Food & Herbs to Heal Poison ivy

AYURVEDA PERSPECTIVE ON SENSITIVE TO POISON IVY

Sensitivity to poison ivy runs in my family genes including hospitalizations! But over the past several years I healed my allergies to poison ivy and can even pick up a leaf without blisters or itching. I now view poison ivy as 'sister ivy', a powerful lymphatic cleanser. My lymph system was imbalanced because of my liver. When I nourished Vata in the liver, my allergies to poison ivy disappeared. Ayurveda has the potential to help with many other allergies too like peanuts, wheat and soy.

If you've been rambling outdoors to enjoy the beauty of summer, you may have brushed up against poison ivy without even knowing it. Twenty four hours after your chance encounter you are agitated & itchy with a bumpy rash. Several days later, the raw blisters are oozing and hot tempered. What started as a harmless summer adventure has taken an agonizing u-turn. What to do!?

Hopefully your symptoms were mild compared to mine. Before studying ayurveda I was hospitalized for severe poison ivy reactions several times. I would get poison ivy internally and externally, every time. Once my entire faced puffed up, and I could hardly see. Even my eyeballs had poison ivy on them. Fortunately, Ayurveda has provided substantial relief for me. Now, when I take groups on wild herb walks, I can even pick a leaf from a poison ivy plant without a reaction.

Identifying Poison Ivy

You can identify poison ivy by its 3 leaves, the notches in the edge of the leaf, and the thin stems with a reddish color. Veins are often indented in the leaves. Climbing poison ivy vines have many hairlike roots stemming from the vine to grasp the supporting tree or fence post. In addition to vining, this versatile plant sometimes appears as a small single stalk plant, or larger as a shrub. Poison oak is a variety of poison ivy where the notches are deeper and resemble oak leaves.

The rash you get from poison ivy is from an oily substance covering the leaves - giving poison ivy a waxy or shiny appearance. The irritating oil is poison's ivy's defense strategy. Most people don't hesitate to trample on a weed. But they think twice before waltzing through poison ivy vines.

Nature's Hero

Poison ivy thrives in disturbed soils. If you see an abundance of poison ivy somewhere, chances are that someone disturbed the environment to the point where trees can no longer survive.

Poison ivy is nature's "No Trespassing" sign until this wound is healed. The rash you get from poison ivy is the source of it's protective power, keeping you far away. For this reason, environmentalists affectionately call poison ivy "sister ivy" because it protects the forest until it is re-established. Once the forest heals, the poison ivy recedes. Poison ivy is relatively rare in a mature forest.

Herbal Home Remedies

The angry red rash of poison ivy is a sign of heat. The oozing blisters are a sign of water element and poison ivy's oily nature. If you take the pulse of someone nettled with poison ivy, you'll notice a classic 'slippery' character to the pulse - bounding yet the blood usually has a dense feel to it. Altogether, these signs and symptoms confirm poison ivy is a wet rash that is Pitta and Kapha in nature.

The intense itching you feel happens as the blisters swell, literally ripping the top layer of skin away from your body. Anything that dilates pores or capillary beds will increase the speed of swelling in your skin, and therefore aggravate your itch. As a kid, I remember pouring hot water on my poison ivy to 'numb' it. But after I studied Ayurveda, I realized the foolishness of this habit. Heat increases blood flow and the size of the blisters, not to mention the speed at which poison ivy spreads. Anything that makes you sweat will agitate your itch. Even thinking about sitting in the sun makes me feel itchy all over with memories of poison ivy rashes. Instead, keep cool and dry.

My dad swears by this remedy: "Go to the beach and rub sand over the blisters until they pop. Then go swimming in the salt water. The salt water burns like hell, but it will dry up the blisters fast." I've never tried this technique, so I can't vouch for it, but it sounds interesting. Ayurvedically, the best way to combat something that is hot and wet is with something cool and dry. An air-conditioned room. A cold shower.

Foods that taste sour (lemons), spicy (cayenne), or aromatic (mint) make you sweat. These foods will send salty sweat to the already damp, hot area, aggravating your rash. Other common diaphoretic (sweaty) herbs include household spices ginger, chili pepper, black pepper, cinnamon, bay leaf, and garlic. Oily or overly sweet foods thicken your blood and could cause lymphatic congestion. These should be avoided as well.

Instead, favor cool, bitter herbs like cilantro, fennel, & carraway. Cilantro is also a drying refrigerant with anti-inflammatory qualities. It is quite detoxifying and can be used both internally and topically for rashes. In fact, it works best when you do both at the same time! Cilantro has anti-histamine effects, meaning it directly calms the immune system. It is a traditional remedy for rashes like summer poison-ivy, allergy related hives, and simple sunburns.

The astringency of pomegranates, cranberries, hibiscus, raspberry leaf and witch hazel will cool down an angry rash (topically or internally). Astringency constricts vessels, to directly reduce swelling and itching.

Why is My Reaction so Severe?

Although poison ivy is not a welcome guest to anybody, some people react more strongly than others. When I was hospitalized for poison ivy, I asked myself over and over again, how could this happen to me? I was covered from head to toe.

Adverse reactions to poison ivy point to a weak liver, so common in modern society. The liver is responsible for detoxifying the blood. Toxins from pharmaceuticals, poor digestion, drug use or long term illnesses are stored in the liver. As the liver gets weaker and your levels of toxicity rise, any irritant could provoke a hair trigger histamine response with angry intensity. You may react strongly to a simple mosquito bite or develop adverse reactions to foods. On the other hand once you start to detoxify, you may notice that reactions to bug bites or poisonous plants are much less intense.

Weak liver is a Vata disorder. If your liver is weak and you have multiple sensitivities, try strawberries, blueberries and other liver tonics to strengthen your liver. Avoid alcohol, caffeine, tobacco and other toxins. Nourish your liver with coconut oil, & applesauce. Ayurveda offers excellent methods to heal the liver, and that's how I healed my allergies to both poison ivy and cats.

The Psychology of an Overstimulated Immune System

Allergies are a sign your immune system is too belligerent. In Ayurveda, the body, mind and spirit are all connected. If your immune system is too reactive and critical, chances are your personality is too. You might even notice you feel irritable within hours after contact with poison ivy (before the rash develops).

A great remedy for criticism is appreciation. You can start by appreciating all the wonderful gifts of poison ivy. As an herb poison ivy is a potent though rather harsh lymphatic cleanser (literally oozing your lymph out through the skin). If you can't appreciate the herbal benefits of poison ivy, love poison ivy for its ability to protect the fragility of nature. Start calling it sister ivy, instead of a poison. The epidemic of poison ivy is not murphy's law or fundamental to God's way. Rather, it is an appropriate reaction to desecration of the land.

Urban legends and folktales of poison ivy abound - such as the horror of peeing or pooping in the woods and using a leaf to wipe yourself. There's even a saying, "leaves of three let it be" (although usually plants with three leaves are peas, not poison ivy). Fear is an even greater immune stimulant than anger. Since ancient times, people have feared nature (ticks, poison ivy, and 'spirits in the woods'). Yet, nature is also the source of nurture and nourishment, if you can bear with the loss of control you feel in the wild. To overcome your fear of poison ivy, sit near to it (without touching), and say something sweet to a nearby poison ivy plant. It may sound silly, but it worked for me!

Note: Avoid burning poison ivy, inhalation of which can be fatal. Although we hear of some brave individuals who expose themselves to micro-doses of poison ivy through ingestion, this is often fatal. Never eat poison ivy.

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