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Poison Ivy Immunization - Yum!!!

wintermute said:
I'd definitely advise eating it. I worked for the NYSDOT right out of college. SOme of the old stories about when they really started developing Long Island and building roads all over the place. A lot of slash and burn clearing. A bunch of guys got sick or died from inhaling smoke from burning poison ivy. Some of the old timers would eat a leaf here and there to build up their immunity to dermal contact. Many of these guys wound up with unrepairable digestive system problems.

It's an allergic reaction - greater exposure doesn't build up your tolerance or immunity, in fact, it can have the opposite effect and make you more sensitive. Kind of like doctors and nurses that develop latex allergies.
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wintermute - not trying to be disrespectful, but your post is vague. It has been acknowledged smoke from poison ivy is a hazard, even the FDA recognizes this per my research.

The question at hand are the effects of digesting. Can you unequivocally state that the "old timers" developed digestive problems from eating poison ivy? Did you know them personally, or is the information second hand? How many, and how often did they eat? "Here and there" is not very descriptive. What was the unrepairable digestive problem? Everything I have read on the topic does not indicate an unrepairable digestive problem.

:o Sorry for being a butthole, but this is serious topic for many here and vague statements cloud this issue and can misinform. At this point, I am sorry for bringing it up and will not share my other radical practices in the future. Now where did that horned toad for my magic potion go? ;) Peace, Chris
 
Quiet bear, dont be sorry for bringing it up. I think this is one of the more interesting threads ive read in a while. Ive never heard of this before today, and w/ some research it seems like this is a pretty well backed idea.
 
Quiet Bear said:
Sorry for being a butthole, but this is serious topic for many here and vague statements cloud this issue and can misinform. At this point, I am sorry for bringing it up and will not share my other radical practices in the future. Now where did that horned toad for my magic potion go? ;) Peace, Chris
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Quiet Bear,
Don't be sorry you brought it up. I hope I didn't sound like I was in favour of censoring a topic. I believe all wilderness survival topics are open for discussion - I was just concerned that some people, especially some of the younger members, might read the post and go off and try it and then have a problem.

Ironically, I quit another forum because of some moralizing, self-appointed guardian of what should be discussed and what shouldn't, caused a younger member to withdraw a post regarding fish poisons. I'm pretty sure you know the forum I'm talking about. In retrospect it may sound like that was what I was trying to do and, if so, I apologize.

Sometime ago, I read this book and while I don't remember the details, I do remember that the author cautioned against trying to build immunity in this way. I might get it from the library again, to tune up my memory.:(

Anyway, this is the kind of thing that we should be discussing here. Much more relevant than the 955th thread about a new PSK. IMHO anyway.

Doc

BTW, I also read that the more you're exposed, the greater chances you have for contracting it. And conversely, if you are exposed less and less over time, your immunity increases. I don't know if this is true or not, but it is interesting. I guess I should also say that I don't know whether your technique works or not, but my motto is, regarding wild foods and medicines, 'When in doubt, leave it out".

One other thing that I find prohibitive was the caution about putting some in your mouth without touching your lips. You may have different lips than I do, but I even get sphaghetti sauce on my shirt, while trying to put it in my mouth.

Doc (again)
 
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DOC-CANADA said:
You may have different lips than I do, but I even get sphaghetti sauce on my shirt, while trying to put it in my mouth.

Doc (again)
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LOL!!! I guess I am extra careful.

Please share if you get the book from the library again. I googled the author, unfortunately that is too common a name or I would call or write him. Maybe in time I will be proven wrong and the detriment will outway the benefit. Maybe I will be proven right. Maybe we will never know. Either way, we learn from each other which is good.

Here are some ramblings that bounce around my empty skull on the topic, good and bad...
- Hadn't hurt me yet nor anyone else I know, and some are more knowledgable than I.
- Many have reported a benefit - I don't believe this to be percieved or psychosomatic.
- Nine leaves once a year over a nine week period. Could do damage (long term?), but how much - especially since I and the others have not experienced any side effects?
- As good as the Cherokee were at medicinals, why didn't they do this - which I am fairly certain they did not. Then again, the idea of germs is a recent epiphany. This one baffles me though as they were very good, with many medicinals not applying to the 'doctrine of signatures' of which poison ivy does not have to my knowledge.
- Safrole is a known carcinogen, but the benefits of a little sassafras spring tonic is worth it to get the immune system kicked in.
- Recently heard/read the potency of poison ivy has been increasing with the increase of CO2 and global warming (don't go there on this thread, not saying I believe or not - just reporting what I saw).
 
interesting, especially after I've done that for several years yet last year I had a bad case of it. then again, it might have been something other than urishiol

interesting, especially after I've done that for several years yet last year I had a bad case of it. then again, it might have been something other than urishiol.

Yesterday, I edited this reply from its original. Well, I feel so strongly about what I said I regret having changed it. I only changed it after calling my buddy and asking him about it and he said since I didn't go to the doctor, there is no way to know what the rash was, but I do know, because I know what I did. So, with that in mind I am going to re-type what I wrote.

Essentially, eating poison oak or ivy is not recommended practice. In fact, urushiol, is like nicotine and latex. To some there is no problem, but the longer you're exposed to it, the more susceptible you are to getting it. Hospitals, for example, have moved away from using latex gloves because the nurses and doctors who wear them have started becoming allergic to latex.

Fact: I really never had a problem when I was younger; I could almost roll in it and never get it. Later I started eating the young buds in the early spring.

Last year I got urushiol contact dermatitis... bad! one would have thought that all the time I felt I was building my immunity I should have been fine... WRONG!

After consulting doctor friends of mine and researching it myself, I'm convinced eating poison oak does nothing for you.

the fact remains, some will get it and some won't. But this I can assure you, the longer you are exposed to it, the bigger chance you have of getting it.

Alan
 
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Well Alan,

You sure caught me off guard. When I saw your name on the posting, I thought more testimonial for the efficacy of the treatment, in part, because I knew that Christopher did this (read it somewhere). When I started to read your post my jaw dropped (figuratively, of course). While I'm not happy to hear about your negative experience, it's good to have some evidence for something I believed all along.

I have a friend of mine that does this, at least she did the last time I saw her, and I was always concerned that one day............

Anyway, thanks for sharing your experience and I'll be looking forward to Christopher's response.

Doc
 
lambertiana said:
I guess I am lucky - I'm not allergic to it, or poison oak.
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Yes, you are lucky, ............. so far. I mentioned that I have never had poison ivy but I still avoid it, because of aformentioned reasons. You might want to consider this.

Cheers,

Doc
 
I am working on drying out a nice big case of Poison Ivy/Oak on my arms. I never even saw the stuff. I have always been very allergic to it. I seem to get it just by being in the same area and never touching it. I swear I got it while fishing on a boat in the middle of a lake one time. As a teen I use to get a series of shots from a local doc for it. I can't really remember how well it worked as I steered clear of the stuff as much as possible. I wish I had the will power Evolute has to not scratch it, but it is inevitable. I remember there was a time when I would coat my arms and hands in calamine and wear socks over them to bed.

I have been using a product called Ivy Dry for this last batch. It seems to work pretty good. I also wash the rash regularly in cold water with Fels Naptha soap, this helps speed the drying of the blisters. The down side is that your skin is so dry it itches from being dry, so you can't tell if the itch is from the Ivy or the dry skin. Bottom line is I hate the Poison Ivy/Oak!
 
I have a belief that there is Darwinism going on
I have Apache Indian in me and poison ivy doesn't affect me that much
I get a little rash and that's it
It doesn't seem to spread
Same with mosquito bites
I get bit, I get a little bump and it's gone in a few hours
My friend walking next to me gets a HUGE welt that lasts for days

Now you take a guy with red hair, fair skin and freckles
He gets all f'd up off the ivy
Right??

No scientific supporting data
Just one of my many theories

Eating it to immunize yourself?
I don't know about that!! :eek:
What does it taste like anyways??
Because inquiring minds need to know...
 
I end up with "The Poison" as we call it, every year for the past few years. I was always told as a child that I was immune because of my Indian heritage...... That turned out to be an unfortunate wivestale.

I was told about the trick of eating the young, tender leaves a few years ago and after quite a bit of research, I was ready to give it a try. Luckily, the wife is close friends with our family doctor and I asked her for her opinion.

She begged me not to risk it and told me a few stories about severe cases she saw during her residency at a rural hospital. She told me that the mucus membranes of the mouth and throat can have a natural immunity to the oil but that’s not the norm and that deadly serious reactions can occur if you don't have an immunity. She also said that there's no clinical proof that the natural method provides any immunity and that she's seen bad rashes on people who had tried the ingestion method.


Bottom line, If you are going to try it, take precautions. Don't go into the woods alone and eat poison ivy, have someone with you and a way to get help if things don't go to plan.

There's also a proven, FDA approved vaccination available that greatly reduces you susceptibility.
 
Quiet Bear,

I didn't mean to offend, and I'm sorry if I came off as a jerk. So to clear up my statement for the sake of discussion, yes, the information was secondhand. The EIC I worked under was one of those who didn't try to immunize himself. He said that others would eat a few leaves a day as they worked in the field. Some would be fine, some would experience some discomfort and chalk it up to it working. One or two developed ulcers and lesions in their intestines from it.

I know it's hearsay, but in case he is right, I'm going to listen to it.
 
I get a bad systemic reaction to it, but keeping an eye out and showering ASAP has been sufficient to take care of it recently. I've heard stories about immunity products, but this is the first I've heard about actually using the plant to produce immunity. It also conflicts (and boy, does information about PI/O/S conflict) with what I heard regarding allergy becoming worse and worse upon every exposure.

Thanks for sharing.
 
I got it really bad a few times as a kid. Once, my eyelids (and the area right underneath my eyes) were so swollen that I couldn't really open my eyes. I ended up missing like a week of school for it (it was everywhere) and I swear my eyelids haven't felt the same since.
 
You can gain significant immunity to poison ivy with a homepathic medicine available in most health food stores. The medicine is called Rhus tox and is made from highly diluted poison ivy. Some arthritis patients use it for better mobility. Take one or two rhus tox pills every week for a few months before "ivy season" Problem solved. I would be leery of medical advice given on the internet, so, do a little research and decide for yourself. My wife and I have used rhus tox for years. No ill effects so far.
 
wintermute said:
Quiet Bear,

I didn't mean to offend, and I'm sorry if I came off as a jerk. So to clear up my statement for the sake of discussion, yes, the information was secondhand. The EIC I worked under was one of those who didn't try to immunize himself. He said that others would eat a few leaves a day as they worked in the field. Some would be fine, some would experience some discomfort and chalk it up to it working. One or two developed ulcers and lesions in their intestines from it.

I know it's hearsay, but in case he is right, I'm going to listen to it.
Click to expand...

No offense was given. Just looking for clarity. Thanks for the update, every bit helps if it is the right context. Thanks again. :thumbup:
 
veryquietdude said:
You can gain significant immunity to poison ivy with a homepathic medicine available in most health food stores. The medicine is called Rhus tox and is made from highly diluted poison ivy. Some arthritis patients use it for better mobility. Take one or two rhus tox pills every week for a few months before "ivy season" Problem solved. I would be leery of medical advice given on the internet, so, do a little research and decide for yourself. My wife and I have used rhus tox for years. No ill effects so far.
Click to expand...

My father did give me some of this when I was getting over one outbreak, but I can't say, considering I already had it, that it was very interesting at the time.
 
Two words...

ANAPHYLACTIC SHOCK.

If you're not allergic, then the "cure" won't do anything for you. If you are allergic, then the "cure" can kill you.
 
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