Natural Remedies for Poison Ivy and Poison Oak Rashes
Not everyone suffers from poison oak and poison ivy rashes if they come in contact with the poison oak or poison ivy leaves. Many of us do, however, because most of us are allergic to the natural plant toxin that come from the leaves. The oily toxin that is emitted from poison oak and poison ivy is called urusiol. Even if you have never been allergic to the toxin before, you are still susceptible to it at any time. Our bodies are interesting that way. For example, you may never have been allergic to something your entire life, then one day you have an allergic reaction to it. It happens often, so therefore you should still steer clear of poison ivy and poison oak if you see it in your path.
Some at home treatments for poison oak rashes or poison ivy rashes can be found below. If these fail you may need to consider buying some over the counter products. If the rash is severe enough, you may need to seek medical attention.
Our skin reacts to temperature. As soon as you notice you have a poison ivy or poison oak rash, try washing the area with cold water. Do not put your hands on the rash. The rash spreads through contact. Spray the area with cold water to get the soothing effect and also to close your skin pores which could possibly help reduce your skins exposure to the urusiol toxin. Hot water will only open your pores, thus letting the toxin more so into your skin.
Some natural way to cure poison ivy and poison oak rashes can generally be found around the area you became exposed to the poison oak or poison ivy. Some possible natural plants that may help you cure the rash are mullein, lilac, jewel weed, burdock, plantain, inpatients, peppermint, and sassafras. Crushing the leaves of these plants and applying them to the rash may help rid your skin of the oily toxin.
Sassafras bark or root can be boiled into a tea. Once you have boiled it to a stew, soak clothes or cotton balls in the sassafras tea and apply to the affected areas. Remember to either not use the cloth again or to wash it separately. The oily poison oak or poison ivy toxin will be transferred to the cloth and can spread to you again or someone else quickly if they come in contact with the residue.
Aloe Vera can help with the itching associated with the poison ivy or poison oak rash and can thus help promote healing. Baking soda can absorb the fluids that sometimes ooze from the poison oak and poison ivy rash. Make sure you use the baking soda method sparingly, you do not want to overly dry out your skin. Doing so would only worsen the condition or cause an entirely new condition.
The above may help to naturally cure the skin rash as well as help soothe the symptoms. Sometimes soothing the symptoms will help promote healing. This is true because the rash causing you to want to scratch and scratching the rash only encourages spreading of the rash. Cold compresses work well with soothing the symptoms of the rash. Sitting in front of a fan with the cold compresses always seems to help me fight he urge to scratch.
