Why poison Ivy is called such?

Question

Why poison Ivy is called such?

Answer 1

cuz it makes your body react

ITCH ITCH

lol there is a plant already called stinging nettals  sooooo

Answer 2

The plant is not poisonous.  What can be fatal is the allergic reaction to urushiol the plant's roots, stems, leaves, and fruit .

People who are allergic (60-80% of the population) to the plant sap (urushiol) get a red, scaly, itchy rash.  It can be quite severe in some people.  The most severe reaction is anaphylactic shock which can be fatal, due to swelling throat and you suffocate (did you see the movie, "Nancy Drew?").  Some people are not allergic to it, although anyone can develop an allergic reaction to anything.  Including poison ivy.

Even the dormant (winter) vines can cause an allergic reaction.  Burning the vines can cause oil to vaporize and be breathed in--- so don't burn it.  It could get into your lungs.

http://www.poison-ivy.org/

Answer 3

Because it is a poison that causes you to itch, and believe it not, if you were to gather enough of the 'juice' from the plant and someone were to ingest it, it would kill them. Hence the name 'Poison' Ivy. Poison kills.

Answer 4

Facts about Poison Ivy



How do you get poison ivy?

From touching it, or touching something that has touched it, like your clothes or your dog. You normally get it from touching the leaves, but yanking the vine out by the roots - even in winter - will give you a wicked rash.

Using a weedeater to remove poison ivy will result in spraying your legs with poison ivy. If you are bare-legged and get scratches while splattered with sap from poison ivy, you may be headed to the emergency room.

And there are more unusual ways to get it, like breathing smoke from firewood burning with poison ivy on it. Which can also put people into the hospital.





  What about immunity?

Some people appear to be immune, others become immune. HOWEVER, you can gain or lose immunity, so to assume you can't get it if you never have before is foolish. People change as they age. I would never assume that I was immune at any time no matter what my past experience was.



  What it is like to get it?

At first you get a slight itchy spot, which gets worse and worse. It can be a a small itchy area that will annoy you, or it can cover your whole body with giant red sores that will drive you nuts. See the rash slide show to see the rash in real life.



  What if you know you've been exposed to it?

Within a hour or so you should rinse with lots of cold water - like a garden hose. Hot water will open your pores and let the oil in. Taking shower could be a disaster (see my father's story, "Washing made it spread."

For up to about 6 hours washing with alcohol may still help remove the oil, but many say that after 1/2 hour the oil has soaked in and you can't remove it.

The next day is really too late. Check with your doctor to see if early treatment can prevent the rash before it really starts.



  What can you do once the itching starts?

For a serious case you MUST SEE A DOCTOR. For less serious cases check with your local drugstore or see the list below for remedies.

Here are a list of popular home remedies:

Take a shower in the hottest water you can stand, for as long as you can stand - this should ease the itch for 8 hours.

Jewelweed is widely thought to help the rash. Mash the weed and apply to the rash.

Spray with a deodorant containing aluminum, which most do.





  How long does the rash last?

Anywhere from a week to 3 weeks, depending on how bad it is and how you treat it. Prescription remedies make it go away much faster.



  What are some common remedies for the rash?

These companies make two kinds of products - creams to block the oil from getting into your skin, and remedies once you have the rash:

Buji Skin Products

Tec Labs, Makers of Tecnu

Sumactin, Rash Remedy

Zanfel, skin wash



  Is it contagious?

Once you have the rash the oil has been absorbed and you probably can't spread it to others or elsewhere on yourself. If you get big blisters filled with liquid it is mostly water and will not spread the rash even if they break. (Although I have viewers who SWEAR that the fluid does cause further outbreaks.)



  What causes the rash?

There is an oil, called urushiol, that causes an allergic reaction after the first sensitizing exposure. The oil is in the leaves, vines, and roots. That's why tearing out the vine is so dangerous - it releases lot of urushiol.



  Aren't there 2 types of poison ivy?

Technically there is the climbing variety (toxicodendron radicans) and the nonclimbing (toxicodendron rydbergii) or Rydberg's poison ivy. But since they interbreed, look very similar, sometimes grow in the same places, and give you the same rash I have ignored the difference.