Mark, James and Kurt, and other P.I. sensitive individuals:

I think this topic is really pretty much On instead of Off. If we talked
about avoiding  Portuguese Man of War  while marine shelling, and what to
do about their stings, or about avoiding stingrays, nobody should complain.
Yet poison ivy is one of the greatest hazards (after poisonous snakes) of
land and fresh water collecting.

My experience with poison ivy:

Use the "old Indian Remedy,"  Jewel Weed if it grows in your area. I once
had a pediatrician tell me this was witch doctoring, but I have had good
experience with it, both for myself and with a son, Mike, who is fiercely
allergic to Poison Ivy.  It is a plant that, once you see it, you'll
rmember it. It  grows near streams and in low places, has odd stems, an odd
root system, and a funny snap dragon-y dangling flower, either in yellow or
orange (two species...both work..more description on request).  Crush the
plant, leaves and stem and rub the resulting mess all over exposed skin
before exposure. I am sure that it works.  Once, land shell collecting in
Louisville's Sleepy Hollow with Walter Sage, we had this happen: Rubbed
ourselves and my children's exposed arms and legs with crushed Jewel Weed,
gathered on the spot. Then entered woods. Collected and explored for
several hours. At one point Mike, aged about 6, lost his footing and slid
down a poison ivy covered bank on his bottom. Oh well, I thought, this is
where we really see what Jewel Weed can do!  Mike did get a bad case of
poison ivy, but ONLY on the backs of his thighs ABOVE the shorts line where
the slide pushed his shorts up as he slid and exposed un-Jewel Weed treated
skin!   I have also made it a point, since then, to rub with crushed Jewel
Weed AFTER a trip through poison ivy. And on many an occasion I have
treated a newly breaking out spot of the rash with a good Jewel Weed rub
which has stopped the progress in its tracks!   When Mike was still at
home, every asutumn we'd gather lots Jewel Weed and steep it into a green
thick liquid and freeze it in ice cubes. They were an excellent remedy for
those early cases of poison ivy that one gets grubbing around in the spring
before the leaves make its stems identifiable.  Don't ask me what the
property that accomplishes this miracle is!  And if all are like my old
pediatrician, science probably isn't even working on the issue.  And, like
a lot of botanicals, it's free so you can't make a fortune out of bottling
it.

Mark, the reason the sand trick might work, and I don't doubt it, is that,
as I understand it, the troublesome principle in poison ivy is a sticky
invisible oily stuff, sort of like a clear, colorless pine sap, though not
discernable to touch.  Getting it off the skin will eliminate or lessen the
problem your skin has with it.  So the sand treatment, since sand is
abrasive, will accomplish that, if, as you say, you do a really thorough
job of your scrub. Mother, who is also quite allergic, and has always been
prone to digging about in poison-ivy infested spots, has uses the Comet
cleanser and old toothbrush method of clearing up any erupting rash. A bit
harsh, but a little raw spot beats weeks of itching!

Lynn Scheu
Louisville, KY

>Don't go land snail collecting.....seriously, wear long pants, etc. when
>collecting and don't wipe sweat out of your eyes with your hands after
>you've been grubbing around.
>
>Kurt
>
>At 12:22 PM 9/20/99 -0700, you wrote:
>>I am just wondering, but has anyone had any experiences
>>with Poison Ivy, Poison Sumac or Poison Oak? I figure this
>>is a major problem when it comes to land snail collecting.
>>What measures should be taken to prevent it?
>>
>>- James
>>
>