How To Identify & Treat Poison Ivy

  • The outdoors offer a number of positives from the fresh air and the views to the wildlife and peacefulness. However, it also comes with its downsides. Whether it’s wildlife, weather or something else, you’ve probably encountered your fair share of nature roadblocks.

    One of those roadblocks is the plants. At first, nature’s greenery may seem like the least of your worries. You’re much more worried about coming across a bear, getting caught in a thunderstorm or running out of clean drinking water. We forget that a simple brush against certain plants, like poison ivy, can cause a number of issues.

    Keep reading to learn how to identify and handle poison ivy when in the wilderness!

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    7 Comments

    1. David Darrow said:

      Article leaves out most important part, Zanfel is a very efffective treatment with releaf in about 10 minutes. Nothing else really works.

    2. Daniel Guard Jr. said:

      One thing this fails to mention is how long urushiol oil lasts for. Urushiol from poison ivy can last anywhere from 1 year to 5 years on any surface and its doesnt evaporate like other water based substances. For example, on bottom of shoes. You will end up tracking the oil everywhere if you dont wipe the shoes you use in the woods. Poison ivy will naturally go away by itself around 2 weeks. (Granted you got all the urushiol oil off your skin) Best way to wipe the oil off your skin is using sections of a facecloth. Dont re-wipe using the same part of the cloth you just use. If you happen to be near a river,pond,laken or a bottle of water. Use that to immediately wash the oil off if you know you just touch poison ivy,oak, or sumac. Even wiping the affected area in dirt and then washing the dirt off again. The oil is like a motor oil to a certain point. It will spread over a large area if you wipe it carelessly. The more you know…

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