I am sometimes forced to work in areas of high poison ivy concentration that has me exposed to it for many hours at a time over the last 20 years. Jewel weed aka Touch Me Not has been a huge blessing. If I know I am going to be exposed to the oils of PI leaves (urushiol) I will apply jewelweed before and it diminishes the reaction. I still cover up as much skin as possible and am careful to quarantine all clothes after the exposure. I also find that Jewelweed works very well in the spring and early summer but not so much after the plant has flowered later in the season and especially once it has gone to seed. As a precaution I also shower with dish soap to remove potential oil from my skin. Once I’m done showering I dry off and get back in the shower. Take a small handful of the plant and smash it up into a ball (leaves, stalks, roots). Put a little water into the ball as needed and squeeze out the plant juices and apply it to skin. The sooner you apply after exposure the better. I save the plant ball in the fridge and add a little extra fresh plant every time I use it. Usually twice a day until the rash is completely gone. Have also tried the ivy block commercial products with some success. The one I have has the first ingredient of aloe followed by witch hazel, thyme, white oak bark and St. John’s Wort. As a side not I live in the east but briefly worked in the western US and was exposed to poison oak. I had gotten it so bad one time I had a friend overnight me some jewel weed. It did nothing for me. Was told by a local boiled manzanita leaf juice would work but also found it did not work for me. I am also finding some of the jewelweed patches I have visited for over 30 years have been completely wiped out by invasive species like Garlic mustard and Japanese knotweed. Though still locally prevalent I only take plants from areas that have a healthy population. And you don’t need much as a little goes a long way.
