Plant Rashes

Just thinking about them is enough to make you itch. An actual encounter with one of these shiny, innocent-looking plants can make you wonder whether you’ll ever want to venture into the great outdoors again.

You don’t really want to hide from Mother Nature forever, of course and can usually steer clear of poison ivy, poison oak or poison sumac. Even if you do have a run in with a poisonous plant, the rash lasts only for a couple of weeks. (Though those 14 days may seem to pass very slowly).

The rash is caused by an oil called urushiol (yoo-ROO-shee-all) in the plant’s leaves, stem and roots. For the 85% of humans who are allergic to the oil, exposure to just 50 micrograms of the oil – about the size of a grain of table salt – will cause a moderate-to-severe rash. It’s powerful stuff.

Luckily, there is effective plant rash treatment. Read on to discover the best ways to treat the itch, irritation and rash caused by contact with these toxic plants – and how to spot and avoid them in the wild.