Consuming Poison Ivy makes you immune?

Not a chance!

Funny at the bottom of the article.

Publisher’s Notice: This article represents the author’s opinion and experience; individual’s experiences and reactions may vary. We cannot recommend eating any non-food plant without checking with a certified botanist. We do not assume any risk associated with acting upon this information.
 
I knew a dude who did this.

He got it bad every year while camping and decided to boost his immunity. He wrapped some poison ivy up with some ham and cheese. He told me it was "Just a tiny leaf of the stuff."

He spent the next week in the ICU because he couldent breath. His mouth, and throat were not in good shape.

Even he said it was a bad idea and that he shouldent of ever even thought about it.

BAD IDEA.
 
Poison ivy reaction is an allergic reaction .Some people are not allergic to the oils in the leaves.
Standard practice for allergies is treatment by exposing you to small doses as done by shots [injections] or drops [sublingual].Some are helped by this. The home remedy treatment for poison ivy is done by eating small amounts of the leaves from the time the leaves first appear.Yes it can work for some.
 
About half my family is immune. I've never had it, although my brother has had some hellacious episodes. I used to rub it all over myself to freak people out, until my mom was saying that she was immune, at least before she got a godawful case of it in middle age. Seeing what my brother has been through I decided that freaking out the PI sensitive isn't worth the risk!
 
I got a mild dose of poison oak when I was a small kid living in northern California (poison oak, I believe, is a brushy version of poison ivy). Of all the times I've spent messing around in the woods since then, I've never had another reaction. Maybe we can get an immunity.

Edit: But, to join the chorus, no I would not eat it to find out! :eek:
 
Last edited:
I'm pretty immune to the stuff as is, but even if I wasn't, I would hesitate to do something like this.

One of the best ways to gauge the reasonableness of activities like this is to think "if this goes terribly wrong, how will it look in my obituary?"

And, on balance, "tragically passed away from explosive internal swelling after voluntarily consuming quantities of poison ivy in a submarine sandwich" would make for a rough exit note.

All the best,

- Mike
 
It is generally good counsel to avoid eating anything with the word "poison" in the name.
 
Eating poison ivy sounds is a really stupid thing to do. Even if it was to bolster a person's immunity, WHY? It is not an edible herb, leaf, or rootcrop, and if ingested, can cause massive discomfort, organ failure, and all sorts of side effects that nobody wishes upon themselves nor their worst enemy. Anyone thinking of trying this should dummy up, and think whether or not it would be wise for a person with grass allergies to munch on a bag of lawn clippings! This has to be the stupidest thing I have read here so far!
 
"Hey, Remember that idiot that died from eating poisen oak?" Is not how I want to be remembered. I live in a small town.
 
My god why would you do this? I would not even touch it if at all possible. I hate poison ivy so much, it's not funny. When you see people with their heads swollen like pumpkins you would never forget it. We used to get it very bad when I was a kid.
 
Back
Top