Poison Ivy
It occurred to me that I am not getting poison ivy, even tho' I am out there in the rushes picking berries. So, I decided to find out why...
Fact:
85% of people get poison ivy. Researchers find no rhyme or reason why someone like me will not get poison. However, given enough exposure and I will succome...eventually.
Fact:
The poison from poison ivy and it's cousins, sumac, oak and box elder expel a substance called Urushiol. It is present in all parts of the plant, but mostly in the sap. Urushiol causes "Ruhs dermatitus." This is a nice way of saying, you get a nasty little present called a "rash!"
Fact:
Urushiol can stay on clothing and will cause an outbreak, even after you taken the article off. In fact, depending on the clothing and conditions, Urushiol can become even MORE potent if clothing isn't washed. And...there is evidence that years can go by and you can get a rash from unwashed clothing!
Poison Ivy is a member of the cashew family! Weird, huh? Who knew???? Most members of the cashew family are found in sub-tropical and tropical locations. Anacardiaceae (formal Latin for the cashew family) presents itself in the "poison" plants in North America.
5 comments:
hmmm... guess that cashew got mad that it had to suffer ice and snow and decided to get revenge, huh! very interesting and enlightening report mamao... who knew it could strike years later... that gives me incentive to keep up after the launndry for sure!
you go girl!!!
just reading this made me itchy! can you catch it in cyberspace?
not that i know of...tune in, tho, if i find out you'll be the first to know~!
i don't recall ever having poison ivy myself... could have just been lack of exposure... momma bear, have i had that?
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