Poison Ivy Identification
The best way to avoid the plant is to know what it looks like.
Poison ivy identification is the first defense towards not getting the rash. If you can avoid the plant you will reduce your chances of getting it.
The classic 3 leaves
Do you have a cure for poison ivy?
If you have a remedy to stop the itch or clear up the rash please let us know. Share your poison ivy remedy (please). Your remedy will be added to this page for the all poison ivy sufferers to read.
Read how others cure poison ivy:
An ounce of prevention
(Andrew in NW, OH)
Old fashion remedy (Brenda in
Tiffin, OH)
Zinc Oxide
(Faith in Blackfork, Lawrence Co., OH)
Nature's Remedy for Poison Ivy
(Laina in Marion, OH)
How to soothe the BAD cases
(Karen in Columbus, OH)
Hot Water
(Judy in Mentor, OH)
Brown Laundry Soap
(Chris in Fremont, OH)
Welding Water
(Annonymous)
What causes the rash?
Coming in to contact with the oil in the plant is the only thing that will cause the rash. It won't spread by itching it, and you can't get it from someone else.
You can only get it by coming in contact with the oil in the leaves or vines.
If the leaves are burnt the oil can be carried through the smoke. Some severe cases of poison ivy rash have occurred this way.
You may not get it if you simply brush against a plant that has not been disturbed (broken leaf). But rubbing against a plant that has been disturbed and is secreting the oil will cause the itching rash. Rarely are the leaves not disturbed in some way.
There are different forms of the plant
The plants can be individual, large clumps, or a vine growing up a tree. The leaves can be very small or very large and vary in size from plant to plant. Look at the pictures and remember what it looks like. It will save you a lot of aggravation.
I get the poison ivy rash terribly. I used to get it often when I was younger and tromping through the woods. When I learned what it looked like my instances of the rash were reduced tremendously.
(Click on any of the images below for a larger picture)
Sometimes in bushy patches
Sometimes with berries
Sometimes growing alone
Sometimes growing up a tree
Do you have a remedy for poison ivy? Please share it.
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What Other Visitors Have Said
Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
Sweet Fern 
I went camping, and I was holding firewood very close to my neck/face area. When I came back from my camping trip, I had poison ivy ALL over my face,
…
poison ivy relief
Me and my 2 kids aquired poison ivy and the ONLY THING that helped us was magnesium liquid and tea tree oil. I got it from the health food store. I diluted …
Is this Poison Ivy?
My wife and I purchased a home in Suburbia last Summer after living in the city all our lives. Well this Spring I have time to focus on taking back my …
Wash off the OIL ASAP
We grew up using the Fel Naptha, now my brother tells me using Dawn dishwashing liquid is good to remove the poison ivy oil ASAP after exposure!
There …
Poison Ivy? Go to the Beach!
Marilyn and I both contacted Poison Ivy one year just days before we were going to the Ocean. I had a mild case and she had a bad case. She was itching …
Use welding water
Here's a remedy that sounds strange but give it a try.
A machine shop that welds a lot will keep a tub of water to cool the metal after welding on it. …
Poison Ivy Itching Relief
This really works as odd as it sounds....something to do with "histamine" release which is what causes the itch.
Get in a shower or otherwise run …
Nature's Remedy for Poison Ivy
Jewelweed is the remedy that should work for most people. It grows in the woods where poison ivy grows.
Nature almost always provides a remedy for …
I'd Never Thought of Using It There
Our family just moved from Belmont county to Lawrence county in November 2007 and have been busy ever since clearing forest and undergrowth.
I ended …
Poison Ivy Help
The old cure for poison ivy of days ago was to take a bar of lye soap (the homemade kind) make it like a paste and let it dry on the spot where the rash …
An Ounce of Prevention
As a frequent hiker and nature photographer, I run into poison ivy quite a bit.
I have not found a cure, but have found that ounce of prevention. …
Poison Ivy Prevention? Not rated yet
I did some volunteer work at a metropark once and the ranger suggested that when we got home to take a shower with Dawn dish soap (cuts the oil) and wash …
rubbing alcohol/bleach Not rated yet
Try putting rubbing alcohol and/or bleach on the area and it really seems to dry it up fast,.. I even itch some of them open before using the alcohol …
Apple cider vinager Not rated yet
I just take a cotton ball and soak it with apple cider vinager and wipe it on the affected area. It removes the oil and the rash or affected area is healed …
Antihistamines Not rated yet
I get poison ivy and it is a nightmare. Although I wash and change clothes and bedding, it ends up on my neck or leg or side through inadvertant contamination …
Technu Not rated yet
I work outdoors and recently got a bad case of poison ivy, my job gave me a small bottle of a product called technu extreme. It's sort of a scrub which …
Tecnu outdoor cleanser Not rated yet
I get poison ivy easily and usually get a bad rash. If I even think I have touched it, I have been using a sample of Tecnu wash that came with an itch …
poison ivy remedy Not rated yet
After being infected, I tried drinking goat milk and it worked great in a few days. Goat milk has a natural counter effect. Good luck
Poison Ivy Not rated yet
Poison ivy attacks all of us! Use cold shower after contact, hot water allows the urushiol oil to penetrate into your pores. Use antibaterial shower …
Poison Ivy Remedy Not rated yet
You quickly and thoroughly wash the area with a dish detergent to get all the oil off your skin. Rinse area thoroughly then make as mild solution of bleach …
Dawn Dish Soap Not rated yet
If you've been working outside and know you've been exposed go in and wash your hands with Dawn. Lather your hands up good and let it set for a couple …
Poison Ivy Cure Not rated yet
I pull Poison Ivy out continuously in the spring... where ever it touches me... I take a bit of the dirt where I am working and rub it onto the spot where …
Bleach worked for me. Not rated yet
As soon as I see the rash begin I use bleach.
I use a cotton ball with a little bleach on it and dab the rash lightly. DO NOT SCRUB IT ONLY SPREADS …
Blow dry it away!! Not rated yet
First, do not scrub the poison ivy...it only spreads!! Learned from trial and error!! If it is on your arm/leg, you can cut an old sock and put it over …
Rare remedy, be carefull! Not rated yet
I always got poison ivy bad when I was growing up in Muskingum County. My Mom used to make a remedy of about 50/50 Bleach/water and pour it over the poison …
Brown Laundry Soap (for poison ivy relief) Not rated yet
My mother used to have us wash with Fels Naptha everytime we went berry picking or into the woods. After all, five miserable, itchy kids aren't much fun. …
Poison Ivy Help Not rated yet
My husband didn't realize that poison ivy could twine around a tree like a "Tarzan vine". He found out the hard way when he tried to "rescue" a small …
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