About Poison Ivy:

Poison Ivy adapts to the environment very well. It can have many forms.  It can grow along the ground as a vine, it can grow up trees 30 feet or more and it can look like a shrub.  The leaves can be lime green, shiny green, dull green, yellow, orange, red and scarlet.  Leaf sizes can range from half an inch to six inches long.

The one consistent attribute is that the leaves always come in threes. 

Allergic Reactions

Some people are not allergic to poison ivy.  Some people are.  The people that are can range from barely allergic to severely allergic.  My brother says "Don't even say the words in my house, I'm that allergic." 

I am allergic to poison ivy.  So is everyone who works for me.  

Remedies For Poison Ivy

There are only two remedies that really work for me. 

One is to go to the beach and soak in the salt water.  My mother and I had REALLY bad cases of poison ivy once and we did not itch while we were at the beach.  I filled 4 gallon jugs of seawater and brought them home with me to continue the treatment.  It didn't work.  It just wasn't the same.  Being completely immersed in seawater was the only way to stop the itching

The other remedy was a homeopathic salve made from Jewelweed.  I slathered it onto my rash and the itching stopped, but it smelled SO bad that I decided I would rather itch and washed it off.