Poison ivy in Europe?
 

Is there poison ivy (Rhus radicans L) anywhere in Europe? I've never noticed it in Italy. I actually made a point of looking for it when I was on walking tours in temperate areas of Italy and France, but never noticed any. I thought maybe it might exist in the UK, and wondered whether it was brought to North America from the UK, or whether the colonists may have brought it back there from America, either accidentally, e.g., on their shoes, or deliberately, as a fairly attractive vine that doesn't cause an allergic reaction in everyone. There's loads of healthy poison ivy in all sizes and degrees of maturity in NJ and eastern PA, the areas of the US that I know best.

If there is poison ivy in Europe, what are some home remedies?

There is none, but lots of nettles.

Hi cmt,

Poison Ivy was brought to Europe in the 1600's as both an ornamental (beautiful red leaves in the Fall) and a medicinal plant, but I think it has been eradicated.

((I))

Brought there from North America? Was it brought to continental Europe or just to the UK?

Medicianl? That's interesting. Do you know what its medicinal use was?

HOW WAS IT ERADICATED? I wonder how people managed to destroy it faster than birds could "plant" it.

Funny you should bring up the subject of poison ivy. I am suffering from an unexpected reaction to poison ivy right now.

I usually am extremely aware of its presence in my surroundings but either the blackberries I picked or my friends dog I am sitting got me up close and personal with the nasty plant. I've broken out in small clusters on both legs, both arms and my face.

Hanging around on Fodors is the only thing I can do to keep myself distracted from the itching :((

Deborah

Me, too, Deborah. I'd only gotten poison ivy once before, when a dead leaf got stuck inside my bathing suit. It was a very mild case.

This time it's really maddening, and I've scratched myself raw. Since I've never been sensitive to it, I was a little reckless, and last weekend cut and pulled a huge vine, wearing short sleeves. I think because I broke it, the oil must have sprayed all over my arms and neck. I scrubbed Tecnu on it as soon as I went back inside and washed up thoroughly, but I guess it was too late. In past years I've pulled out little p.i. seedlings with just a plastic bag over my hand, but this one was a toughie.

I just came back from CVS where I bought hydrocortisone cream and neosporin cream (because the sores on my rms are slightly infected) and generic benadryl capsules.

cmt,Wow, can I identify with you. I asked my husband to skip the generic stuff this time I wanted real Benadryl, he couldn't find liquid so I am popping pills to the max. I am using Benadryl cream, clear anti-itch lotion, plus swabbing my wounds with Domeboro which my doctor prescribed the last time I had it. I am really feeling sorry for myself. The only good thing is that I only have a few spots on my face. I would love to live somewhere without poison ivy, it takes all the fun out of walking through the woods. I hope yours clears up soon. Deborah

I feel so silly, because I KNOW p.i. when I see it, and have known it since I was 4 or 5, but just never got it before (except for that one incident when it was stuck in my bathing suit). I guess it would've been worth spending five minutes to put on a long-sleeved top before attacking that monster vine.

I ran into a neighbor at CVS who was buying all the same stuff. She was much worse off than I am. One entire arm was solidly red and swollen with poison ivy. I'd really like to know about its medicinal use. It's a shame for all this good stuff to go to waste. Maybe someone would pay us for the privilege of harvesting it.

I guess we'll live. Good luck with it. DON'T SCRATCH! Do as I say, not as I do :)

cmt, I wish I had enough will power not to scratch but alas I am weak and its hold on me is strong!! When I was younger it never bothered me but as an adult I have developed a strong allergic reaction to the weed. I stay away from all three-leaved vegetation but this bout caught me when I wasn't lookin' Hope you are much better tomorrow, Deborah

I've never heard of it in the UK, but you certainly have to watch for nettles.
The classic cure for the pain is to rub the sting with a dock leaf. Oddly enough, dock leaves seem to grow in the same places as nettles.

Sooo, does anyone know how to safely get rid of this stuff?? I've sprayed brush killer several times on the poison ivy in our yard (we have loads!) and am afraid to touch it b/c my brother is *severely* allergic and I don't want to find out whether I am too. BTW, that stuff must be pesticide resistant b/c some of it still looks green and I assume is alive!

There may not be poison ivy, but when I was in Rome (this was back in 1998)Tony and I stopped at a park to rest in the shade on the grass. I leaned back and onto my arms/elbow. Well, I broke out with the same bumps as poison ivy! It was horrible. We went to a pharmacist and after playing charades, I was given an ointment for my rash. It helped only a little. The first time I ever broke out with poison ivy was at home and it spread throughout my body up to my neck! It may not have been poison ivy in Rome, but I got the same reaction! Now I don't even sit on the grass at a park anymore. Not taking any chances!

Monica ((F))

OneWandering--poison ivy is very tough stuff. Be sure to get a strong weed killer that lists poison ivy (Round-Up, Kleen-up) or is specifically made for poison ivy.

Also, when you do manage to kill the plant, it will still cause allergic reactions as the active agent is in the resinous oils throughout the plant. Those resins remain active even if the plant dies--they can remain active for a few years.

When we built our new house a few years ago, there was a wooded area in the back that had not been touched for a century or more. Poison ivy vines were everywhere--some 6-8 inches in diameter. Ended up digging most of them out--I wore long pants, long sleeve shirts, had plastic bags taped around my legs, arms, torso.

I still ended up with a horrible case of poison ivy twice. After the second one, we hired some professionals to finish the job.

Every two weeks I roam those woods with my sprayer looking for little plants that the birds have so kindly made possible.

Don't burn the plant--the oils can get into your respiratory system.

Dig and spray. Dig and spray.

Hi guys,

For those with poison ivy: I empathize. I'm very sensitive to it.

As soon as I feel an itch, I apply "Caladryl Clear" and keep applying it, sometimes for a week or more.

I take Chlor Trimaton for the itching.

((I))

Hi cmt,

Can't answer your questions. All I know about it is what I read on the internet.

((I))

ira: where was it brought to Europe from - the US ? I've never heard of it anywhere other than the US.

Rufus--
Sorry to hear you got PI 2x...I think a landscaper may be the way to go for us too although I was hoping we could get rid of everything ourselves--I have been buying the heavy duty Round Up for Poison Ivy BTW. We just bought a house that was vacant for awhile so we're in the same position you were...

I'm glad you mentioned that even a dead PI plant is poisonous. I had no idea!!

Thanks for posting. I'd hate to go on my next vacation looking like Ms. Poison Ivy 2005 ;)

OWJ

cmt - we went to Italy in May for a week. The weekend before departure, I worked in the yard. Midweek I broke out with an horrendous case of poisen ivy. One of my best friends, fortunately, is a dermotologist. She prescribed a round of cortisone tablets and prescription cream. To answer your question, she highly recommended an over the counter preventative called Ivy Guard. While in Italy, the reaction spread and spread. I looked horrible, scratching and itching my way through Italy. The day I returned, I went from the airport to see her. She gave me a injection of cortisone and upped the dose.

>I'm glad you mentioned that even a dead PI plant is poisonous. I had no idea!!<

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER dispose of poison ivy by burning it.

The smoke carries the poisonous oils all over the neighborhood.

((I))

cmt / Deborah Ann

My sympathies to you both. In my case my sister inadvertently gave it to me when she borrowed my towel at the beach, but unknowingly let the towel brush against some of this horrible plant before returning the towel to me. The only thing that stopped the itching was an ORAL corticosteroid prescription, so you might want to ask your respective doctors if this is a possibility. It's possible that if you took an antihistamine such as Benadryl or applied corticosteroid cream soon enough after contact, you might stop the reaction without an oral steroid prescription. However, in my case, I was too slow to recognize what had happened, and wound up being deprived of sleep for several nights until I finally cried, "Uncle"! (or should that be "STEROIDS"! :) )

If I were to run into anything that caused a skin rash while in Europe, I'd skip the home remedies and head for a chemist shop. Chemists (pharmacists) seem to have a lot more latitude in Europe when it comes to things like diagnosing ailments. They'd also likely be up on just exactly what plant or substance would cause the rash - if indeed the rash was due to plant allergy and not to something else.

Ira,
I knew not to burn poison ivy but really didn't know why. I'm dreading hacking down those plants--if we do do it ourselves, I will be the idiot neighbor covered head to toe and using that Ivy Guard stuff that the dork's derm. recommends.

OWJ

I did my poison ivy cutting and pulling July 16, and the symptoms began the next night. They are now getting worse rather than better, probably because of my scratching. I think this may actually be a mild to moderate case. I've seen so much worse.

I mistakenly bought triple antibiotic when I intended to buy egeneric neosporin (a double antibiotic) and unfortunately, I'm mildly allergic to component antibiotic #3. So I'll have to stop using it and get the neosporin.

I also have either p.i. or insect bites on my neck. It's a vertical row of three huge welts, but doesn't really look like p.i.

I think if we are only mildly allergic we can brush past it without harm, or a dog or towel that brushed by it will not give it to us. I've had it touch me many times when walking, and I used to have a dog that routinely got under it, but never got it from her, even though she was all over me, including in my bed. If we cut it or whack it, crush the leaves, or otherwise bruise it, we may get more of the oils, and they may even squirt and spread further. Whacking with a weed whachker is probably a big no-no.

Also we can be resistant some years and allergic other years.

My sympathy to all the PI sufferers. I swear I can get it by looking at a picture of it! Just reading this thread has made me start to itch! I think that once you are exposed to it, future reactions become worse. At least that has been my experience. The last time I had it, my arms looked burned and blistered and one became quite swollen. Be careful out there!

Years ago I met a nice young man a couple of days before a trip to Europe with my parents. He had a mild case of poison oak (west coast, no poison ivy here, but our plant is just as nasty!). "Don't worry," I said, "I am completely immune to the stuff (I had been!)."

Well, a couple days later in Vienna, I started itching and scratching and sure enough, a nasty case of poison oak was breaking out all over (don't ask) my body.

That is when I (and my parents, and I had to come up with an interesting story) found out that there isn't any poison oak/ivy in Europe, at least not in Austria. The pharmacist gave me an over the counter antihistamine and some type of topical gel for insect bites/ skin rashes, etc.

The treatment helped but not a lot -- I remember slathering my skin with plain yogurt in the hotel to soothe it, and just trying to deal with the itchiness.

And the guy? Well, the relationship evolved into a long and mostly happy marriage which, sadly, recently de-evolved...is there a moral in this story? hmmm

Hi cmt,

>It's a vertical row of three huge welts, ...

Probably spider bites.

((I))

Word of caution - avoid using an oral antihistamine and a topical one (ie:don't use benadryl lotion AND take the pills). It will make you worse.

Annabelle : great story !

Interesting fact: Poison ivy is native to North America and to Asia, but not to Europe. A related plant that produces the same urushiol oil used to be valuable in Japan, because the oil was used to produce a traditional shiny lacquer. See http://www.pentrace.com/east/wajima/urushi.html

I thought the reason we are not supposed to use both oral benadryl and the topical benadryl cream at the same time is that the total of the drug taken by mouth and the drug absorbed through the skin could amount to an overdose. (I didn't think it was because it would be ineffective to use both.)

Do you live near the ocean? My son looked for a lost ball in a big patch of poison ivy and ended up with his legs completely covered with weeping blisters. Nothing worked.

But we happened to go to the beach for a weekend. After a morning of sun and salt water, his bumps were all dried up by that evening. The rash was completely gone in two days.

My dermatologist has a brochure in his office about a PI patient he treated. It seems the man was golfing and hit the ball into the rough and there must have been PI there also. Everytime after that he would get PI when he golfed even though he was not hitting the ball into the rough. The doctor finally figured out he had the oil on his clubs and once the clubs were cleaned no more PI breakouts playing golf.

Be sure you are not reinfecting yourself with any tools/weedeaters that may have the oil on them.

I had my first experience with Nettle on a trip to UK in May. It is not as bad as PI--we have tons of it surrounding our back yard. But Nettle is a nasty plant. We saw it throughout Cotswolds, Derbyshire, Lake District, and Scotland. I grew up in a family in the landscape business so I'm always curious about plants, trees, gardens, etc. I picked some Nettle thinking it was in the mint family. Some barbs which were hair like got into my fingers and caused pain and swelling. It was several days before the irritation went away. It was impossible to remove the barbs because they were too small. The plant must be poisonous. We saw sheep grazing in the same pastures where it was growing and they must steer clear of this stuff.

I forgot to clean my loppers, which I was using to cut back the top of the PI so I could then pull out the roots without leaning into the leaves. I have to remember to clean them before next use. I guess I'll rub then with Tecnu, wash, dip in a Clorox solution, and then rinse it all off. I washed the two pairs of leather gloves in the machine two or three times, and same for the clothes. I hope that was enough.

The healthiest, lushest, tallest, thickest PI I've ever seen was in the wild natural parts of Sandy Hook in Monmouth Country, NJ. PI was pretty lush everywhere in that area. In those days I enver got it, even though my dog used to walk under and into it.

nini:

Nettles aren't remotely poisonous: nettleade, nettle cordial and even nettle soup feature frequently in country recipe books, though you need to be careful how you handle the plants.

Dock leaves, as Miss Prism says, are the traditional antidote. Can't see the point of squandering good money on anything else. As she adds, dock is always abundant close to nettles.

This thread is making me itch!

I used to get poison ivy very badly. During one particularly miserable time, a coworker recommended something that a friend of hers "concocted". It was poison ivy extract in liquid form. You mix two or three drops in a glass of water and take it over a few days. (It tastes like you would expect bleach to taste!) It is supposed to build up an immunity to it.

Anyway, I took it nervously, because I was desperate, expecting to wake in the morning with a swollen throat. But the poison ivy went away after about a week and the best part is, I haven't had a reaction since.

I'm not sure where one could find this stuff, though.

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

Poison ivy, poison ivy

--The Coasters, 1959

Calamine lotion is the last thing anyone with poison ivy will need!

From information here I gather that I can travel through the wooded European countryside and not have to worry poison ivy will find me. Right now that sounds like heaven to me.

cmt, my doctor told me to continue the oral antihistamine and topical cream just as we are already doing.
Now its just a matter of letting it run its course.

Poison ivy wounds certainly are disgusting looking, and mrgreen is right, calamine lotion is a hideous color of pink ;;) Deborah

Yesterday I was crazy with itching, so I took a benadryl while I was at work. Never again. I got NO work done and was worried about driving home.

Here are some things I tried that soothed it temporarily: gel from my big old aloe plant in my office, rubbing the inside of a banana skin (someone at work had one for lunch), oil from vitamin E capsules. The best thing was calendula gel, which I keep on hand for bad itchy insect bites. It's almost as effective as benadryl cream without the associated riskes. I never really liked calamine lotion, becasue it's messy, and since my skin is on the dark side of medium, the pale pink calamine shows up from 1/2 mile away.

It's really nice that Europe doesn't have poison ivy. I guess we should brush off the soles of our hiking boots before going there so we don't carry over any seeds. I find it intersting that it's native to both Asia and North America, and I wonder whether it somehow spread from Asia or just happened to develop on both continents.

I really do know how to spell, but I'm a terrible typist:
risks
interesting

I've found that Tecnu (available at CVS, Walgreens, etc.) shortens poison ivy suffering more effectively than anything else. The claim is that it removes urushiol from the skin. I got good results with it.