Ingredients:
1 leaf of Toxicodendron radicans
Instructions:
In the springtime, usually early April around these parts, seek out the tiniest, newest leaves of T. radicans. They will be red and shiny, and not much larger than the size of your pinky fingernail. Eat the three leaflets (actually considered a single leaf) and chew thoroughly, letting the leaf completely disintegrate in your saliva. Follow with a good ol chug of water to wash the particles down. It may help to have a small meal first and follow up with a bit of bread or something your first few times but don't stuff yourself. Do this every day for 2-3 months preferably switching to eating the leaf on an empty stomach after a few days. If you start to get some minor symptoms in the mouth or on the "opposite of your mouth," back off on eating it for a few days until that situation calms down a bit and then get right back to it. In my case I just got some small raised bumps on my back gums near my molars which was less noticeable than a canker sore... kind of like the feeling you get after eating too many stale tortilla chips. After 3 days it went away and I started eating again. I had the runs for a bit, could have been unrelated. I switched to eating every other day for a while and the situation resolved. Eventually started eating bigger leaves as the season progressed and it became more difficult to find the baby leaves. As a result I seem to have lessened the severity of my reaction to the skin-bonded oil, but I'm not completely immune yet. After repeating the process every spring I may see an improvement in my immunity. Or I could die, in which case it's a moot point.
Some ways you might screw this up:
First of all, try this remedy at your own risk. Definitely let somebody know what's up before embarking on this journey in case you happen to be the one freak that has a real problem.
Don't wuss out if your butt itches just a tiny bit. Just use some baby wipes/cortisone and move on with your day. HOWEVER- listen to your body and if you become seriously inflamed or if your existing or former patches of poison ivy start to flare up then back off eating for a little while. No pain no gain.
Take care of yourself and make sure you are eating healthfully and drinking plenty of water and getting good exercise so that your body has what it needs to process the small amount of urushiol you are ingesting.
Try not to let the poison ivy oils come into direct contact with your skin during this critical period of immunity-building. Inside your mouth and internal organs don't actually have "skin" so the contact-dermatitis reaction doesn't happen inside your body, which is why i'm not dead right now.
If you have furry animal pets they can transfer the oils to your hands/clothes so keep your yard free of the stuff and wash your hands with soapy water immediately after petting them.
Will Endres recommends using a homemade extract of Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) as a prophylactic. I can't attest to its efficacy but it is apparently also quite soothing and therapeutic for the rash as well, albeit less effective than as a preventative.
If you do happen to come into contact with the stuff and start to react I recommend investing in the highly effective but extremely expensive remedy Zanfel which is a miracle cure once the rash has broken out. Its about 40-50 dollars for a one ounce tube which is only about 1/20th the price of gold. And its a lot more useful to your average person. Great idea for a valentine's day present for your sweetie.
I've had hit or miss success with Tecnu for relief, which helps to halt the reaction at its very beginning stages. However it is great for hand/body washing after a long day in the field.
In general plain old water or soapy water will work just fine if you can get it in the first 10 minutes after exposure.
I made this short video to show the awesome power of shock value to impress/horrify your friends and gain their respect, admiration, and/or disdain. Check out my girl C-dawg freaking out at the bottom right corner. **video contains some profanity**
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