Poison ivy.

Newsgroups: alt.folklore.herbs
Subject: Re: (no subject)
From: ntlor. primenet.com (Sharon Rust)
Date: Sat, 08 Jul 1995 17:54:04 -0700

Phil <falain. login.net> wrote:
> One of my friend have toutch to poison ivy. If I toutch him, is it contagious? If yes,why it's contagious and if no, why it's not contagious?

It would depend on when you touch your friend and where and if you are sensitive to it at the time. A friend of mine while digging up some other roots in the winter dug into some poison oak roots additionally, she got the oil on her clothes and on her hands. Her hands broke out while she washed her clothes (with no soap in cold water) and spread the oil all over her clothes, she then got a second break out all over where the oil was on her clothes, she was a mess. If you come in contact with the oil on the other persons clothes (or skin before they break out) you could break out. The fluid that comes from the blisters of poison oak will not cause you to get poison oak, nor do the blisters cause it to spread on a person, the spread has to do with a general reaction that can develop.

From: gmorison. ix.netcom.com (Helen Morrison)

Phil <falain. login.net> wrote:
> One of my friend have toutch to poison ivy. If I toutch him,is it contagious? If yes,why it's contagious and if no, why it's not contagious?

Posion Ivy isn't contagious, but a chemical made by the plant can cause a bad reaction in some people. You don't have to touch the plant to get this reaction, just the chemical. Breathing the smoke from buring poison ivy can cause this reaction internally. If a dog rolls in poison ivy, touching the dog's fur can cause the same reaction. People say that the fluid in a blister from a poison ivy rash will not cause a reaction, but I think the Old Wive's Tales are right... the more you scratch, the worse it itches, and the more it spreads. Some people are not bothered by poison ivy. I get itchy just looking at the stuff, but my husband, who has sever allergies, can sit it the stuff and nothing happens (maybe that's because he has no idea what it looks like...)

Newsgroups: alt.folklore.herbs
Subject: Re: Help on poison ivy
From: altair4.pcnet.com (David Hickey-Schiappa)
Date: 22 Jul 1995 17:17:01 -0400

: Does anybody know any good anti poison ivy herb or anything?

The juice of the "jewel weed" plant (also called "touch-me-not"), a relative of impatiens, is reputed to be very effective against p.i. My wife, who catches p.i. by looking at it, swears by it. Fortunately, it grows in the same kind of areas where p.i. proliferates, and is a rather unique looking plant - once you've seen it, you'll have no trouble identifying it (hollow, fleshy stems, especially early in the spring, segmented, generally one to two feet tall - although I've seen them bigger under the right conditions). Get an old-timer to show you one and you'll always be able to find it. Good luck.