Poison Oak - Survival Guide

[wildbill]

I recently was nailed by a bad case of poison oak. I'm normally very good at spotting it, the exception apparently being in the winter time. I made this video to help my fellow hikers avoid the nightmare known as a poison oak rash.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipwER-ZbIuI

[powderdays]

Thanks for the video, very informative. I am sorry you had to have a run in with poison oak, but the educational guide was a great idea to help others avoid your pain. There are some great natural remedies that will offer relief for poison oak, tea tree oil is a natural astringent and will anti-bacterialize the skin when applied, it also works great for fungal ailments, the San Diego gum plant was used by Native Americans for relief of poison oak as well. Nature can be brutal but what I have learned through studying ancient remedies is that nature usually puts plants that can sooth or counteract the effects of the bad ones.

[GDeadPhans]

Thanks wild bill.

I know for poison ivy rashes, Jewelweed commonly grows alongside it, because they share the same habitat characteristics. Oftentimes if you find poison ivy you will find Jewelweed. Jewelweed has some properties that sooth poison ivy rashes. Crush it up and smear the juices. I wonder if it would work on poison oak. Google some images so you can correctly identify it.

Always use extra caution when tromping around wetlands. Many poisonous species enjoy wetland substrate.

Oh look at that, just found a video lol: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2wNhs9s5Wo

[powderdays]

Thanks for the herbal remedy GDeadPhans. I was trying to find a good plant in my Herbal book but the one I have focuses mainly on remedies for human ailments such as aches, pains, as opposed to external poisons. There are a lot of different plants that help or heal everything that modern medicine does, you just have to learn to identify them and know how to apply them.

[GDeadPhans]

Its true, in fact, most modern medicine comes from plants

Tylenol, amphetamines, you name it, its most likely from plants.

and your welcome

[Sergemaster]

It doesn't hurt to carry a copy of "Know Your Poisonous Plants" by Wilma Roberts James or something similiar as reference material whenever anyone plans on being in the field for more than just a day hike, better safe than sorry.

Cheers,
Serge

[whiteOak]

Ive been very lucky so far with the other poisonous plants. Ive never even seen poison oak or sumac before.
and I am not allergic to poison ivy, which is all over the place here. I can touch it without getting any rash