I have worked with Urushi, aka Japanese lacquer. You get a rash, some people never get over it. Others do get over it, and I did. Years ago I was in the black thumb club. I could stick my thumb in Urushi, and not get a rash. Since Urushi was a big thing in Japan (and other places), people who worked harvesting or packaging or using it either got over or did not. I have a friend who did not. He said he could walk down the street and detect if there was raw Urushi anywhere near by.<p>I still got a "tingle" even when I did not get a rash.<p>The way to tolerate the adaptation is hot water - spray water as hot as you can stand (without damage) on the affected area and you will get substantial relief for about 12 hours. The relief of hot water on an affected area cannot be understated. A friend used the word "orgasmic" and it fits. I can almost imagine someone purposefully getting the rash just to take a shower.<p>Finally in this bizarre world of Urushi - when it is cured (warm & humid), NOT dried, the chemical properties change so the coating does not cause problems. If you see photos of Chinese or Japanese rice bows ls that are red or black they are probably wooden bowl coated with Urushi and cured. Urushi as used to make eating utensils.<p>There is more. There are an incredible number of decorative techniques. Supposedly each village had its own. One of the best is Rankaku. Tiny chips of quail egg shells are placed to form a pattern.
I have read that the urushiol is also present in the skin of the mango fruit.<p>I don’t know if those who consume a lot of mangoes or have grown up with mango trees around them are immune to poison oak’s urushiol(arguably much more concentrated) as its present in stems, saps, leaves, skin more than the flesh..but they likely have more tolerance.<p>Also..in India, we don’t burn mango leaves or branches as it increases respiratory risks..which ..now that I think about it..is likely due to the urushiol
The first few bites when fire ants came to Texas hurt. The next few hurt less. Then they came to live in the walls of my parents’ house. I would get multiple bites every day and wake up with a dozen more after every night. It wasn’t that long before they didn’t hurt or leave a bump at all anymore. First hand education in how the body develops resistance to toxins.
Does anyone know why desensitization works for some allergies but for other things, like latex, the more you are exposed to them the more likely you are to develop an allergy?
Several kids in our family's social group have successfully undergone desensitization therapy for severe nut allergies.<p>It was much more rigorous than the author's approach, with weekly doctor visits and taking increasingly large amounts of whatever they were allergic to (starting with micrograms of nut powder).<p>I think my niece had the best time as she eventually was advised to start eating daily measured amounts of nutella.<p>I mention this mostly because I do think the author was a bit cavalier in his approach (mostly because it's hard to accurately judge dosage from wild plants) but also to just spread the word that the allergy desensitization therapies are out there and quite effective and life changing.
A guy in my village, a few years before I was alive, was immune to poison oak (as am I; not sure how common it is) and he would show off by eating a bit of it. After several years of this parlor trick, he had a severe reaction one time and went to the hospital. Throat nearly swelled shut.<p>This guy should be aware of said story.
You don't need to eat it. A well-known phenomenon in the US military is that some of the sites for Basic Training of new recruits have prodigious quantities of poison oak/ivy/sumac as the local flora. As consequence of the military training, you are rolling around in those plants daily. Initially, a large percentage of people have the usual reaction but it quickly disappears after a few weeks and it never happens again, providing apparent permanent immunity.<p>This is in contrast to the experience many kids have in the US of sporadic exposure and no immunity. Apparently intense sustained exposure is required.
I grew up in the woods. I was a latchkey kid from age 5 so every afternoon I was in the woods with a dog, a horse, and a rifle. I would be covered in poison ivy each day and it never bothered me. Until I turned about 35 years old. Then I started to be affected by it every time I went out and did work on our land. Now I take precautions although I have eradicated most of the poison ivy on our lot.
My first introduction to urushiol was as a kid... there was a Japanese rhus tree [1] near my local bus stop and I happened to play with some of the seed pods while waiting for a bus one day. I ended up looking like the elephant man for a few days, and it took a bit of time to figure out what was going on.<p>It turns out that Urushiol shows up in some surprising places, including mango skin, which I discovered later in life after peeling a bunch of mangoes to make a mango salad. Apparently the husks of cashew nuts are notoriously bad for the workers who deal with them too (although the nuts themselves are perfectly safe)..<p>I don't think I'm likely to deliberately eat anything with urushiol in it, but I must admit, the idea of being able to train my immune system to deal with it is kind of appealing.<p>1. <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxicodendron_succedaneum" rel="nofollow">https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxicodendron_succedaneum</a>
Question: I've worn leather gloves most of my adult life. Last year, after using a new pair, I developed a severe rash that spread beyond my hands. Having used gloves regularly for many years, I initially assumed it was a reaction to formaldehyde or whatever substance was used in manufacturing. But now, without exception, any time I wear leather anywhere with direct skin contact, I get a persistent rash.<p>Also, I have an extreme sensitivity to poison ivy and react to mango and peach leaves. Perhaps there's a clue here? Anyway, I'd be grateful to understand why I spontaneously developed an allergy to leather, which really hinders my work at times.
I've actually gotten more sensitive over time. I used to be practically immune to poison ivy. I've also become somewhat sensitive to low quality cashews (they can contain urushiol from the shells).
Just wash off the chemical soon as possible. It will turn red. And then it will go away. If it bubbles up, then wrap something around it to absorb the liquid that explodes from the rash.
Do any plants with urishoil exist in Europe any where? Fairly confident they don't in the UK. The worst common plant we have that irritates skin is the stinging nettele.
Absurd that there is zero mention of Mithridates in the article.<p>As always, Chesterton's Fence applies to medicine.<p>Be very wary of anything outside of healthy diet, sleep, exercise, and relationships.<p>If you don't know why your body is fevering, don't lower the fever.
If you don't know why your blood pressure is high, don't lower it.<p>We in the medical field vastly overestimate our understanding of human physiology.
According to family lore, my grandmother’s rural northern-ca elementary school teacher had the class eat some poison oak. Despite living in prime poison oak territory and being a lifelong outdoors person, she never got it. I always assumed it was some wild folk medicine ritual, so it’s interesting to see that there might be some basis for it.
Metamizole is the only thing that works for me when I have fever. But it seems that I recently developped an allergy to it, which is a bummer. Every single damn time I take metamizole, I develop very itch rashes.<p>So by taking some substance it seem I became more sensitive to it's side effects, not less.
I just had a conversation today with someone who had a friend who ate poison oak for immunity. I brushed it off as bro science.
What a crazy coincidence.
Doctors are pretty much <i>required</i> to follow Establishment medicine. They're not going to tell you about folk remedies, because it could be malpractice for them.<p>By way of contrast, I've told my doctor about sinus rinsing, and she was not disapproving. But she said, "a lot of my patients do this and they seem to like it."<p>I think this is a better response than blanket disapproval. The corresponding response to urushiol desensitization would be "There's no guidance on this. Be very careful! Here are some risks." Which is the best you should expect from an establishment doctor.<p>A homeopathic doctor would tell you a lot of stuff that might or might not be accurate or safe.