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["David R. Matusiak" <matusiak AT speakeasy.net>]

okay, not that i meant to touch off a full discussion of poison ivy factoids, 
but while were on the subject...

Kelly Jo's suggestions are excellent. i *am* a little afraid of eating the 
plants (errr... think i'll leave that for the bushmen), but she is dead-on 
about the Tecnu and jewelweed. i just have a few to add.

the same company that makes Tecnu also make a calamide-infused soothing gel 
called CalaGel. when it dries, it leaves a flaky muck on your skin, but it 
does 
a pretty good job of relieving pain and itching (for 2-3 hours).

the new pony out of the gate is Zanfel. now, i had never heard of this 
product, 
but everyone (online and off) is giving it rave reviews. oh, and did i 
mention 
that a tiny little tube is $41.00? (www.zanfel.com) however, in my misery and 
desperation, i had to try it. picked it up at the pharmacy last nite and my 
initial review is this:

pretty darn good. certainly no miracle cure (which some of the testimonials 
allude to), but it did dampen the immense pain, itching and burning for 
upwards 
of 8 hours (READ: enough to get a decent nights rest). i don't know about 
them 
fancy, new-fangled chemicals in it, but one active agent is "grit." yup, just 
like the apricot facial scrub you had at the spa last summer, Zanfel has a 
"soothing, gritty texture" that goes a long way towards itch satisfaction.

no, apricotty smell, alas. is it worth the $41+? well, that has to be decided 
by 
each individual. i do intend on having this stuff around for next time. i 
imagine if you wash your skin with Zanfel (or Tecnu) very soon after contact 
that you will be a lucky-ducky.

so, anyone else need in-depth analysis of rash treatment, lemme know.
on that subject, i am "the man."
dave ;)
___  _ _____ . ....
m a h t o o z e e a c k  a t  s p e e k e e z e e  d o t  n e t
------ / / .........     . . .

On Fri, 26 Apr 2002, K. Jo Garner wrote:

> Well, since we're talking about grilling and plants... 
> 
> On Fri, 26 Apr 2002, David R. Matusiak wrote:
> ->2. please do not touch any poisonous plants while doing your yardwork. it 
> is 
> ->spring and everything is in bloom. beware the urushiol oil.
> 
> You can eat the poison ivy leaves (very carefully - don't touch the sides 
> of your mouth w/it, start w/small leaves and work to larger ones) which 
> will give you a more-or-less immunity to minimal contact with the oil. Of 
> course, some people have a "disastrous" reaction to this, so it's not the 
> preferred method of prevention.
> http://wwmag.net/Pages/pivy.htm
> 
> There is also a product called Tecnu which I saw in the CVS near calamine
> and other anti-itch stuff -- basically, you apply before you go out in
> woods or what have you, or just after you come into contact, and it
> breaks the oils down before penetrating the skin.
> 
> Or, look near the poison ivy for jewelweed (nature's anti-poison ivy 
> plant). kind of neat how it grows where needed. 
> http://altnature.com/jewelweed_photo_page.htm
> 
> Cheers
> KJ
> 
> 
> ----
>                               "WWJD? JWRTFM"
>       http://www.ibiblio.org/kelly/  -=*=-  kelly \@/ unc.edu