Poison IVY, OAK, SUMAC
You know what it does. You know how horrible it is. You avoid anything with leaves of three.
The classic symptoms of poison ivy are due to an oil on its leaves, urushiol. This oil it a contact irritant resulting in the painful itching rash as your body reacts to the oil on your skin. Urushiol is also found in ginkgo biloba, cashew trees, the skin of mangos, and pistachios but people do not typically have issues with these supplements/food....typically. Urushiol can live on surfaces for up to 5 years!
If you unfortunately come into contact with poison ivy, immediately wash the area with soap that emulsifies oils....soap that makes bubbles. You have 10-15 minutes to remove the oil otherwise the oil is absorbed and you will develop the classical irritation contact dermatitis...the itching painful rash. As you itch and scratch...you spread that oil to new parts of the skin. This is why the rash "spreads". Over the counter hydrocortisone and calamine lotion will help to soothe the rash, the rest is left up to your body and Father time. If you have a particularly severe reaction, visit your primary care provider for prescription management.
So, how do we get rid of it? You can use herbicides, but in todays world of enhanced transparency, we know these chemicals are harmful for decades after being applied. Another way to kill the plant is to put on a painters suit, while wearing a mask and gloves, carefully remove the plant and roots, then bag them for disposal. Afterwards carefully remove the suit, mask, and gloves and bag them as well. If you burn the plant, you will then cause the oils to become aerosolized, airborne, and make things a lot worse.
When removing poison ivy the most important thing to remember is to limit the oils from getting on your skin. The oils can be transferred from other surfaces the plant has touched, remember it can remain on surfaces for up to 5 years! You can also apply vinegar and boiling water to the roots, but the remainder of the plant can still give you poison ivy, even if it is dead, because the oils remain.
If you are a more herbal and natural way of healing, jewelweed, also known as forget-me-knots, has been used over the centuries to treat poison ivy. Jewelweed is the plant we used to poke the beautiful orange flowers and it would shoot its seeds like a cannonball out of a cannon. It was the best of times before personal electronic devices, the good ole' days. You simply break off a part of the stem and rub its juices over the area of exposure. The leaves can be used similarly if they are mashed up and applied. Internet info says soap is better, but in a pinch, look for the jewelweed that is hopefully growing nearby.
History information: Poison ivy was used in the past to make inks, varnishes, and lacquer. There are documented uses medicinally, but the risks are far to great compared to the benefits, there are better ways to treat those ailments.
Future development: There are studies being conducted to further analyze and develop products from urushiol to develop antimicrobial coverings, wood finishes, making of adhesives, dental care, and fungal treatments.
As always, any information provided in this post is of a personal nature and not representing any form of medical or other advice. Essentially, this information is presented for informational and entertainment purposes.