Subject: Re: Poison Ivy/Oak FAQ

From: [email-masked]
Date: 1 Mar 95 22:08:35 -0600

> but a couple summers ago I had a severe poison ivy reaction all
> over my arms and legs. Every town I stopped in I was told another
> folk remedy and tried it in a desperated attempt to releive my
> pain. Bottom line is calamine and other over the counter salves
> don't really work if your case is so severe. The only sure fire
> way to get rid of the rash is to either pour bleach on the
> effected areas, let it sit for a few minutes and rinse, or apply,
> get this, nurse's shoe white.

OWWWW!  I've heard of fighting fire with fire, but this is a bit
overboard?  ;-)

Seriously, I was just getting ready for an economic botany lecture
next week, and browsing through Varro E Tyler's _Herbs of Choice:
the Therapeutic Use of Phytomedicinals_ (Pharmaceutical Products
Press, ISBN 1 5-624 895 5), an excellent book by a well-respected
pharmacognocist, and bumped into the section on dermatitis.  Under the
heading of contact dermatitis, he quotes the results of a study
published in 1958:  "Of the 115 patients treated with jewelweed*,
108 responded 'most dramatically to the topical application of this
medication and were entirely relieved of their symptoms within 2 or 3
days of starting treatment.'  It was concluded that jewelweed is an
excellent substitute for ACTH and corticosteroids in the treatment of
poison ivy dermatitis.  The active principle in the plant responsible
for this activity remains unidentified."  (quoted without permission).
The study used a 1:4 dilution of a jewelweed extract (Impatiens
biflora or I. pallida) The study is Lipton, RA.  1958.  Annals of
Allergy 16:526-527.

I've had both bleach and jewelweed goo get into cuts... the jewelweed
is definitely preferable, in my opinion, if you aren't into pain! ;-)

While I'm at it, let me put in a plug for both of Tyler's "popular"
books:  _Herbs of Choice_, whose first chapters should be required
reading for anyone interested in "natural medicines" and the role the
FDA has played in regulating herbal preparations, and _The Honest
Herbal_, now in its 3rd edition (ISBN 1-50624-287-6).

Honest Herbal takes about 100 of the most popular plants sold as
curatives or widely used in folk medicine, and talks about the
relative safety and efficacy of each.  The information is in something
closely approaching English, not in Medispeak or Pharmacese, and the
scientific studies backing up his text are referenced there.  If
you're interested in the topic, spend the money (<$20 as I recall) for
this one.  Better yet, tell your public library to buy a copy.  It's
great reference material, and highly readable.

Herbs of Choice takes it from the other angle:  He takes common
medical problems, divides them into topics like "Respiratory Tract
Problems" or "Cardiovascular System Problems", and talks about the
proven and unproven herbal remedies that have been recommended for
various diseases.  Again, there's copious references to the scientific
literature.  It's a little more toward the Medispeak end of the
vocabulary, but it's well worth reading, in my opinion.  I think I
paid about $15 for my copy.

Tyler is senior editor of the standard textbook of pharmacognosy,
_Pharmacognosy, 9th edition_, and is Lilly Distinguished Professor of
Pharmacognosy at Purdue.

Nope. No connection with the guy, or with the publishing company,
except as a fan of his books.

Kay Klier  [email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (EM Zaffarano)
Date: 2 Mar 1995 18:43:34 -0500

hi  i once had a batch of poison ivy on my legs that was so bad i couldnt
wear pants.  the only way i found to survive it was persistent bathing of
my legs with the shower head. I found the calamne stuff so drying, it
would make the bubbles crack and ooze.  Instead i would run the shower on
my legs, hot at first, then cool and follow-up with hydrogen peroxide. i
was sure not to touch it, and it didnt itch or hurt or pus nearly as much 
z