Poison Ivy

I am highly allergic to poison ivy, to the point that it is almost ridiculous. If someone were to burn it in their yard, the chemicals in the smoke alone would cause me to get a rash in my nasal passages. If my family had some on their clothing, it easily transfered to me when I would do laundry and I would have to deal with rashes and blisters for weeks. In the past, exposure to it almost always led to steroid treatments and months of topical creams to treat it.

Then last year, I heard that some people have treated it with Rhus Tox a homeopathic remedy used for some forms of arthritis. Rhus Tox is actually small doses of the poison ivy plant oils in pill form. You start by taking 4 a day for a week, then take one a day for the rest of the summer. I tried this and discovered that it allowed me to build up an immunity of sorts. When I ran into the plant later in the summer, I had no reaction at all! I was truly amazed.

Feeling brazen with my new found immunity, I decided to get rid of the poison ivy growing near our chicken yard. I was able to walk through the patches and sprayed them with a bottle filled with full-strength vinegar (not the diluted stuff you find at the grocery store). I sprayed the leaves generously with it and a few days later, the poison ivy was dead. Victory was mine! Using nothing toxic, I not only beat my allergy, I also killed all the poison ivy in our yard.