Yes I wrote yet another Blog like 30 mins after the other new one...

The ones you know....

This is the Poison Sumac             And This is where it can be found (notice the tiny spot around Chatt-town)

Poison Ivy, Found: EVERYWHERE! especially where you are traipsing through the woods.

Watch how this poison oak draws you in. You think it is just a tree, but AH-HA it's NOT! Also found where you are sitting.

The ones you didn't see coming...

The Cashew. Found not near you,except in the store where it is really harmless.

You thought mangoes were good, but they are secretly out to take over the world. Found in your grocery store, where they are not as harmless as they look.

So I got poison ivy while weeding. This traumatizing event lead to me researching the horrid plant. This plant belongs in the Anacardiaceae, aka cashew/sumac, family that produce flowering plants. Some contain Urushiol oil which is the irritant that initiates in the itchy reaction that we all read and dread. So what you may not know is that in addition to poison ivy/sumac/oak cashews and mangoes contain the oil. No worries though about the cashews, it's just the outer shell, which trust me, unless you have a cashew tree you will never come in contact with this thing. Mangoes on the other hand, don't go picking them off! Mangoes have the oil on their vines, like their more well known irritating cousins, and leaves. Also the peel itself contains the oil, so peel this fruit.

Now don't freak out, I don't believe that you will have the mango or cashew issues, well definitely not the cashew. Besides who eats a mango peel anyway. I think most of the issues with other plants (i.e. not the poison ivy ect.) is people who are highly sensitive to the oil. Anyway thats just a bit of what I learned. I'm now not eating cashews and mangoes(okay I will probably still eat the dried ones) in protest of this annoying oil.

So another thing that you may not know about urushiol contact dermatitis is that the actual site of dermatitis is okay to scratch. Scratching will not spread the oil. The reason for this misconception is that 1) some parts of the human body have thinner skin and therefore absorb the oil quicker and have a reaction faster 2) some parts of the body may not get as heavy of a dosing as others or 3) you are simply still reacting to the exposure. In either scenario there will be a rash and maybe a few days later more rashes will appear. This is not because you scratched but maybe the skin didn't have so much oil as other areas or it is a thinker section of skin.


When I found that out, I scratched that rash till it burned (mainly because I was 'scrubbing' it with hydrogen peroxide). But I'm happy now, however, I do seem to have large wounds on my arms now. :( 

One thing about scratching is that you don't want to do it because you can get a massive skin infection. Being the hypochondriac I am, that won't happen. Well with my bad luck it might.


So now you have been informed. Also don't burn poison ivy/other-things-I-mentioned because the oil can then spread into your lungs. 


PS the oil is active even if the plant is dead. it can stay active for up to 5 years.