1 00:00:01,840 --> 00:00:07,160 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeartRadio, Hey brain 2 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:12,400 Speaker 1: Stuff Lauren Vogelbon here. Every year, somewhere from ten to 3 00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:16,960 Speaker 1: fifty million Americans experience an allergic reaction to poison ivy, 4 00:00:17,880 --> 00:00:21,160 Speaker 1: the plant, not the Batman character named after it. The 5 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:24,640 Speaker 1: plant is often difficult to spot because it closely resembles 6 00:00:24,720 --> 00:00:28,600 Speaker 1: common garden plants and other weeds both here and wherever 7 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:31,600 Speaker 1: it grows. But if you come into contact with it, 8 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:35,520 Speaker 1: you'll probably know because an itchy, blistery rash is likely 9 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:40,120 Speaker 1: to form on your skin. There are a few different 10 00:00:40,159 --> 00:00:44,479 Speaker 1: species of poison ivy in the genus Toxicodendron. They occur 11 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:47,600 Speaker 1: in ranges from Canada down through Central America, in parts 12 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:51,879 Speaker 1: of the Caribbean, and in parts of East Asia. The 13 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:54,840 Speaker 1: culprit behind the rash is an allergic reaction with a 14 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:57,760 Speaker 1: compound that occurs in the sap of the plant called 15 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:02,680 Speaker 1: arustial Ivy is in the sumac family and a cardiassia 16 00:01:03,120 --> 00:01:06,560 Speaker 1: and arushiol is, the same compound responsible for the rashes 17 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:09,080 Speaker 1: some people get from other plants in the family, like 18 00:01:09,160 --> 00:01:14,480 Speaker 1: poison sumac, poison oak, mango skin, and cashew fruit. The 19 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:18,280 Speaker 1: name erusiol comes from the Japanese word urushi referring to 20 00:01:18,480 --> 00:01:21,760 Speaker 1: lacquer or the lacquer tree, because in East Asia, a 21 00:01:21,800 --> 00:01:24,119 Speaker 1: type of tree in the same genus as poison ivy 22 00:01:24,319 --> 00:01:27,600 Speaker 1: has sap, containing the same allergen that has been carefully 23 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:33,720 Speaker 1: processed to create beautiful lacquerware for thousands of years. But 24 00:01:33,959 --> 00:01:37,720 Speaker 1: aside from mango, cashew, and urushi, and many plants that 25 00:01:37,800 --> 00:01:42,279 Speaker 1: contain erushiol are considered pests because about eighty five percent 26 00:01:42,319 --> 00:01:45,760 Speaker 1: of people are allergic to the compound, and only a 27 00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:48,800 Speaker 1: tiny amount a one billionth of a gram is enough 28 00:01:48,800 --> 00:01:52,840 Speaker 1: to cause a rash in many people. Sometimes the allergy 29 00:01:52,880 --> 00:01:56,160 Speaker 1: doesn't emerge until you've been exposed several times, though some 30 00:01:56,200 --> 00:01:59,200 Speaker 1: people develop a rash after their very first contact, and 31 00:01:59,240 --> 00:02:01,520 Speaker 1: it can take anywhere from a few hours to up 32 00:02:01,560 --> 00:02:06,280 Speaker 1: to ten days for the rash to emerge. The poison 33 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:10,800 Speaker 1: ivy rash often looks like red lines and sometimes causes blisters. 34 00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:13,560 Speaker 1: Many people get it when they're hiking in the woods 35 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:16,760 Speaker 1: or working in their garden and accidentally come into direct 36 00:02:16,760 --> 00:02:21,280 Speaker 1: contact with the plants leaves, roots, or stems. Because urushiol 37 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:23,520 Speaker 1: is found in all parts of the poison ivy plant, 38 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:27,840 Speaker 1: it's best to avoid the plant entirely when you can. 39 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:31,280 Speaker 1: It generally grows in a cluster of low weed like 40 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:34,799 Speaker 1: plants or a woody vine that can climb trees or fences, 41 00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:38,240 Speaker 1: and is most often found in moist areas like riverbanks, 42 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:42,600 Speaker 1: woods and pastures. The general rule to identify poison ivy 43 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:46,040 Speaker 1: is leaves of three. Let it be because it usually 44 00:02:46,080 --> 00:02:48,880 Speaker 1: grows in groups of three oval leaves with a longer 45 00:02:48,919 --> 00:02:51,480 Speaker 1: middle leaf, but it can also grow with up to 46 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:54,840 Speaker 1: nine leaves in a group. The edges of the leaves 47 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:58,519 Speaker 1: can be smooth or have tiny teeth. Their color changes 48 00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:01,120 Speaker 1: based on the season, reddish in the spring, green in 49 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:03,640 Speaker 1: the summer, and yellow orange or red in the fall. 50 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:08,280 Speaker 1: It blooms with yellow green flowers around early summer, and 51 00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:12,920 Speaker 1: its small berries are typically white. A note that different 52 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:17,280 Speaker 1: varieties and other plants containing rouchiol look different. It's always 53 00:03:17,280 --> 00:03:19,480 Speaker 1: a good idea to do a quick search on hazardous 54 00:03:19,520 --> 00:03:22,440 Speaker 1: plants in your area before going hiking or cleaning out 55 00:03:22,480 --> 00:03:27,600 Speaker 1: overgrowth in your yard. A note that I said hazardous 56 00:03:27,639 --> 00:03:31,480 Speaker 1: there instead of poisonous, because despite poison ivy's name, the 57 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:37,040 Speaker 1: rash it causes is again an allergic reaction. Allergies are 58 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:40,320 Speaker 1: what happens when your immune system overreacts to the presence 59 00:03:40,360 --> 00:03:44,760 Speaker 1: of an essentially harmless substance like flower pollen or cat'sliva, 60 00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:50,120 Speaker 1: which they transfer to their dander via washing. Okay, the 61 00:03:50,120 --> 00:03:52,880 Speaker 1: body's immune system is in the business of protecting us 62 00:03:52,920 --> 00:03:57,480 Speaker 1: from antigens like bacteria, viruses, and other foreign invaders that 63 00:03:57,520 --> 00:04:01,920 Speaker 1: can make us sick. But when allergens like eruchiol coming 64 00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:05,440 Speaker 1: contact with us through our skin or maybe im mucous membrane, 65 00:04:05,640 --> 00:04:10,000 Speaker 1: they also instigate an immune response. Here's how the poison 66 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:14,120 Speaker 1: ivy response works. Eruchiol makes its way down through the skin, 67 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:18,400 Speaker 1: where it's metabolized or broken down. Immune cells called T 68 00:04:18,600 --> 00:04:23,080 Speaker 1: cells recognize the derivatives as an antigen. They send out 69 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:27,040 Speaker 1: inflammatory signals called cytokines, which bring in white blood cells. 70 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:30,640 Speaker 1: Under orders from the cytokines, these white blood cells turn 71 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:35,680 Speaker 1: into macrophages. The macrophages eat foreign substances, but in doing 72 00:04:35,720 --> 00:04:40,760 Speaker 1: so they also damage normal tissue. So in places where 73 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:43,640 Speaker 1: your skin has come into contact with poison ivy, within 74 00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:46,320 Speaker 1: one to two days, you might develop a rash, which 75 00:04:46,320 --> 00:04:51,440 Speaker 1: will usually itch, reden, burn, swell, and form blisters. The 76 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:53,880 Speaker 1: rash may appear sooner in some parts of the body 77 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:57,680 Speaker 1: than others, but that doesn't mean it's spreading. The eruchiol 78 00:04:57,800 --> 00:05:00,919 Speaker 1: just absorbs into the skin at different rates. For example, 79 00:05:01,040 --> 00:05:03,320 Speaker 1: think of how the soles of your feet have thicker 80 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:07,320 Speaker 1: skin than your arms. The rash should go away within 81 00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:09,839 Speaker 1: a week or so. The severity often has to do 82 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:14,760 Speaker 1: with how much erutiol you've been exposed to. Definitely seek 83 00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:17,400 Speaker 1: emergency medical help right away if you have signs of 84 00:05:17,440 --> 00:05:21,839 Speaker 1: a severe allergic reaction like difficulty breathing, dizziness or weakness, 85 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:26,720 Speaker 1: or bluish lips, but also contact a medical professional if 86 00:05:26,760 --> 00:05:29,920 Speaker 1: the rash pops up in sensitive areas like the eyes, mouth, 87 00:05:29,960 --> 00:05:33,840 Speaker 1: they're genitals. If it doesn't heal after two weeks, or 88 00:05:33,880 --> 00:05:36,640 Speaker 1: if you have signs of an infection like puffs around 89 00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:39,360 Speaker 1: the rash or a fever over one hundred degrees fahrenheit 90 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:43,720 Speaker 1: or a thirty seven to seven celsius. The quicker you 91 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:46,080 Speaker 1: treat a brush with poison IVY, the greater the odds 92 00:05:46,080 --> 00:05:48,240 Speaker 1: that you can remove at least some of the erutiol 93 00:05:48,279 --> 00:05:51,160 Speaker 1: before it gets into your skin, thus possibly warding off 94 00:05:51,160 --> 00:05:54,240 Speaker 1: a reaction. As soon as you notice that you've touched 95 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:58,160 Speaker 1: or possibly touched poison ivy or related plants, Rinse off 96 00:05:58,200 --> 00:06:01,760 Speaker 1: your skin immediately with water. Rinsing within the first five 97 00:06:01,760 --> 00:06:06,440 Speaker 1: minutes of contact is most effective. Then as soon as 98 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:09,040 Speaker 1: you can remove all clothes that have come in contact 99 00:06:09,080 --> 00:06:11,400 Speaker 1: with the plant and wash your skin with soap and 100 00:06:11,440 --> 00:06:16,279 Speaker 1: cool water. Then, using a preferably disposable item like a 101 00:06:16,279 --> 00:06:19,120 Speaker 1: cotton ball, cleanse the affected areas of your skin with 102 00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:23,800 Speaker 1: isoproble alcohol aka rubbing alcohol. You'll want to wash those 103 00:06:23,839 --> 00:06:26,359 Speaker 1: clothes and any wash cloths or tells you use with 104 00:06:26,440 --> 00:06:30,719 Speaker 1: soap and water before using them again. When the rash appears, 105 00:06:30,839 --> 00:06:34,120 Speaker 1: you'll most likely be very itchy, but try not to scratch. 106 00:06:34,680 --> 00:06:37,880 Speaker 1: Although breaking the blisters by scratching cannot spread the rash, 107 00:06:38,279 --> 00:06:40,839 Speaker 1: bacteria can get in through the broken skin and cause 108 00:06:40,839 --> 00:06:45,000 Speaker 1: an infection. Along those lines, remember that a poison ivy 109 00:06:45,080 --> 00:06:48,279 Speaker 1: rash is not contagious. By the time a rash has formed, 110 00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:51,000 Speaker 1: the your shiol that caused it is long gone from 111 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:55,640 Speaker 1: your skin. To ease the discomfort, you can use wet 112 00:06:55,640 --> 00:06:59,320 Speaker 1: compresses or soak the affected areas in cool water. You 113 00:06:59,360 --> 00:07:02,839 Speaker 1: can also apply a topical corticosteroid or take an over 114 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:07,279 Speaker 1: the counter any histamine like Benadrell prescription cordzone can stop 115 00:07:07,279 --> 00:07:10,480 Speaker 1: the reaction, but only if it's taken soon after exposure. 116 00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:14,880 Speaker 1: Other topical products that can soothe itching are calamine lotion, 117 00:07:15,280 --> 00:07:18,760 Speaker 1: zinc oxide ointment, baking soda paste made of three teaspoons 118 00:07:18,800 --> 00:07:21,960 Speaker 1: baking soda and one teaspoon water, or an oatmeal bath. 119 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:26,960 Speaker 1: Even if you're looking out for it, poison ivy can 120 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:30,200 Speaker 1: be difficult to avoid even if you don't directly brush 121 00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:32,920 Speaker 1: up against the plant. You can get it from touching 122 00:07:32,920 --> 00:07:36,160 Speaker 1: a garden tool, a toy or sports equipment that's touched 123 00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:39,720 Speaker 1: the plant anytime in the past few years, or even 124 00:07:39,760 --> 00:07:42,960 Speaker 1: from a pet that's brushed up against one. Dogs and 125 00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:46,240 Speaker 1: cats don't have the same sensitivity to erusiol, so if 126 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:49,920 Speaker 1: they've been outside, especially on supervised, you might not realize 127 00:07:49,920 --> 00:07:55,120 Speaker 1: that they're carrying it until you develop a rash. Some 128 00:07:55,320 --> 00:07:59,560 Speaker 1: creams containing the ingredient bentoquatum can block erushiol and offer 129 00:07:59,600 --> 00:08:03,800 Speaker 1: some part before poison ivy exposure, but still your best 130 00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:06,320 Speaker 1: defense is to stay away when you can and get 131 00:08:06,360 --> 00:08:10,480 Speaker 1: rid of it in your yard. But it's also not 132 00:08:10,560 --> 00:08:13,520 Speaker 1: an easy foe to clear. A weed killer isn't the 133 00:08:13,560 --> 00:08:16,520 Speaker 1: best option for the environment or other plants around the 134 00:08:16,560 --> 00:08:19,760 Speaker 1: poison ivy. If you remove it by hand, be sure 135 00:08:19,800 --> 00:08:22,000 Speaker 1: to pull the whole plant out by the roots or 136 00:08:22,080 --> 00:08:26,400 Speaker 1: it'll regrow. Remove any dead poison ivy as well. Again. 137 00:08:26,680 --> 00:08:31,119 Speaker 1: Eruchiol can linger for several years. Wear a long sleeved shirt, 138 00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:34,280 Speaker 1: long pants, gloves, and boots to avoid any contact with 139 00:08:34,320 --> 00:08:37,680 Speaker 1: your skin. Immediately remove your clothes after you finish and 140 00:08:37,840 --> 00:08:40,440 Speaker 1: wash them with soap and water, and take a shower 141 00:08:40,440 --> 00:08:45,280 Speaker 1: for good measure. Never burn poison ivy plants. The eruchiol 142 00:08:45,400 --> 00:08:48,120 Speaker 1: vaporizes when heated, and when it gets into the smoke 143 00:08:48,280 --> 00:08:52,480 Speaker 1: it can severely irritate the lungs if breathed in. Also, 144 00:08:52,920 --> 00:08:56,200 Speaker 1: never eat poison ivy. There's a myth out there that 145 00:08:56,240 --> 00:08:58,720 Speaker 1: doing so can make you immune to rashes in the future, 146 00:08:58,920 --> 00:09:02,520 Speaker 1: but a that does not work and be you could 147 00:09:02,559 --> 00:09:08,240 Speaker 1: cause a potentially fatal allergic reaction. Getting outside into nature 148 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:14,680 Speaker 1: is great, but nature is weird. Be careful out there. 149 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:19,880 Speaker 1: Today's episode is based on the article how poisonivy works 150 00:09:19,880 --> 00:09:22,199 Speaker 1: on how Stiff works dot com, written by Stephanie Wilson. 151 00:09:22,600 --> 00:09:25,520 Speaker 1: Brain Stuff is production of iHeartRadio in partnership with Hosseifforks 152 00:09:25,520 --> 00:09:28,079 Speaker 1: dot Com and is produced by Tyler Klang. Four more 153 00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:31,640 Speaker 1: podcasts My heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 154 00:09:31,720 --> 00:09:34,880 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.