratory studies indicate sensitivity on exposed skin of guinea pigs, rabbits, mice, sheep, dogs and rhesus monkeys.

In the case of humans, our well-developed immune system may be overreacting to a relatively innocuous plant resin on the skin. But there is a positive side to all of this--research on poison oak may lead to a better understanding of the human immune system and the treatment of renegade viruses and tumor cells. In the final analysis, poison oak may be a blessing in disguise.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I agree, that was more than I needed to know.



Good luck and good shooting,
Eterry

Tecnu makes TWO kinds of cream (I suppose it's a soap or something) for removing urushiol. the "organic" ("natural" ingredients) stuff is more than twice as expensive as the original (?) stuff which is, of course also a mixture of organic compounds. The cheaper stuff works. I don't know about the more expensive stuff. Tecnu also makes a benadryl cream to make you feel better after you have washed the stuff off (if you already have a rash). Theirs is probably about the same as anyone else's benadryl cream.

The cheaper Tecnu really works, even if you already have a rash. If you don't use it, that itch will be around for a while, and may spread.

quote:

I agree, that was more than I needed to know.

eterry,

baby oil on your exposed parts and cover up as best you can. After you come out of the woods wash off with soap and water, roll your clothes up, put on a spare set and have the 'dirty ones' washed separately. Throw your gloves away.

If you 'get it', go to the doc and get an injection of Celisone (sp) which is a derivative of Cortisone. It will knock it out straight away the same day even if it has become advanced. That works for me.

Poison Oak/Ivy is the curse of the blond haired, blue eyed, Caucasian.

DB

If you are near a source of water when you realize you have contacted the plant, immediately wash the affected area. The water can be from a muddy pothole or anything, but it will prevent or at least decrease the severity of the reaction in most cases. Soap is not necessary and sometimes acts like a chemical surfactant spreading the urushoil over the skin.

If you have a mild case of poison ivy say just on the arms or hands, when it begins to itch, turn on the hot water and run it over the affected area - get the water as hot as you can possibly stand it and let it run over the area for a full minute of so. It will surprise you how quick the itch will go away. I have done this multiple times and it works for me. I read about it in an old college plant taxonomy book. Merg

Carry a bar of brown lye soap that you can get in the local supermarket in your pack or truck. I use Fel napha soap. Then get some wheat germ oil from the health food store to rub on when you get it. I get the crap by just being in the same county of it. Bruce

I have seen quite a change in my own experience. I used to get a blister or two a couple of times a year. I got a bad case of it one time and then, for three or four years, it seemed like every time I was in the woods, I had another round of it. I used to dig ginseng and I'd sell $100 worth of root and the Doctor bill for the ivy would cost $75.

Anyway, now, I rarely get any outbreaks at all. Partly because I am ever watchful for the stuff. Maybe, you become tolerant of the oil...I don't know.

I have used every home remedy I could find. My doctor always told me there is nothing you can do for it that it has to run its course. I did read in a home remedy book once that a spray was manufactured that would protect you. It was supposedly very expensive , but the military and forestry services use it. The book went on to say that anti-perspirant was the closes thing to it in chemical make-up. I kept a can of right guard in my ginseng pouch when I'd hunt ginseng after that and I was never bothered with it again, I sprayed my hands with right guard and would was ASAP if I knew I contacted it. Sometimes, that meant I ran to the branch ten feet from me to wash my hands and reapply the right guard. Other times, I'd be two miles from the nearest water.

I really can't say that the right guard worked...maybe its coincidence. However, applying right guard to my hands, watching very closely for the vine so that I may avoid it, and washing ASAP after I contact it has worked well. I haven't had a case in three of four years.

i heard the firefighters were getting it everywhere but their armpits and that gave birth to the ivyblock so i'd say cheaper deoderant might work too