Hello Ellen, Greetings , After reading your response to the poison ivy/oak/sumac problem it brought back memories of a scout
troop that followed a less then intelligent scout master through a rather large patch of poison oak, the result , we had to
end our annual jamboree about 3 days earlier then expected ....
We were all familiar with the identification of the leaves but not the naked branches , they actually have more concentrated
acids and thusly are even nastier then the contact with the leaves .
The remedy was calidryl, oatmeal baths, hydraquartizone and throwing darts at a picture of the scout master .....
As for immunity i think this is one of those funny quarks that only a small handful of people are privy too...It's sort of
like the guy one the ship who could drink tequila all night long and not get a hangover (probably an alien)....
Well anyway , some people say that if you act quickly upon contact by finding a stream, taking equal parts mud and sand and
scrubbing the area with that while dousing with clear clean water will neutralize the acid oil that is what causes the welts
and discomfort...
All the best , Mark and Peta Bethke Hollywood Florida
----- Original Message -----
From: Ellen Bulger <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, June 14, 2000 11:43 PM
Subject: Re: Poisonwood and poison ivy


| Thank you Andrew.
|
| Poison ivy I know! My dad has always been extremely sensitive. As a teenager
| he got dosed with smoke (a neighbor was clearing brush) and landed in the
| hospital. His breathing passages were inflamed, his eyes swollen shut. He
| couldn't eat. This in the days before antihistamines. He was laid up for
| weeks. A few years later he developed a case while on an aircraft carrier -
| 800 miles offshore after weeks at sea. The ships surgeon was mightily
| impressed.
|
| Understandably I was raised to have respect for this plant. Dad taught me to
| recognize it as soon as I could walk, in all its growth habits and it is a
| marvelously adaptable plant. I can ID it even without leaves.
|
| I'm not overly sensitive. The only case I ever had was when I was pregnant
| and pregnancy tends to lower immunity and increase all kinds of
| sensitivities. My contribution to the family legacy is an allergy to
| antihistamines. (Yep, you read that right.) So I like to steer clear of
| potentially dangerous allergens.
|
| In the pictures I have, poison bush doesn't look quite like poison ivy. But
| the apple-like fruit sounds like the cashew apple.
|
| I guess I'll just stay out of the shrubbery in the Bahamas.
|
| Ellen
|