Poison Ivy: Update 29/08: How poison ivy gives you the itch

The poison ivy in your yard, in your garden, or on your neighbors fence waits patiently to make you itch day after day.

It doesn't care how old you are (except you must be older than 3), it doesn't care how much clothing you wear, or if you have 2 or 4 legs.
You are targeted 24/7/365, yes even in the winter when it looks dead and harmless.

Poison ivy was undoubtedly designed to target you and your pets for its own defense ...by making you itch (it needs about 10 minutes to get the itch started).

This is how poison ivy pulls it of:

1. By touch:

• When you touch the poison ivy, you damage the plant and it responds by placing an oil on to your skin or clothes that will cause the itch.
• 70% of us are very allergic to it in small amounts, the other luckier 30% require much much larger doses to cause a reaction.
• The oil remains on your clothes and must be washed off to render your clothes harmless once again.

2. By eating: That same oil drips down through your internal digestive tract and oh boy...not good.

3. By breathing: When someone burns poison ivy, you inhale the smoke in which the oil is carried. Your lungs are particularly sensitive to the oil and so sensitive, that death can occur.

If you follow this link to our poison ivy page, you can learn how to beat back and win the eternal battle with this stubborn yard and garden plant.