[Community_garden] how NOT to deal with poison ivy

[Lenny Librizzi]

As someone who is very allergic to poison ivy, I have followed this discussion with keen interest. I have become quite adept at identifying the plant in all of its disguises as Fred described in his e-mail and often point it out to folks who have no idea what it looks like. I leave it alone and let those who are not susceptible deal with removal. But as has been mentioned it is poisonous any time of year so care has to be taken at all times. 
The one thing I can contribute to this discussion is the treatment I use once I have the rash, those times I am not able  to wash or miss removing some of the urushiol off my skin. I make a tea by boiling in a pot of water the whole plant  (leaves, stems and flowers) of  Jewelweed, (Impatiens capensis) which can be found along stream banks and often growing close to places where poison ivy grows. I freeze the tea, which has an orange color, in ice cube trays. Rubbing the ice cubes on the rash works well to relieve the itch.  
Some good photos and info on jewelweed:
http://www.altnature.com/jewelweed.htm
Even more jewelweed photos including sprout and seeds and other uses of the plant:
http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Jewelweed.html

Lenny

Lenny Librizzi
Council on the Environment
51 Chambers Street room 228
NY,NY 10007
212-788-7927 phone
212-788-7913 fax
llibrizzi at cenyc.org
www.cenyc.org



-----Original Message-----
From: Fred Conrad [mailto:fred.conrad at acfb.org]
Sent: Fri 1/4/2008 8:39 AM
To: Alliums; community_garden at list.communitygarden.org
Subject: Re: [Community_garden] how NOT to deal with poison ivy
 
Dorene,

I've used impatiens biflora (snapweed and I didn't check this reference
so be charitable if I'm off) for bee stings.  It's a fun wild plant,
you'd have to assume any medicinal quality would be similar to the
domestic cousin.

One more comment about poison ivy!  The real key to the whole thing is
the ability to identify it.  If you recognize the plant in it's many
shapes, colors, sizes, lusters, and habitats, you can mostly avoid it
entirely or prepare yourself to confront it.  I think that by and large,
the plant is so tricky with the leaves being flat in the shade, convex
in the sun; dark green here, yellowish there; shiny and redish when
young, dusty and deep later; smooth edged, rough edged, oak shaped,
maple shaped; bush, vine, tall ground cover, hairy, intertwined, etc etc
etc that many times it catches people off guard.

I give it a lot of credit for being so cheerfully random.  I remember
back in the old days when it was known as Rhus radicans... We were all
younger then and the world seemed so full of promise.  Now they've
changed it to Toxicodendron which sounds so hateful, and it's not
hateful, it just is what it is.  We've hardened our hearts against it,
the whole world seems alien and less friendly and cold winds turn our
heads.  Oh well, my fate is my destiny, as they say.  I think I'm going
to get some more coffee.

fgc
Fred Conrad
Community Garden Coordinator
Atlanta Community Food Bank
732 Joseph E Lowery Blvd, NW, Atlanta, GA 30318
ph: 678.553.5932 fx: 678.553.5933
fred.conrad at acfb.org    <http://www.acfb.org> 
Our mission is to fight hunger by engaging, educating and empowering our
community. 




-----Original Message-----
From: community_garden-bounces at list.communitygarden.org
[mailto:community_garden-bounces at list.communitygarden.org] On Behalf Of
Alliums
Sent: Thursday, January 03, 2008 6:28 PM
To: community_garden at list.communitygarden.org
Subject: Re: [Community_garden] how NOT to deal with poison ivy



Hi, Folks!

Mike is a wimp -- bow saw, my eye!  We go after those poison ivy vines
on the trees with a machete!

Of course, my husband, the macheter, is immune to poison ivy -- people
almost think I'm serious when I say that's why I married him! ;-)
(Actually, I didn't know until after we'd been married a few months, but
if I HAD known, it would have definitely weighed in his favor! ;-D)

What do you think about Balsam (Impatiens Balsamina) as a "cure plant",
Mike?  Personally, I love the flowers and look for every excuse to
plant/reseed, but I've had my volunteers slice the stem and rub it
anywhere they think they have been exposed to poison ivy.  I thought it
worked, but maybe it was just the stem being so juicy.

Dorene

Dorene Pasekoff, Coordinator
St. John's United Church of Christ Organic Community Garden and
Labyrinth

A mission of
St. John's United Church of Christ, 315 Gay Street, Phoenixville, PA
19460




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