Anyone know any over-the-counter medicines or home remedies that cure or help the healing process of the effects of poison ivy or poison oak or poison sumac?

I'm wondering because I got one of them somehow recently and have been treating it, almost unaffectively, with Caladryhl (made of calamine)Lotion. I'm going to Panama City Beach, Florida, USA, within a week and as the rash is on my face and my right arm, I really want it to go away. I know what poison ivy and poison oak plants look like so I have no clue where I got it from and also because I wasn't even in any wooded areas in the past month.

So anyone who has experienced one of three plant poisons and knows a home remedy or better OTC medecine please tell me what it is. :help:

[Edit]Grr... That was exactly what I didn't want to happen. I know there is no cure but I still wanted to lose myself in thinking a rational treatment would actually work. Thank you WF, but besides that, anyone know anything that Google wont immediatly reveal?

[ June 18, 2004, 05:18: Message edited by: dman18 ]

Aha! Wildfire to the Googlemobile!
http://mama.essortment.com/poisonivypoiso_rist.htm

Amazingly, I have poison ivy right now! My doctor prescribed a pack of 21 methylprednisone tablets that you take in consecutively lower doses. 6 the first day, 5 the second, 4 day 3, etc...It clears it up pretty well in about 6 days.

The only other thing I can think of is scratching them open, then applying rubbing alcohol to dry up the oil...It hurts, and you have scars, but it works too...Personally, get the prescription above.

Leeches!

I used to live in Missouri, and I got poison ivy/oak on more than one occassion. My parents used a chinese ointment. I don't know the English name, but the color is a deep green, it has an oily (but not unpleasant) smell, and it's pronounced "Fung Yoo Jing". Perhaps you have an Asian neighbor who has some. It usually comes in a tiny bottle the size of your thumb, and you only need a few drops.

Note that my parents brought the "Fung Yoo Jing" over from China (or at least from a store in a Chinese district of town), so it's not a "professional" remedy.

However, my real advice is to just tough it out (unless it's gotten somwhere besides on your skin).

Nonsense, leeches will cure anything :wave:

Do not miss a day or a pill of methylprednisone it is powerfull stuff.