DO NOT ATTEMPT ANY OF THESE EXPERIMENTS OR IDEAS! I am a professional hobbyist who takes ridiculous risks. Poison Ivy is extremely dangerous to some people and it has been known to kill, under the right circumstances. If you are trying to eradicate the plant, NEVER! burn any of it, whether fresh or dried. NEVER burn it! The smoke is poisonous. Not many people want to inhale poison smoke. Making a salad out of it is not recommended, either. If you recently contracted poison ivy and it's your first time, seek medical attention immediately. When I was testing the stuff in the past and it got out of control, I ran to the drug store for relief. The 1% hydrocortisone cream which most  markets carry, worked great.

The only information you'll find on this page is about poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) and my experiments on it. My discovery of a natural salve to relieve the physical irritation came true this summer and I'm willing to share it.

About 85% of the population is allergic to the urushiol, the poisonous compound in the sap. Some have a mild reaction, some a more severe reaction and some it can hospitalized or worse. It is nothing to fool around with. I get a sever skin reaction where I rub it on, but nothing worse. For more information on the plant and Poison Oak or Sumac, try Poison-Ivy.org. Poison Oak prevails in the Pacific states and Poison Sumac  grows mainly south. All of these plant have been known to cross their lines, though.

I am going to give you the information I've gleaned from my experiments with this nasty stuff. I will also give you my formula for the salve and my opinions. The Native Americans gave me the idea. I don't want to profit from it, but like them, I want to share it.

The  U.S. Military doesn't use it as a weapon of mass destruction because it's too unstable and it doesn't react quickly enough for them. It took two days before there was a sign that I was affected by the urushiol. It took a total of four days to get an unpleasant reaction.

My first controlled experiment was a couple of years ago and went totally out of control. The rash spread over my left arm. The second time I tested it there was more control and no spreading of the rash.

Allergies? According to scientists about 85% of the population is allergic to poison ivy. The good thing is that 15% are not. I was immune in the early 90s. Not anymore. So, that can change over time. Common sense (if you have it) should tell you to NEVER trust poison ivy. There's an old saying that holds very true in North America. It is "leaves of three, let it be." Those are great words to follow. When in doubt, don't touch.

I'm going to give you a detailed description of how I ran my test. After that is the formula to make the natural salve.

I'm only going to report on the area I called spot two. I put spot one on two days earlier, but I may have been a little gun-shy, so I put it on heavier the second time around.

9-5-19 - I applied it liberally from crushed plant leaves at the scene. I left the oil on and about 25 minutes later I gave the area a thorough washing with COLD water and Dawn 3x dish soap. This will get the oil off. Warm water opens the pores so the urushiol penetrates deeper.

9-7-19 - Redness appears.

9-9-19 - Small blisters appeared with minor swelling and the irritation started with a severe itching. I applied the salve liberally. The itchiness stopped within five minutes. Anytime the itching arrived, I applied plenty of salve.

9-12-19 - The healing part began. There was relief and I thought I could stop using the salve, until I awoke at 03:00 am with a severe case of itching in the area. I  put heavy salve on, but it took about 10 minutes to work. I haven't used the salve since that early morning bout.

9-18-19 - I have a circle of redness about the size of a quarter on my arm. There has been no irritation of any type. I no longer find it necessary to use the salve. It only took nearly three weeks to heal from the little I applied and controlled.

I may have said this before, but Poison Ivy is the nastiest stuff I ever messed with. I wouldn't wish it on an enemy.

Jewelweed Infused Oil instructions:

Any summer day Jewelweed can be found. It's best if harvested by mid-September, as it's much harder to find after October 1st. It's an attractive plant with bright orange flowers and is sometimes referred to as the touch-me-not plant. It's seed pods, when ripe, burst open at the slightest touch. They grow in moist shady ditches and along the stream banks. Poison ivy also grows well in these environment. Be careful! It's wise not to trespass, either. You can find Jewelweed in parks, along roads and the ditches.

Harvest a small amount. I grabbed two plants. The uproot easily. When you get them home, wash and chop the main stems into 2 inch pieces or so. Place them in a glass bowl and pour extra virgin olive oil to completely cover the jewelweed. Any piece above the oil line may mold and ruin the entire batch. It all must be covered.

Place the bowl in a dark cupboard or closet and let sit one month. When the month is up, remove the jewelweed and discard. You can use cheesecloth to filter the oil. I poured the oil into an empty dark wine bottle and corked it. This oil will store in the fridge for about 2 years.

Salve Ingredients:

1/4 cup Jewelweed infused olive oil
1/4 cup of beeswax or carnauba wax (vegan)
1/4 cup refined Shea butter
2 tsps. Cocoa butter

Combine the ingredients and place them in a heat proof measuring glass. Pour about two to four inches of water into a pot and not the glass. Heat the water to a simmer and place the glass cup in. Check with a thermometer and remove the glass when the mixture reaches 180 degrees. Stir well and pour this mixture into a container or a dessert glass. Let cool to room temperature. This salve will harden and can be placed in the fridge for up to two years or you can buy some hydrocortisone.

Thanks to Covid-19, I'm into other things, now.