Hello, I'm the OUTDOOR PROFESSOR from DiscoveringTheOutdoors.com/
Here's your outdoor tip on poison ivy.
Poison ivy creates an itchy rash that you will always remember once you have gotten it. It is cause by coming in contact with the oil of the plant by brushing against it or being exposed to the oil in smoke or the oil being transferred from the plant to you on some other object. Some people say they are not affected by the oil, but often they are surprised by a rash raised by a healthy dose of the plant’s oil. About 85% of Americans are allergic to the oil called urushiol (pronounced yoo-ROO-shee-all). Also, if you are allergic to poison ivy, you are most likely allergic to poison oak and sumac because the all three contain the same oil.
There is little benefit to the plant, but some joke that because it absorbs more than its share of CO2 it is helping combat climate change.
There is no real cure for the rash it creates. You can suffer for a couple weeks waiting for it to subside dressing it with purported over the counter remedies, or serious cases may be treated by steroids.
Prevention is the solution so being able to identify poison ivy is important to anyone spending time in the woods or field. There are many identification guides available, but it comes in different shapes, sizes, and colors so that experience is the best teacher in learning to identify the plant.
There are some basic principles to keep in mind when trying to identifying poison ivy:
1. Poison ivy can have different shaped leaves ranging from smooth and round to narrow and sharp, with any number of lobes. Lobes can be symmetric or asymmetric on the same leaf or cluster of leaves. Color is often reddish or brownish color when the plants are young then the they turn green. In the fall they can turn yellow and red like other fall foliage. So be aware that leaves will not give you a positive identification of the plant. The plants can grow low to the ground or be a woody-stemmed shrub. Many people know it as a vine that covers trees with hairy looking roots. The varieties will interbreed so you will see many variations of the plant. In other words, don’t count on poison ivy always looking exactly the same.
2. Poison ivy does have groups of three leaves. It’s one of the times you should listen to the old wives tales: Leaves of three, let it be. However, there are lots of other plants that have three leaves so this is not a positive identification—but remember the better safe than sorry rule.
3. I think that leaf attachment is one of the best ways to identify poison ivy. It has one terminal leaf and a pair of leaves further down the stem. The pair of leaves are exactly opposite of each other with the leaves coming from the same point. These two leaves butt right into the stem, but the terminal leaf has its own little stem extension. Three-leafed plants where all three leaves have their own stem extension are not poison ivy. Three-leaved plants where all leaves originate in one spot with no extension of the terminal leaf are also not poison ivy. It would be very rare for a poison ivy plant to have extensions on its paired leaves.
4. Point Ivy does not have serrated leaves. Poison ivy can have fine teeth, but it never has regular fine teeth. The teeth are never regular and never around the entire leaf. There are never hairy bristles or thorns on poison ivy stems. It can have bark or wood texture on older branches, but no hair.
You get poison ivy by touching it or touching something that it has touched. I can remember vividly getting the family a goat as goats love to eat poison ivy and I thought it would be quickly eradicated around the house. Within a week, everyone in the family had poison ivy. They loved the goat and continually were petting it and playing with it. The oil transferred to them and they probably got more rashes by loving the goat than they would have had by coming in contact with the plant. Even in the winter yanking the vine out by the roots will give you a rash. And watch weed eaters or you will find yourself sprayed by poison ivy oil. Never assume you are immune as you can lose the immunity particularly as you age.
Once exposed, you will get a small itchy spot that gets worse. When you think you may have been exposed, rinse with lots of cold water—never hot. Hot water and a shower will open your pores and you can make the infection worse. Cleaning the skin with alcohol can help, but it is of little benefit after about thirty minutes.
Going to the doctor is the best cure for a serious case although you may find some minor remedies at your local drugstore—but don’t count on too much help. The itching can last for a week or two.
Oil from poison ivy is very stable so watch wearing contaminated clothes or tools several months after they have oil on them. The fluid from the rash blister is not contagious, but many think it as the oil from the skin on the rash can infect you.
When it comes to poison ivy, remember you can rely on the old sayings: “Leaves of three, let it be”…and “better safe than sorry.”
This is the OUTDOOR PROFESSOR from DiscoveringTheOutdoors.com/
References-Additional Reading
What poison ivy looks like
Poison Ivy, Oak, and Sumac -- the Basics
http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/guide/understanding-poison-ivy-oak-sumac-basics
East Coast Poison Ivy Identification Guide
http://www.electricant.net/projects/poisonivy/
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