It makes perfect sense to avoid poison ivy, poison sumac and poison oak. However, sometimes these weeds grow on your property without you ever noticing until you get a severe allergic reaction. Some individuals have very serious skin and systemic reactions to poisonous plants. Poison ivy and other plants in the same family produce a chemical, called urushiol, which causes contact dermatitis. However, some people are so sensitive that they can get a life threatening allergic response. Many people who own property that is fairly wooded may also have poison ivy and other poisonous plants living on their property. It is also quite common for hikers to become exposed to poison ivy, poison sumac, and poison oak. If you are a hiker, you should become familiar with what these poisonous weeds look like, and stay far away from them so you don’t come into contact with the chemical particulate of urushiol.

If you are severely allergic to poison ivy, you are probably allergic to poison sumac and poison oak also, because they all produce the same chemical in their leaves. You may not even need to come into contact with these poisonous plants to have a severe reaction. If you have a pet that wanders around your property, your dog or cat could pick up this chemical on its fur. When you pet the animal you have just transferred some of the chemical onto your skin. Your response could start out with an itch rash, and it could end up with blisters all over your body. Your eyes could swell shut, and your air passages could also be affected in a severe reaction if you were to inhale the particulate from the poison ivy plant.

A severe internal allergic reaction to poison ivy and other poisonous plants could cause shortness of breath, elevated pulse and blood pressure, and elevated temperature. If you have been in contact with poison ivy or some other poisonous plant and you begin to have breathing problems, you should go to an emergency room. The doctor may be able to counter act the allergic response with antihistamines and corticosteroids.

Some people believe they can boost their immunity to poison ivy and other poisonous plants by taking large doses of Vitamin C. Before taking anything, be sure to consult your physician first. The best way to reduce your allergic reaction to poison ivy is to destroy the plants. It may be difficult to locate poison ivy all over your property, especially if you own many acres of land. However, it may be necessary if you have pets that may come into contact with it.

According to a study by the National Academy of Sciences in 2006, it was reported that urushiol is more potent in poison ivy plants due to the increase in carbon emissions in the environment. A safe way of getting rid of poison ivy is to landscape your property regularly. There are different ways to kill poison ivy and other poisonous weeds. Before you attempt to get rid of poison ivy, poison sumac, or poison oak, be sure to wear goggles to protect your eyes, and a “breathing” mask to protect your lungs from the poison particulate. You should also wear appropriate clothing to protect all areas of your skin from exposure to urushiol. You can use a weed killer poison, you can also use wood chips to block sunlight from getting to them, and you can smother them by covering them with plastic. Do not ever try to burn poison ivy, because you will cause the poisonous chemical to become airborne with the smoke. You could breathe in the chemical from a long distance away if you were to burn it.

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