10 Common Poison Oak Myths

[potato]

One of my favorite poison oak tricks is to take a hot shower and direct the most blazing hot water you can stand at the rash. It will itch like you have never itched in your life but I believe what it's doing is drawing out all the hystemine (sp?) in one fell swoop. This causes it to dry out and relieve the itch for many hours. It's not an official remedy I've ever heard as I self-discovered it on my own and I don't know if there are other ramifications to this (do at your own risk) but it worked wonders for me.

Oh yeah it feels soooooo good. And I read the same thing about the histamine (thanks spell checker!). It definitely relieves it for many hours.

The hot water treatment also feels amazing on eczema. Now that's a vicious cycle.

Edit: and yes, nice blog post I shared it with my hiking friends on FB.
One question, are you sure on the pronunciation of Urushiol? dictionary.com has it as "oo-roo-shee-awl" instead of "yoo..."

[bobcat]

One fact most people don't know is that mangoes are in the same family as poison oak and the leaves, bark, and skin of the fruit also contain urushiol. As a kid, I'd gorge on mangoes and, because I was a kid, didn't wash and would get the rash all over my face. Most people probably wash after slobbering over a mango and don't experience this.

I like to say I'm "immune" to urushiol as an adult; since coming to poison oak country, I haven't had a reaction. But I'm also careful. If I brush poison oak with my bare skin, I usually wash the spot in the next stream. I know I'm "more immune" than my wife, who attracts the rash at the slightest provocation (Just like fleas may go for one person in a bed more than the other).

[forestkeeper]

Awesome thread Tom! I'm one of those non immuners. Thanks for this valuable info. Nice pics too. Need to find one of those rather large poison oak patches to get some cuttings. Maybe I can start a plantation or poison oak farm. I wanted to plant patches near switchbacks, trail cutting locations, and even in my ex wife's vegetable and herb garden.

FK

[Patrice Garcia]

nice information......

[joerunner]

I was listening to npr this morning on the way to work and they mentioned something about a recently developed product that is a spray on that detects poison oak oil. Could be useful.

[joerunner]

One of my favorite poison oak tricks is to take a hot shower and direct the most blazing hot water you can stand at the rash. It will itch like you have never itched in your life but I believe what it's doing is drawing out all the hystemine (sp?) in one fell swoop. This causes it to dry out and relieve the itch for many hours. It's not an official remedy I've ever heard as I self-discovered it on my own and I don't know if there are other ramifications to this (do at your own risk) but it worked wonders for me.

I do this too. It causes one of the most intense sensations I have ever felt and I'm still unsure whether it is pleasure or pain. I always figured that the hot water treatment was just a temporary numbing of nerve endings or whatever the receptors are that transmit the itch to the the nervous system. Whatever the mechanisim, it does provide wonderful relief.

[forester]

Anyone ever noticed a difference in poison oak that's in the forest and the stuff that grows in town? I've never caught the stuff in the forest but have caught the in-town stuff pretty bad.

[Don Nelsen]

One of my favorite poison oak tricks is to take a hot shower and direct the most blazing hot water you can stand at the rash. It will itch like you have never itched in your life but I believe what it's doing is drawing out all the hystemine (sp?) in one fell swoop. This causes it to dry out and relieve the itch for many hours. It's not an official remedy I've ever heard as I self-discovered it on my own and I don't know if there are other ramifications to this (do at your own risk) but it worked wonders for me.

Hmmmm.... It must have worked better for you than for me! I had a bad case back in '77 and heard about that method and tried it. I admit it itched like heck and so much so it felt kinda good. Unfortunately, it was no better after I was dried off and cooled down. (It was no worse, though.)

dn

[Crusak]

Need to find one of those rather large poison oak patches to get some cuttings. Maybe I can start a plantation or poison oak farm. I wanted to plant patches near switchbacks, trail cutting locations, and even in my ex wife's vegetable and herb garden.

FK

bahahahahahahaha!



Great article, Tom! I've enjoyed your blog posts since subscribing.