InformUzone

Myth 1. The 1959 song “Poison Ivy” by the Coasters is not about the obnoxious weed, but rather a young lady with a social disease Let’s explore some other myths about poison ivy.

Myth 2. If you eat poison ivy, you’ll be protected from it in the future.
False. It’s difficult to imagine how such a dangerous myth became so widespread. Eating poison ivy can result in a serious reaction and can even be fatal.

Myth 2. Fluid from blisters can spread the rash to other body areas.
False. This is a tough myth to dispel because scratching the red area appears to spread the rash to other areas. Actually, the reaction develops over a period of time – usually taking hours or days to occur. The occurrence of a new rash, say further up the arm, doesn’t mean the rash was spread but that that area was slower to respond to the poisonous oil. Once the oil triggers the reaction, our own bodies release defensive chemicals that cause the redness, itching, and blistering. The blister fluid doesn’t come from the plant at all but is produced by our own
body.

Myth 3 Poison ivy enters the blood stream and can be carried to other parts of the body where it can outbreak later.
False. Poison ivy rash is caused by contact with an oil (uroshiol) from the poison ivy plant. The oil attaches to the outer horny skin cells and the layer of living cells below. Washing with soap and water to remove the oil is an effective control, but such washing normally has to be done within minutes to avoid any rash at all. In addition, washing must be far more thorough than we normally wash our hands in order to be effective.
Outbreaks on other body areas means the oil was transferred to that area from another body part, by articles of clothing, tools, or pets that held the same oil. Remember, it’s the contact with the uroshiol oil that causes the reaction. This oil is essentially nonvolatile and can remain on articles and clothing for as much as a year.

Myth 4. Poison ivy cannot cause a rash after the leaves fall.
False. The leafless vines can cause a reaction in winter because all parts of the plant, with the possible exception of the pollen, contain uroshiol.

Myth 5. Some individuals are so sensitive, they can get a rash from being near poison ivy even though they don’t touch it.
False. Uroshiol is not volatile and only becomes airborne when droplets are suspended on particles of smoke. Burning poison ivy plants can send microscopic droplets of uroshiol into the air.
Uroshiol can be picked up from pets, tools, and clothing. If you used gloves to pull those weeds, were you careful how you removed those gloves? Did you pet Sparky after his romp in the weeds? Did you handle those dirty jeans your husband wore as he mowed the field? Wouldn’t it be great if uroshiol were bright, fluorescent orange?

Myth 6. Some individuals are immune to poison ivy.
True, but don’t take that too seriously. In a way, most of us are “immune” as youngsters. That means, we can be exposed to the plant without any significant reaction. Those early exposures, however, do make physiological changes to the immune system that are not readily apparent. T-cells, one of several specialized agents designed to fight invading substances, viruses, and bacteria, develop slowly with each exposure. Lots of exposures speed the process as we become “sensitized.”
Eventually, they reach a level where they concentrate at the site of contact with uroshiol and cause the red inflammation we blame on poison ivy. Usually, we become sensitized to poison ivy in our teen years and continue to react to it thereafter.

Myth 7. There are no magic cures for poison ivy.
True, unfortunately. The rash usually runs its course in about a week. Think of it as the time for our body to recover from its snit and get back to normal. After all, the uroshiol has probably been washed away long before your body calms down. During this miserable week, various home cures are often used to stop the itching and relieve the soreness. Most families have such remedies handed down through generations. Some of these cures are worse than the initial poisoning and may cause poisoning of their own.
If you can’t grin and bear it for a week, ask your doctor’s advice before you spend time and money on half-baked cures that could be expensive, ineffective, or even harmful.

Poison Ivy

Artist: The Coasters (peak Billboard position # 7 in 1959)
Words and Music by Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller

She comes on like a rose but everybody knows
She’ll get you in Dutch
You can look but you better not touch

Poison iv-y-y-y-y, poison iv-y-y-y-y
Late at night while you’re sleepin’ poison ivy comes a’creepin’
Arou-ou-ou-ou-ou-ound

She’s pretty as a daisy but look out man she’s crazy
She’ll really do you in
If you let her under your skin

Poison iv-y-y-y-y, poison iv-y-y-y-y
Late at night while you’re sleepin’ poison ivy comes a’creepin’
Arou-ou-ou-ou-ou-ound

Measles make you bumpy
And mumps’ll make you lumpy
And chicken pox’ll make you jump and twitch
A common cold’ll fool ya
And whooping cough can cool ya
But poison ivy, Lord’ll make you itch!!

You’re gonna need an ocean of calamine lotion
You’ll be scratchin’ like a hound
The minute you start to mess around

Poison iv-y-y-y-y, poison iv-y-y-y-y
Late at night while you’re sleepin’ poison ivy comes a’creepin’
Arou-ou-ou-ou-ou-ound

Measles make you bumpy
And mumps’ll make you lumpy
And chicken pox’ll make you jump and twitch
A common cold’ll fool ya
And whooping cough can cool ya
But poison ivy, Lord’ll make you itch!!

You’re gonna need an ocean of calamine lotion
You’ll be scratchin’ like a hound
The minute you start to mess around

Poison iv-y-y-y-y, poison iv-y-y-y-y
Late at night while you’re sleepin’ poison ivy comes a’creepin’
Arou-ou-ou-ou-ou-ound