Prepper medicine: 9 Essential oils for poison ivy

Poison ivy rash occurs when you come into contact with poison ivy.

The rash is painful and itchy, but you can relieve the uncomfortable symptoms of poison ivy rash using natural remedies like eucalyptus or lavender essential oils. (h/t to BackdoorSurvival.com)

What causes poison ivy rash?

Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) grows as a trailing vine. It is one of several plants that cause adverse reactions in humans. The American Skin Association reports that at least 85 percent of all people are sensitive to poison ivy. About 15 percent are severely allergic to poison ivy.

Poison ivy leaves and stems are covered in an oily resin called urushiol. This sap is easily absorbed by your skin and it causes rash outbreaks or allergic contact dermatitis.

Unfortunately, urushiol is odorless and colorless, making it hard to tell if you have touched it or not and spread it on to your skin and clothes. Other plants like poison oak and poison sumac also contain urushiol. Once absorbed into the skin, urushiol causes symptoms like itching, redness, swelling, itching and blistering. These symptoms may develop within four to 48 hours of exposure.

Some people might not develop a rash for at least several weeks, depending on their immune system and the amount of urushiol that they touched.

If you develop a rash, wash your whole body with a strong soap to remove all the urushiol from your skin. Wear gloves and wash your clothes, socks and shoes after you accidentally touch poison ivy. If a large area of your skin is affected by poison ivy rash or if you are experiencing shortness of breath, seek medical help.

How can essential oils help with poison ivy rash?

Essential oils are compounds extracted from different plants. These compounds have beneficial anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties that may help your skin and boost your immunity for a faster recovery.

Essential oils capture a plant’s scent and flavor and the aromatic compounds give each essential oil its characteristic essence.

9 Essential oils that can help relieve poison ivy rash symptoms

Note that essential oils must always be diluted before applying topically.

• A two percent dilution should be used for adults. Add 12 drops of essential oil per every fluid ounce of carrier oil.
• Do a skin patch test to check if you are sensitive or allergic to essential oil.

You can use these carrier oils with essential oils for a rash:

• Black seed
• CBD hemp
• Coconut oil
• Jojoba oil
• Macadamia oil
• Tamanu oil

Once you have confirmed that you can safely use essential oils and carrier oils, here are some essential oils that you can use to soothe rash symptoms.

Calendula essential oil

Calendula essential oil can promote the faster healing of cuts, wounds and skin ulcers. This oil helps cells regenerate faster, which then makes rash blisters and scratches heal much quicker.

Use calendula essential oil diluted in a carrier oil to treat poison ivy rash or chapped skin, scraped knees and other skin irritations.

Cypress essential oil

Cypress essential oil is often used to help make abrasions, cuts and wounds on the skin heal quicker. The oil has antimicrobial properties that kill the bacteria that can delay the healing of poison ivy rash. These healing abilities are attributed to the compound camphene. (Related: 9 Home remedies for poison ivy and poison oak rash.)

Eucalyptus essential oil

Eucalyptus essential oil contains unadulterated active ingredients like citronellal, eucalyptol and menthol that all help relieve pain and itchiness and cools down overheated skin.

You can use eucalyptus essential oil to help soothe inflamed blisters caused by poison ivy rash.

Helichrysum essential oil

Helichrysum essential oil is a potent antiallergenic substance with skin-friendly bactericidal and antioxidant components that can help relieve the symptoms of skin allergies like poison ivy. Use helichrysum essential oil to protect the skin from pathogens that can delay the healing process.

Additionally, helichrysum essential oil helps moisturize and hydrate your skin. It can also help relieve sunburns.

Lavender essential oil

Lavender essential oil is a versatile natural remedy. It helps relive the pain caused by the symptoms of poison ivy rash.

Lavender essential oil has antibacterial properties that can help disinfect a rash and prevent infections. The essential oils also has anti-inflammatory qualities that may help reduce swelling due to poison ivy rash.

Myrrh essential oil

Myrrh essential oil is best used for relieving pain and swelling of poison ivy rash in its earliest stages.

Studies suggest that myrrh extract, which has potent analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties, can help address pain caused by a rash.

Peppermint essential oil

Peppermint essential oil can relieve pain and discomfort, especially those caused by poison ivy rash.

The oil is a refrigerant, meaning it generates a cooling sensation when applied to the skin. This cooling effect may offer relief if the oil is used to treat swelling and itchiness due to poison ivy rash or bug bites.

Roman chamomile essential oil

Roman chamomile has a calming effect on both the body and mind. The oil can help calm nerve endings in skin tissue.

Use Roman chamomile essential oil to relieve symptoms of poison ivy rash and symptoms of different seasonal allergies along with inflammatory skin conditions like eczema.

The essential oil has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties of Roman chamomile oil that can promote skin health and help skin heal normally without scarring.

Tea tree essential oil

Tea tree essential oil is derived from the Melaleuca alternifolia tree and it has anti-inflammatory properties that could help with poison ivy rash symptoms.

Results of a 2013 review on several studies have determined that tea tree oil is a great treatment for dermatitis. Tea tree oil’s bactericidal activity of tea tree oil can help little cuts stay sterile and free of harmful bacteria. The oil can also relieve different kinds of skin irritations.

However, tea tree oil must be used in low concentrations to prevent any negative side effects.

Tea tree essential oil blend

Here’s one essential oil remedy you can try to relieve poison ivy rash symptoms.

You will need:

• Five drops of tea tree essential oil
• One tablespoon of carrier oil (like coconut oil or jojoba oil)

Steps:

1. Dilute the tea tree oil in the carrier oil.
2. Stir the mixture and gently massage it onto affected skin to help reduce inflammation.

If the dilution is too strong use less of the tea tree oil with the same amount of carrier oil. If you don’t have tea tree oil, use the other oils on this list.

When SHTF, you can use essential oils to treat the painful symptoms of poison ivy rash like itchiness and swelling. Do a patch first and once you have confirmed that you can safely use an essential oil, dilute it with a carrier oil to make a natural remedy for poison ivy rash symptoms.

Go to EssentialOils.news to read more articles on the healing benefits of essential oils.

Sources include:

BackdoorSurvival.com

Healthline.comutrition

HealthRoot.com