Poison Plants

While poison plants are not a skin disease, they are more of a skin condition. However, the consequences from these pesky plants are annoying at the least and at best could become dangerous (an infection, for instance). Today we will look at some of these poisonous plants. Poison toxins are found in the sap of the plants. Smoke from burning the plant may carry toxins as well, and contact with any of these plants can cause severe skin inflammation. Contact means touching the plant or touching animals, clothes, or other things that have touched against the plant. Symptoms may appear within a few hours or a few days. These include itching and burning of the skin, rash, redness, swelling, and watery blistering. Infection of the blisters can cause complications.Individuals vary in their sensitivity to these plants. I for one am VERY sensitive but others, not so much. Here are the most comon culprits: Poison ivy is one of the most comon poison plants. All parts of poison ivy, including roots, are poisonous at all times of the year. Poison Ivy is a woody shrub or vine with hairy-looking aerial roots. It grows to 10 feet or more, often climbing on trees, walls and fences, or trails along the ground.In the case of Poison Ivy, remember the old adage, "Leaves of three, let it be." Next, lets look at poison oak, sometimes known as "oakleaf poison ivy," is more distinctive than other types of poison ivy.It grows as a low shrub with upright stems.It has lobed leaves, similar to some types of oak leaves. Occurs in sets of three leaflets like poison ivy. Poison sumac is also known as swamp sumac, poison elder, poison ash, poison dogwood, and thunderwood. It does not have variable forms like those of poison ivy.It is a oarse woody shrub or small tree with branched stems -- unlike Poison Ivy, it never grows in a vine-like form. Associated with swamps and bogs. Grows along the edges of areas with wet acid soil. If you come in contact with one of these plants the bet course of action is to remove all clothing that may have touched the affected area, and wash seperaaatley from other clothes. Wash the affected areas and for itching use calamine lotion or other similar anti-itch remedies. Sometimes Benydryl will help, taken internally. If the poison plant gets directly into the bloodstream via a cut or abrasion, you may have what is known in laymans terms as "infected poison ivy." I unfortunately have eperience with thhis and this situation warrants a visit to the doctor and a course of Prednisone. As previiously mentioned, while these maladies are not Skin Disease that is chronic or life threatening, it still should be taken seriously and treated properly.