North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Lucky Pittman <lucky.pittman@murraystate.edu>]

At 11:09 AM 05/02/2002 -0400, Tom wrote:
> There are people who have no reaction to poison ivy.  They can pull it
> with their bare hands.

There is an immunologic phenomenon called 'oral tolerance'.  The gist of it 
is, if one is exposed to a potential allergen, via an oral route, 
particularly at a young age, your immune system is less likely to 
'recognize' that allergen as 'foreign'.  Those of us who gained our initial 
exposures via the cutaneous(skin) route were destined to develop the itchy 
rash in response to subsequent escposures to urushiol.

The Native Americans, whether intentionally or unintentionally, made 
certain that their youngsters got oral exposure, which is certainly a good 
thing, since they were constantly in contact with PI/PO.
Del Stubbs shared a book on acorn preparation with me this winter("Ooti, a 
Maidu Legacy", if I recall correctly), and one of the things I was most 
interested to read in there was that the women often would wrap aliquots of 
prepared acorn meal/gruel in poison oak leaves - making certain that oral 
exposure was ensured.
I've heard that in some tribes they actually fed PI/PO leaves to infants, 
or the women smeared their breasts with PI/PO leaves - something I'm 
certain most modern women wouldn't want to do!








> I use to control it on the ground with a bleach spray.  I had a well and
> did not want to contaminate it with herbicide.
>
> My suggestion...  Find an immune person and have them pull it.  Then keep
> new plants at bay with a bleach solution spray.  It will die out pretty
> quick.
>
> LAter,
> Tom
>
> --
> Southwest Ontario
> Canada Hardiness Zone 6a
> (similar to US zone 5)
>
> On Thu, 2 May 2002, Michael Phillips wrote:
>
> > Someone asked me about poison ivy taking over a block of older apple trees.
> > Any suggestions how to get rid of such without using herbicides or any 
> other
> > method that would damage the trees?
> >
> > Thanks!
> > Michael
> >
> > Michael Phillips
> > Lost Nation Orchard
> > Heartsong Farm Healing Herbs
> > RFD 1  Box 275
> > Groveton, NH 03582
> >
> > Check out the 2002 events happening here at Heartsong Farm,
> > CSA shares for organic apples and earth medicines,
> > and our latest book, "The Village Herbalist," at
> > www.HerbsAndApples.com
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
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Lucky Pittman
USDA Zone 6
Hopkinsville, KY

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