Protecting Yourself from Poisonous Plants
Oh, how I look forward to Springtime each year.The soft, moist earth just beckons to me to come till its soil! Inevitably, however, a day or two later I start itching—not all over—but just in small areas where I find I have formed a few red, blistery-sort of bumps. UGH! Not poison ivy…again!
It seems no matter how careful I think I am being; I still find myself having rubbed up against a poisonous leaf or stem somewhere and, voila, let the itching begin. I don’t know about you, but for me, that itchy bump, no matter how small, seems to continue to plague me for a good two weeks.
If you’re included in the 85% of Americans who are allergic to poison ivy, then you’re most likely to be allergic to poison sumac and poison oak as well. Each of these plants exude an oil called urushiol (pronounced yoo-ROO-shee-all) which is responsible for their rash-triggering, contact dermatitis.
Interestingly, while most cases of contact dermatitis happen as the result of direct contact with these plants, the urushiol oil contamination can happen indirectly by touching your pets, your gardening equipment, or any other object which has come in contact with the sinister oil. Lastly, and most rare, one can get particles of this oil in their eyes, nose, throat, and even lungs if the poisonous plants are being burned in a nearby brush fire.
The best form of prevention is, of course, not to touch these plants in the first place. So, if you are not sure exactly what these “evil three” look like, spend a moment to Google images of them and commit ‘em to memory.
Next, I’ve realized that I need to be better covered when working in my yard—even if I think I am in a “safe” zone. I have now taken to wearing long gardening gloves (which reach up nearly to my elbows) and I wear long pants if I’ll be stepping deep into my garden beds and weedy or wooded areas.
Immediately upon entering the house I purpose to scrub my skin down with Dawn® dishwashing soap, because it’s the best product for dissolving oil I know of! (There’s a more expensive product called tecnu® which works very well, too.) The sooner you can get the oil off your skin, the better. Carefully take off your gardening clothes and wash them before the next wear.
By taking these extra precautions, I’ve been able to remain poison ivy free this Spring—a real first for me!