shankopotomus
Bogey Member
i'm sure that i'm not the only one who has trouble with poison ivy on the course. here in rural illinois it is every where. i am always amazed that most don't know that you can cure your poison ivy for free if you know what to look for.
there is a very common plant called touch-me-nots (aka jewel weed. aka Impatiens capensis) that studies have shown to be far more effective in dealing with poison ivy rashes (or any Rhus family toxic plants. poison oak, poison sumac etc) than conventional treatments. the plant conveniently grows in the similar habitats as poison ivy. the saying is "where ever you find poison ivy you will find jewel weed."
the trick is being able to identify it.
be sure that you have the right plant! the leaves of juvenile jewelweed look very similar to poison ivy. when you look at the leaves together the difference seems clear however when you don't have another specimen to compare to it can be more difficult. once you get a good eye for it you can see it a mile away though.
poison ivy
jewelweed
notice how the serrations (saw toothed edges) go from heel to tip in a uniform pattern while on the poison ivy the serrations are asymmetrical and only stretch from the heel to middle of the blade. also poison ivy is a compound leaved plant with leaves in threes while jewelweed is simple leaved with singe leaves.
jewel weed can be found in low lying, forested areas especially in damp soils around streams. it does not like direct sunlight so you may need to venture into the woods a little. the mature plant stands about 2-5 feet tall and they tend to occur in dense communities. if you find one, then another wont be far. the stems of jewel weed are very distinct. they are succulent stems and seem disproportionally large for the size of the plant. the stems are light green and semi translucent. the flowers are strange shaped and very distinct also (if you want to attract hummingbirds to your garden these are the way to go).
side view of flower
front view
to use the plant for poison ivy purposes is very easy. in the field all you have to do is crunch up the stem and rub the sap on the effected area. what i do is take the whole thing, leaves and all, mash it up and roll it between my hands and roll the mashed up plant on my skin.
another way is to pick as many plants as you can carry (they are very weakly rooted so if you grab the stem you should be able to uproot it with very little effort). snap off the lowest part of the stem to get rid of the dirt and roots. try to keep the plant as intact as possible. every crack in the plant will lose valuable sap. as soon as possible get it into a large soup pan filled with water. as you add the plant try to break it up as much as you can with out losing too much sap. bring the pot to boil for about 30min. every five or ten minuets take a potato masher to it and break it up as much as possible. when you're done it should look like overcooked spinach and the broth should look like orange gatorade or koolaid. strain out the plant material and put the broth in icecube trays and then into the freezer. they will keep for ever and when ever you get poison ivy (which for me is all the fracken time) just pop out a cube and rub it on the affected area a few times a day. after a few days you should be free and clear.
nature ftw
there is a very common plant called touch-me-nots (aka jewel weed. aka Impatiens capensis) that studies have shown to be far more effective in dealing with poison ivy rashes (or any Rhus family toxic plants. poison oak, poison sumac etc) than conventional treatments. the plant conveniently grows in the similar habitats as poison ivy. the saying is "where ever you find poison ivy you will find jewel weed."
the trick is being able to identify it.
be sure that you have the right plant! the leaves of juvenile jewelweed look very similar to poison ivy. when you look at the leaves together the difference seems clear however when you don't have another specimen to compare to it can be more difficult. once you get a good eye for it you can see it a mile away though.
poison ivy
jewelweed
notice how the serrations (saw toothed edges) go from heel to tip in a uniform pattern while on the poison ivy the serrations are asymmetrical and only stretch from the heel to middle of the blade. also poison ivy is a compound leaved plant with leaves in threes while jewelweed is simple leaved with singe leaves.
jewel weed can be found in low lying, forested areas especially in damp soils around streams. it does not like direct sunlight so you may need to venture into the woods a little. the mature plant stands about 2-5 feet tall and they tend to occur in dense communities. if you find one, then another wont be far. the stems of jewel weed are very distinct. they are succulent stems and seem disproportionally large for the size of the plant. the stems are light green and semi translucent. the flowers are strange shaped and very distinct also (if you want to attract hummingbirds to your garden these are the way to go).
side view of flower
front view
to use the plant for poison ivy purposes is very easy. in the field all you have to do is crunch up the stem and rub the sap on the effected area. what i do is take the whole thing, leaves and all, mash it up and roll it between my hands and roll the mashed up plant on my skin.
another way is to pick as many plants as you can carry (they are very weakly rooted so if you grab the stem you should be able to uproot it with very little effort). snap off the lowest part of the stem to get rid of the dirt and roots. try to keep the plant as intact as possible. every crack in the plant will lose valuable sap. as soon as possible get it into a large soup pan filled with water. as you add the plant try to break it up as much as you can with out losing too much sap. bring the pot to boil for about 30min. every five or ten minuets take a potato masher to it and break it up as much as possible. when you're done it should look like overcooked spinach and the broth should look like orange gatorade or koolaid. strain out the plant material and put the broth in icecube trays and then into the freezer. they will keep for ever and when ever you get poison ivy (which for me is all the fracken time) just pop out a cube and rub it on the affected area a few times a day. after a few days you should be free and clear.
nature ftw
is that a cause and effect relationship i wonder?
