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"Collected Home &
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The Best Years in Life
Home & Herbal Remedies
Collected from around the world and through the ages
Natural
Remedies for Poison Ivy and Poison Oak
by Tony Isaacs
(The
Best Years in Life)
Spring through fall are prime
seasons for poison ivy and poison
oak. Should you have the misfortune
of brushing against either of those
two, the good news is that you can
stop the itching, spread and
blisters with these home and natural
remedies:
* Tea tree oil is excellent for
relieving itching as well as healing
poison ivy and poison oak. It can be
applied as a topical healing oil or
ointment but is perhaps best applied
as a topical spray. Do not apply or
spray too much so that the tea tree
oil runs onto other unaffected
areas.
*Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) has
been used for centuries by
herbalists and Native Americans to
heal poison ivy as well as many
other skin conditions. Poultices and
salves from Jewelweed are a folk
remedy for bruises, burns, cuts,
eczema, insect bites, sores,
sprains, warts, and ringworm.
Jewelweed often grows near poison
ivy and poison oak. Jewelweed grows
from two to eight feet tall and has
showy trumpet shaped flowers which
are most often spotted orange in
color. It is
often found in the same areas where
poison ivy and poison oak grow. When
you are out in the field and find
you have been exposed to poison ivy,
oak, or stinging nettle you can
reach for the jewelweed plant and
slice the stem, then rub its juicy
inside on exposed parts. This will
promptly ease irritation and usually
prevents breakout for most people.
Jewelweed or an infusion made from
boiling jewelweed leaves of may be
frozen for later use. Brew chopped
jewelweed in boiling water until you
get a dark orange liquid. Strain the
liquid and pour into ice cube trays
and freeze. When you have a skin
rash, rub it with a jewelweed cube
and you will be amazed with its
healing properties. It will keep in
freezer up to a year. You can also
preserve the infusion by canning it
in a pressure cooker.
For more information, including
photos of jewelweed, see:
http://www.nps.gov/shen/naturescience/jewelweed.htm
* Stop the itch of a poison ivy rash
and prevent it from spreading with
the following homemade paste: Mix
one tablespoon of salt and 1/8
teaspoon of peppermint essential oil
(Mentha piperita) with 1 to 2 cups
green clay, and add enough water to
form a paste. Apply the paste
liberally to the rash and leave it
on for 20 to 30 minutes. Store
leftover paste in a tightly sealed
jar and reapply as needed. The
remedy soothes the itch by absorbing
the irritating plant oils and drying
the rash. It also works for poison
oak.
* Potato. Blend a potato in a
blender until it becomes a rough
pasty blob. Put it on some plastic
wrap and wrap it around the affected
area. Plastic wrap works better than
towels. If you are treating your
face, poke two holes for nostrils so
you can breathe. Leave it on for an
hour or so, and the next day the
bubbles should be gone and the skin
should turn yellowish and start
flaking off. It will probably still
itch but should itch much less, and
the itching should soon go away. Rub
the affected areas to remove excess,
but do not rub too hard or pick at
the affected areas. Use vitamin E or
lotion to help the new skin look and
feel better.
* Hot water and a banana. Take as
hot a shower as you can stand for as
long as you can. It will feel good
and help relieve the itching. Then
take a banana peel and rub it on the
infected area. The itch should be
gone for eight to twelve hours.
* Baking soda and coffee. First put
about a half a cup baking soda in a
bowl and slowly add cool coffee to
make a thick paste. Then apply the
paste liberally to the affected area
and allow to dry. The poison will
flow out of the blisters like water.
* Turmeric and lime or lemon juice.
Mix one tablespoon of turmeric spice
with roughly equal parts of lime or
lemon juice to form a thick paste.
Carefully apply to the afflicted
skin. This remedy stains, and stings
ever so slightly, but works
miraculously. For avoiding stains on
clothes, furniture or carpet, use it
in the bathtub, so the bright yellow
stuff doesn`t fall down and make a
mess. Let it sit on your skin for
fifteen minutes, then wipe off
excess. Some stains will likely
remain. By the next day you will be
astonished at how the ivy has dried
up and nearly vanished.
* Poke salad root. Boil the root of
a poke salad plant until it turns
into a paste form. It will have a
strong odor. Then, once it has
cooled enough not to scald, rub it
on the infected area until you can
feel it "burn or sting". It should
neutralize the poison ivy overnight.
* Burdock roots. Make a strong tea
with burdock roots and apply to the
skin. Let it dry and re-apply as
often as needed. It relieves the
itching immediately.
* Peachtree leaves. Get some leaves
from a peach tree, boil them and
then let the water cool. Take a
cotton ball and apply the liquid to
the affected areas. Works almost
overnight and should be almost
completely clear within two-three
days.
* Oatmeal. Run a warm bath and fill
an old sock with oatmeal. While
soaking in the tub, take the sock of
oatmeal and gently rub it all over
the affected areas.
* Epsom Salts. Make a paste and rub
it on the affected area or just soak
the area. Either way is good.
* Help stop the spread of infection
from inadvertent scratching by
washing the hands with a colloidal
silver product, such as a colloidal
silver soap or just regular
colloidal silver. Pay particular
attention to the areas underneath
the fingernails and use a fingernail
scrub brush on those areas.
* Colloidal silver and aloe vera
make a good soothing, healing and
disinfecting combo.
* Watermelon. Take watermelon (the
rind and the meat) and glide it over
the rash. Let it dry naturally.
Within a day, the condition should
improve greatly. Note: Be careful to
not let the watermelon juice drip or
flow onto any unaffected areas or
you could spread the poison and make
your condition worse.
Some other home, but not exactly
"natural", remedies that are
effective are:
* Dishwashing liquid. Rub
dishwashing liquid onto skin area
and within 15 to 20 minutes the itch
should disappear. Do not wash off
until the next morning and then
reapply. Within a couple of days the
skin area should clear. This is also
good for mosquito bites.
* Hemorrhoid ointment or liquid
Blistex. Smear it on the areas
affected to relieve itching and
clear up the infection within 24
hours or so.
* Clear fingernail polish. This can
be used to coat the affected areas
to prevent spreading and lessen
itching.
About the author
Tony Isaacs is a natural health advocate and researcher and the author of books and articles about natural health including Cancer's Natural Enemy. Mr. Isaacs articles are featured at Natural News, the Health Science Institute's Healthiertalk website, CureZone, the Crusador online, AlignLife, the Cancer Tutor, the American Chronicle and several other venues. Mr. Isaacs also has The Best Years in Life website for baby boomers and others wishing to avoid prescription drugs and mainstream managed illness and live longer, healthier and happier lives naturally. In addition, he hosts the Yahoo Oleandersoup Health group of over 2000 members and the CureZone Ask Tony Isaacs - Featuring Luella May forum. Mr. Isaacs and his partner Luella May recently began hosting The Best Years in Life Radio Show for Rumor Mill News on the Micro Effect Radio Network.