Yesterday I was not blogging, because I was dealing with some Poison Oak. And so this morning, I thought I would write about a plant that no hydro grower would ever consider growing! And in fact, research scientists aside, I can’t really think of any person who would intentionally cultivate poison oak. 

The “poison” of this plant is urushiol. It’s an oil that the plant excretes, and it’s found on the roots stems and leaves, in varying strengths during the year. Urushiol oils generally cause painful dermatitis. These oils can transfer from the plant to your skin, via direct contact, or even indirect contact. If the oil is on your clothes, you can get it off the cloth. If the oil is on your dog, you can get it from contact with the dog. Poison oak has clearly evolved into a very, very effective vehicle for urushiol.

The plant itself is a very hearty and aggressive shrub. Growing habits include ground cover, shrub-like and climbing vine. The version that grows in the Northwest is constantly changing appearance, beginning with bare stems, sprouting shiny green leaves, and then ripening into deep reds. These changing attributes can make it hard to avoid. Legend around here has it that the plant serves as a type of defense of disturbed earth. It grows up with its poisons to reclaim land.

When I get poison oak it begins to form red welts on my skin within 24-72 hours. The welts itch like mad, and if they are scratched, they will spread. After some days of welts, they become blisters. In a bad case, the skin will begin to weep. That’s when things get really dire! As your skin weeps, it releases the original urushiol oils, and it spreads even further. And what was once a welt as large as a dime, can become a much larger area of irritated and raw blistered skin. 

When you do get the oils on your skin, there is a small window in which you can wash them with solvents that will remove them before irritation starts. Tecnu is a brand of soap that I think works well. But even then, from my personal experience, it can be a tricky problem. Sometimes no matter how thoroughly you wash up, it can still cause it’s telltale irritations. 

If you come in contact with poison oak, and cannot wash it off your skin and begin to have symptoms, is there a recipe for relief? Doctors who practice standard western medicine use steroids to control the symptoms. Prednizone injections can be given, and cortizone is often used. Topical creams with cortizone and antihistamines are common too. Herbal and folk remedies are widely reported, with every person whose ever had it preferring one method over another.

Here are some methods I have tried that offer varying degrees of healing, although I would say none of these actually cured me, or really even caused dramatic turnaround. They did calm my skin somewhat, tho. Covering the affected area with green clay to dry out the weeping blister, using herbal salves marketed for poison oak and ivy; taking tincture internally and topically with extract of grindellia, and also tinctures made of soap plant; sponging on tea made from madrone bark; and taking benedryl. One thing I do use to effectively soothe the itching sensation is a hair dryer. It sounds horrible, but it feels wonderful to blow hot, dry air onto the welts. Ultimately, I would say the only true healer is time. Waiting it out and using all your willpower to avoid scratching is the only real way to deal.

If there’s something you have tried, with success, please, leave a comment.