In Need of Plant Relief

Ugh, it's itchy season. This year it kicked off early; I haven't spotted a single mosquito yet, but my arm is covered in red bumps that seem to itch all the way through to the bone. Yep, I got into it with a patch of poison ivy and the plant was the victor. 

I didn't know I was allergic to it since I've never had a reaction, but there's a first for everything. In all actuality, I tempted fate by pulling up some of the vicious weed and apparently didn't wash well enough afterward.

I've been looking for homeopathic and natural remedies, but haven't found one yet. I've read that jewelweed and gumweed are both effective, but have yet to find any. I tried homemade comfrey balm, the same thing I use to heal the little one's tender bum when we have diaper rash. It's my go-to weapon for skin irritation, and that didn't do much of anything.

Let it be a lesson to us all: wash well with lots of soap after digging around outside. In the meantime, scratch scratch, anyone have a home remedy to ease the itchies? I know I'm not the only one dealing with this right now!

Renee Garner has a passion to make things grow, although her brownish thumb wants her to believe otherwise.  When mud pies aren't on the menu, you can find her doodling the days away at Wolfie and the Sneak.

Comments

[kelly]

I always use something called Ivy Dry.It contains zinc, and the stuff is absolutely amazing. If you truly want to do things the old fashioned way, though, how about a paste of baking soda and water?

[Tammy]

Hope you are feeling better! When I got super wicked poison ivy I found the only way to sleep was ice packs, changed out every few hours.

[Loren]

I was poison ivy free for many years, but when it hit, it hit HARD, and then returned yearly to the day for the next three years with no additional contact!!!! Here's what I found. Make sure your wash all the clothes and anything else that you'll ever touch again that has touched the poison ivy including your garden tools with hot soapy water. Once you've got it, stay away from spicy foods and "hot"foods like coffee, chocolate, even breads. If you go on a little fruit and vegetable fast while drinking lots of good quality fluids (water, fresh squeezed juices, green tea) it will speed the detoxification up, and you'll be itch-free faster. Good luck. My heart goes out to you because it can be unbearable.

[rebecca]

gah...I just got rid of the red bumps on my arms! we've got poison ivy hiding all over our garden. I used calamine lotion to dry up the rash when it was seeping (ew) and then I used vitamin E oil when it got dry, which seemed to help ease the itching.