Poison ivy is not just a nuisance that makes your skin red and itchy for a little while. It can send you to the hospital. Under the worst circumstances, it could kill you.

If the plant was burned and you breathed it in, you would get the rash on the lining of your lungs. It would be excruciating for you, with every breath and it could led to death.

And, naturally, in cases of hypersensitivity it can be fatal as well, but when you think about the fact that such instances occur with people and peanuts, then it is not a surprise to realize that it can happen with poison ivy, too. The thing that is interesting about this plant is how everyone becomes more sensitive to it, the more contact they have with it.

For instance, it is estimated that between 15 and 30 percent of people are not sensitive to this poisonous plant. If they were in a group of people who were hiking and everyone in the group were to rub up against it, they would not develop the allergic reaction that causes the symptoms. However, if they picked some up, and kept touching it, to either brag about their immunity, or to threaten their friends with it, they would eventually experience the normal reaction.

The actual poison is poison ivy is called urushiol. It is a liquid compound that is found within the sap. People have an allergic reaction to it, and that is the cause of all the problems. When you get some of it on you, it binds to your skin, and that is the start of the burning, the inflammation and the itchiness. As the process continues, there will be messy blisters.

The blisters are going to ooze for a while. You don’t want to be in public, if you can help it. There is some consolation in the fact that the poison does not spread in the oozing process. The best ways to deal with the symptoms is calamine lotion, oatmeal baths and baking soda. The rash can last from 1 to 4 weeks.

The pesky plant is found in North America. When Europeans come to the U. S. To go hiking, and they are experience it for the first time, they are amazed of how something so ubiquitous as it is can be so hazardous. The best thing anyone can do is to avoid contact with it completely. Since it looks very similar to so many other plants, you will probably avoid many things that you need not worry about. But, as they say, it is better to be safe, than it is to be sorry.

Poison ivy can grow at ground level, up to 10 inches, or as shrubs, up to 4 feet, or as climbing vines (no limit). Their main characteristic is the almond shaped leaves are in groups of 3. They can be green, yellow, orange or red, depending on the time the year.

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