Poison Ivy Protocol

We have had poison ivy in our house 3 times already this year. And it’s June. We know how to identify it, can spot it in our woods, and yet.

Poison ivy = 3. DeBoer family = 0.

My kids have knowingly played dangerously too close and “accidently fallen in it” while forgetting to report it for hours. Too many times. Gah.

The little skin ruptures and itching show up a few days later.  Like absolutely everywhere. Face, belly, booty. Everywhere.

What’s a mom to do?

The protocol.

We start with a shower without any scrubbing of the skin. I dose homeopathic Rhus Tox 30c every hour. Next, I slather the whole body in rehydrated bentonite clay. If you aren’t familiar with this product, you are going to want to become friends quickly. It’s cheap, effective, and available at pretty much every health food store.

Once you’ve got that kiddo covered in a thick layer of clay, lay him out in the sun for about 20 minutes. The clay will harden and become tight on the skin. Now, back to the shower for a rinse off.

After drying off, I spray the whole body with witch hazel. At least three times.

Now that your child is thoroughly annoyed with you, give him another dose of Rhus Tox. Keep it coming.

I like to give high doses of vitamin C, D3, and glutathione to beef up the immune system as well as high potency protease enzymes to eat up toxins. 30 drops twice daily of burdock tincture helps clean the blood of toxins.

And then back to the clay/sun/witch hazel shower business. At least 3 times per day. Or until your kid runs screaming when you, once again, start mixing the clay.

And this protocol typically resolves the poison ivy and irritation within 24-36 hours.

If you see those kiddos actively touching it, rinse and scrub immediately with Dr. Bronner’s soap. Typically, there is a really lovely plant called jewelweed growing right next to poison ivy that is a wonderful remedy for the removing the poison toxins. After rinsing, I rub jewelweed vigorously on the skin. Magic. I love that the medicine grows next to the poison. Nature is amazing.

The other protocol is to keep the kids out of the damn poison ivy.

Good luck with that!