A Vitamin Remedy for Poison Ivy
Health & Nutrition

A Vitamin Remedy for Poison Ivy

Sarah
A Vitamin Remedy for Poison Ivy

Spring is here and the ground is bursting with young green plants of all kinds, including the dreaded poison ivy. I’ve been severely allergic to poison ivy for years, and just the sight of this plant makes my skin crawl!

I’ve become pretty good at spotting and identifying poison ivy and usually do a pretty good job at keeping far away from it.  But you don’t have to come in contact with the actual plant to have a reaction.  My worst rashes have always come indirectly from touching something that has had contact with the poison ivy plant: firewood, dogs, family members’ clothes after they went hiking, the goats, etc.

Ok, I’ve never shown these photos before, but so you don’t think I’m exaggerating, here are two examples of my bouts with poison ivy. As you can see in the first picture, my arms were so swollen, I couldn’t bend them.  In the second picture of my leg, you can see how red and “burnt” looking my rashes were.  Each year, the rashes grew worse; these were no longer normal poison ivy rashes.
Thankfully, I have come across a natural remedy for poison ivy that works so well that I have to share.  If you start this regimen as soon as you realize you are breaking out with a poison ivy rash, you can almost eliminate the swelling and itching.
I first came across this information in Be Your Own “Doctor” by Rachel Weaver, M. H. two years ago when I had my last major poison ivy attack.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get to try it then, because by the time I had found and purchased the needed supplements, my rash had spread to over 60% of my body.  As much as I wanted to try a natural remedy, I decided to go to the doctor and get my usual dose of prednisone.
But now I had the supplements in the cupboard, ready and waiting for the inevitable next time.
Amazingly, it wasn’t till the next spring till I came down with the rash again.  I woke up one morning with my right eye half swollen shut.  My first reaction was to almost start crying. My second, more rational thought was to grab Weaver’s book.

The Vitamins for Poison Ivy

For poison ivy, Weaver suggests taking one capsule of Pantothenic Acid (b5) and 1,000 Mg of vitamin C (I use this brand) every 15 minutes for two hours. Then take the same dose every two hours for the rest of the day.
At the end of my first two hours of taking the supplements, I could already see the swelling was going down.  By the end of the day, the swelling was almost completely gone.  The next morning, my eye lids had swollen up a bit again, so I took a few more doses of the Pantothenic Acid and Vitamin C to bring the swelling back down again.   I. Was. Amazed.  I have always had to go on Prednisone if the rash got on my eye lids.

A few weeks later, I had poison ivy again, this time on my arm.  Again the results from vitamins amazed me. Instead of angry-red, swollen, oozing patches, I only had a reddish-colored, slightly raised areas to mark the rash.  The itching was minimal.   I was ecstatic!

 Why Does This Work?

 My next question was: why do these two vitamins, used together, cause such a decrease in inflammation?  Although Weaver did not offer an explanation in her book, I stumbled on the answer accidentally in Pat Coleby’s wonderful book, Natural Sheep Care.  In the chapter on vitamins, Coleby explains how Pantothenic acid and Vit C are vital for the adrenal cortex to produce cortisone.
In simpler terms, the vitamins B5 and C nourish your adrenals, and healthy adrenals produce, among other things, a natural anti-inflammatory.
  Later in the book, Coleby also states that, in humans, taking artificial cortisone has been known to stop the body’s adrenals from producing natural cortisone for up to two years!
Suddenly, everything clicked.  I had been taking prednisone, a corticosteroid- the same as cortisone, every year since I was a preteen. Sometimes several times a year. Each year, my reaction to poison ivy became more severe.  Why? Because each dose of prednisone was steadily decreasing my body’s ability to produce its own natural anti-inflammatory.  Scary!

Poison Ivy Prevention

 There is one truth I’ve learned about natural health: it’s a journey, not a destination.  Learning about the body’s adrenals glands lead to researching how to build up the adrenals, which lead to researching adrenal fatigue.
I had a lot of symptoms of adrenal fatigue, so I started taking Pantothenic Acid and Vitamin C daily to build up my adrenals.  I could write a whole separate article on adrenal fatigue, but to keep to this article’s theme, I’ll hold back. 🙂  Then why am I mentioning it?  Because several weeks ago, after I had been taking the daily doses of Pantothenic Acid & Vitamin C for a while, I again got poison ivy…but this time, it took me two days to figure out that it was poison ivy because the rash was SO light, wasn’t itchy, and disappeared in only a few days.  When I finally realized it was poison ivy, I was so excited.  My adrenals were working again!

Is 100% Prevention Possible?

I don’t know. Yet. Maybe in a year or two I will be able to answer this.  My theory is, yes, a healthy adrenal cortex could be the answer to complete poison ivy immunity.  I will update this post as I learn more.
If you suffer from poison ivy, I HIGHLY suggest you stock your medicine cabinet with both Pantothenic Acid and Vitamin C.  This poison ivy treatment works much better if you can start taking it as soon as you notice you are breaking out, so don’t wait till after your rash appears to order it. Or better yet, start taking these vitamins daily to boost your adrenals and hopefully reduce your future poison ivy rash.
I hope this information is helpful to you or to someone you care about.  Do you know someone who battles poison ivy rashes?  Please, share this article with them!
 Disclaimer:
The information contained in these topics is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is provided for educational purposes only.You assume full responsibility for how you choose to use this information.

26 thoughts on “A Vitamin Remedy for Poison Ivy”

  1. Great article – many thanks! I’m in much the same position as you with bouts of incredibly itchy, swollen, rashy skin – mainly on my upper body and arms/hands. I refuse to take prednisone ordered by my GP and antihistamines don’t work. I don’t know if the cause is poison ivy/oak but suspect it might be. Will now certainly try the B5 and Vit C remedy. Thanks a lot!

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    1. Hi! Thanks for commenting! I hope the vitamins help you. I’ve only had a small amount of feedback so far, but all of the people that have told me they tried it were amazed at how well it worked.

      Have an amazing day!
      Sarah

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  2. Hi! I really appreciated stumbling across your post! I used the same info in Weaver’s book to help a horrible PI case I had last spring, but was a little unclear as to why it worked so well. Now I am interested in taking these vitamins daily – how do you determine the appropriate amount? Thanks!

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    1. Hi Korrie,
      I’m glad you found my article!

      I would start by taking the recommend daily dose on the bottle, and then going up or down based on how your body responds.

      I wish I could say that I’ve been good about taking my supplements daily, but I’m not, so I don’t have any exact “daily dosage” recommendation . I have good intentions, but usually when I start feeling edgy or panicky, I realize I have neglected to take them for a while.

      You might also like to check out https://www.mommypotamus.com/ . If you search her site for adrenal fatigue, she has tons of very good, easy to understand info. I first learned about adrenal fatigue from her, and then made the connection between my severe Poison ivy and adrenal fatigue.

      Thank you for writing! I love hearing from others that are using natural products to heal themselves.

      Have a lovely day,
      Sarah

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  3. With poison oak and other rashes, I take bowel tolerance levels of vitamin C (which usually prevents bad rashes in the first place). Also, I wet the skin all around the rash and rub ascorbic acid crystals into the rash. That burns a bit then stops the itching immediately and heals the rash in a few days. You can learn more about taking vitamin C to bowel tolerance to prevent and eliminate diseases from http://www.boweltolerance.org. Thank you for this blog entry.

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  4. Hi,

    Thanks for your article. I have had severe poison ivy all my life and usually get it on my entire body when I come in contact or sometimes just if it’s in the air I get a more minor reaction. I never knew it could be healed with adrenal support and am very grateful to hear your story and results. Is there a v-b5 mg dose you have taken which works?

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    1. I don’t have an exact dose for b5. I just let my symptoms dictate how much I take. I just keep upping my dose till the inflammation starts decreasing or my stomach tells me the dose is a bit too high.

      I really hope the B5/Vit C helps you.
      Thanks for commenting,
      Sarah

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  6. can this work even if u already have it got it about 3 days ago bad on one hand and if its poison oak or sumac does that matter does it work for all of them please get back when u can thanks and like nature want to work out doors a little to need to find something that works

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    1. Hi Josh,

      Sorry to hear about your hand! Ouch!

      I am not a medical professional, so this is just my personal opinion.

      I think the Vit C & Vit B5 could still help you, although you will find it works much better if you start using it on day one of your rash.

      I have never had poison oak or poison sumac, so I have no experience there. But since these vitamins support the adrenals, they should help with any inflammation in the body.

      Hope this helps,
      Sarah

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    2. Thought I could weigh in here, since my first time using this remedy was a good 3-4 days in to a horrible poison ivy rash, primarily on my face (eyes almost swollen shut, the works!). I felt immediate relief, and the swelling decreased daily.

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  7. Im on day 14 of an awful – 60% body covered rash from poison oak. I had to be hospitalized for an anaphylactic response they called “systemic response” to the urishoil. I got a shot of prednisone and then took the oral prednisone for 10 days. I also took hydroxyzine for the itch for 5 days and then benadryl for 5 days (1-2/nite to sleep thru ongoing itching) The drugs did keep me breathing and reduce my rash considerably. But it is still bumpy all over my body (the crusty sores are healing). The HORRIBLE itching (SOO bad I couldn’t sleep in beginning for almost 3 days ) I have NEVER had such an intense reaction, is also mostly gone. Now my rash is manageable, I’ve quit ALL drugs but the itch is still there in miserable spurts for hours at a time. Ive been using “Cereve Lotion” & withchazel to help manage it. At this point, I’m feeling awful side effects from the drugs-it think prednisone mostly- pounding headaches, dizziness, bowel problems, eyesight weakness(I can’t see anything up close or read my phone at ALL) Ive had to get cheater glasses 2.0 magnification. The nassau and headaches coming off prednisone lasted 2 days but have subsided. Today I’m somewhat better- no pounding headache and actually had a bowel movement.(SAD when you just want to poop normal =-0) My stomach has been averse to your recommended Vit C Pantothenic acid d/t the naseua, so started taking a liquid probiotic 3 days ago and i think is helping. Today I think my stomach might be able to handle the Vit C, Pantothenic acid so am going to try it. Im concerned about my eyesight. ANY IDEAS on how i can GET my eyes BACK TO SEEING after this awful prednisone is OUT of me. I Never want to take it again! (I was told by the doctor that another bout of post ivy could be life threatening for me and that I shld keep prednisone handy just in case) Any info on building back the overall immune system and help for eyes after prednisone, would be greatly appreciated! THX for your article! (btw: I’m a 110lb triathlete, who eats very little sugar and thought of herself as quite healthy until this AWFUL experience)

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    1. Hello Susan,
      I’m so sorry that I’m just now seeing this comment. My farm has kept me away from my computer.

      Your urishoil reaction sounds so awful it makes me sick. I hope you are feeling better by now.

      I’m not a doctor, so this is just a suggestion. I would research detoxing to get those drugs out of your system. Also, maybe looking for a doctor who understands natural methods of healing the body.

      I’ve heard Bilberry is really good for eyesight, so you might want to research that. I remember having eyesight trouble after the multi-drug concoction I had to take for the poison ivy I had in the pictures with this article. It did go away, but I didn’t take as many drugs as you had to.

      Sorry I don’t have any more advise for you. I really hope you are feeling better.
      Good luck!
      Sarah

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    2. Hi Susan,
      You may need to adjust your training schedule. I don’t know how often you train as a triathlete, but over-exercise taxes the adrenalsI and although you think you are healthy, your adrenals may not think so. I found this link because I am suffering from the worst bout of PI I have ever had and I’m looking for solutions that mainstream medicine obviously does not have. I had a shot 3 days ago and I’m much worse today. How did the C & B5 work out for you? I’m also researching overmethylation and PI. I’m thinking that may be part of my issue as to why this case of PI is hanging on so long. I would appreciate hearing back from you. You too, Sarah! Thanks for the post.

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  8. Pingback: Homemade and Natural Poison Ivy Remedies that Work | Crazy Organic Mama

  9. I just ordered the 2 vitamins and am so helping I get some relief! I have been dealing with an Id Reaction (interface dermatitis) for 8 months. It started with a case of poison ivy, which was exacerbated by 2 doses of prednisone and topical steroids. I just did 2 weeks of Fluorouracil treatment for precancerous spots on forearms and now the is reaction is back. Terribly itchy rash with small blisters. Your explanation of the adrenal cortex makes so much sense. Here’s hoping this sets things right. I will never ever take a steroid again!!

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    1. Hi Cathy,
      I really hope they get you some relief! 8 months, I can’t imagine!
      I’m with you on the steroids! I’m never taking them again either!
      Sarah

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      1. I am writing to thank you and follow up. I got my vitamins late yesterday afternoon. I took the 4 doses for 1 hour, then 3 more before bedtime. Today my rash is nearly gone. I wish I could show you before and after pictures. As recently as 3 days ago my arms were swollen and filled with tiny blisters. Itches like crazy. Today, clear. 🙏👏

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      2. Wow! That’s wonderful! I’m so happy it worked so quickly for you!!! And thanks for taking the time to come back with an update. This made my morning!!! -Sarah

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    2. I’m fairly certain I experienced the same “rebound rash” from prednisone and topical steroids two years ago when I got poison ivy for the first time in my life. They did not improve or shorten my reaction and long after the PI was cleared up, I had hives ALL over my body that itched like crazy. I got PI this week and I am not going to take the steroid prescribed to me. I’m terrified of it. But my PI is worsening and half my face is swollen, itchy and red. I have vitamin C on hand, but have to go get some B5 this evening. Thank you for giving me a little hope that this will not go on for a month like last time.

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  10. Thanks so much for posting this here, it makes so much sense when I compare it to my experiences with poison oak and prednisone! I never got poison oak rashes before my first dose of prednisone for a different reason. A few months later I got my first poison oak rash. I didn’t take any prednisone for it but the rashes were consistently painful over the next year until some major pruning on our ranch led to one exposure that covered a large area of my chest and was excruciating and made breastfeeding my baby very hard, I even had a patch of rash that was shaped like her hand. That’s when I started reading everything I could find and came across your post. The next time I got exposed I was ready with the vitamins and the rash wasn’t as bad. Subsequent rashes have gotten lighter and lighter as I did the daily dosage until I wasn’t getting them anymore. Then last year I had to take another dose of prednisone for an unrelated reason and all of a sudden I’m getting bad rashes again though never as bad as before doing the daily vitamins. So glad I know what to do to get rid of it! Thanks again for sharing knowledge that actually helps!

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  11. Thank you so much, Erin, for taking the time to come back and comment! I truly got so excited when I read it! I found it interesting and encouraging that your rashes didn’t come back as strong when you had to take prednisone again now that your taking the vitamins. I’ve wondered what would happen if I HAD to take prednisone again for something else.

    Thanks again,
    Sarah

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