# Poison Ivy Rash Care **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 20, 2008, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poison-ivy-rash-care/449925 "2008-05-20T02:16:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poison-ivy-rash-care/449925/1 "2008-05-20T02:16:27Z")
I had very good results with a product\* from a company well-known for its poison-ivy rash product with _Grindelia robusta_, an herbal remedy know for over a century. It relieved the itching for four to six hours at a time. My rash also cleared up much more quickly than last year, but I don’t know if that was due to the scrub. - I’ll post the exact name if anyone is interested, and the moderator(s) won’t suspect me of advertising. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poison-ivy-rash-care/449925/2 "2008-05-20T02:46:10Z")
Nah, plenty of people come in here with “Wow, I just found/ate/purchased/used the greatest X _evah_!!”, nobody accuses them of advertising. So, tell. What was it? ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poison-ivy-rash-care/449925/3 "2008-05-20T02:56:40Z")
\ Is it [Tecnu](http://www.tecnuextreme.com/)? \ ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poison-ivy-rash-care/449925/4 "2008-05-20T03:01:26Z")
Technu Extreme Medicated Poison Ivy Scrub. My spouse and I were exposed at the same time. I used it, and am fine. The spouse did not, and still has the rash. I am very susceptible to skin rashes, and bothered by them much more, but had little or not discomfort after using it for three days. ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poison-ivy-rash-care/449925/5 "2008-05-20T03:20:33Z")
PEPH FTW! If only it worked this well at work. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poison-ivy-rash-care/449925/6 "2008-05-20T03:23:54Z")
It’s just soap. > **[Walgreens: Pharmacy, Health & Wellness, Photo & More for You](https://www.walgreens.com/)** > > Your go-to for Pharmacy, Health & Wellness and Photo products. Refill prescriptions online, order items for delivery or store pickup, and create Photo Gifts. > [@](#): > > Tecnu® Ingredients: Deodorized Mineral Spirits, Water, Propylene Glycol, Octylphenoxy-Polyethoxyethanol, Mixed Fatty Acid Soap and Fragrance. What is Octylphenoxy-Polyethoxyethanol? Also found in paint, other industrial chemicals. [http://www.scorecard.org/chemical-profiles/consumer-products.tcl?edf\_substance\_id=9002-93-1](http://www.scorecard.org/chemical-profiles/consumer-products.tcl?edf_substance_id=9002-93-1) It’s a surfactant; surfactants (Wiki) “are wetting agents that lower the surface tension of a liquid, allowing easier spreading, and lower the interfacial tension between two liquids.” Propylene glycol is used as a moisturizer in cosmetics. > **[Propylene glycol](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propylene_glycol)** > > Propylene glycol (IUPAC name: propane-1,2-diol) is a viscous, colorless liquid. It is almost odorless and has a faintly sweet taste. Its chemical formula is CH3CH(OH)CH2OH. > As it contains two alcohol groups, it is classified as a diol. An aliphatic diol may also be called a glycol. It is miscible with a broad range of solvents, including water, acetone, and chloroform. In general, glycols are non-irritating and have very low volatility. > For certain uses as a food additive, propylene glycol is c... Deodorized mineral spirits is, of course, paint thinner, which is related to kerosene, which has been a folk remedy for poison ivy, as it removes oils like urushiol. I would guess that the moisturizer is added to counteract the drying effects of the mineral spirits. Their website touts, “In addition, Tecnu Extreme contains an active ingredient to relieve itching fast!” I have no idea what that would be, unless the paint thinner has a dermatological numbing effect. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poison-ivy-rash-care/449925/7 "2008-05-20T09:19:52Z")
[QUOTE=Duck Duck Goose] It’s just soap. > **[Walgreens: Pharmacy, Health & Wellness, Photo & More for You](https://www.walgreens.com/)** > > Your go-to for Pharmacy, Health & Wellness and Photo products. Refill prescriptions online, order items for delivery or store pickup, and create Photo Gifts. [/QUOTE] Insert snide comment about reading comprehension skill [here](http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=144622&catid=44616). **Active Ingredients: Grindelia Robusta 3x (anti-itch)** Inactive Ingredients: Alcohol (.55%), SD Alcohol 40B (7.05%%), Benzethonium Chloride (added as a preservative) They were sending out free samples earlier this year; it might be a new product. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poison-ivy-rash-care/449925/8 "2008-05-20T10:40:11Z")
[QUOTE=j666] Insert snide comment about reading comprehension skill [here](http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=144622&catid=44616). **Active Ingredients: Grindelia Robusta 3x (anti-itch)** Inactive Ingredients: Alcohol (.55%), SD Alcohol 40B (7.05%%), Benzethonium Chloride (added as a preservative) They were sending out free samples earlier this year; it might be a new product. [/QUOTE] Homeopathic, note the 3X … so it has extra water added. Sorry, Ill stick with Dome-Boro tablets and aterax [spelling] MrAru can probably get poison iyy from looking at a picture of it, he is that allergic to it. It can go from nothing to needing major medical care in the time it takes to drive from where we live in CT to the hospital in Rochester NY [well, to be honest we were going to my parents house but sidetracked to the ER because his eyes were swollen shut. He walked past a poison ivy plant at the distance of about 3 feet. He didnt even touch it.] ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poison-ivy-rash-care/449925/9 "2008-05-20T11:49:58Z")
[QUOTE=aruvqan] Homeopathic, note the 3X … so it has extra water added. Sorry, Ill stick with Dome-Boro tablets and aterax [spelling] MrAru can probably get poison iyy from looking at a picture of it, he is that allergic to it. It can go from nothing to needing major medical care in the time it takes to drive from where we live in CT to the hospital in Rochester NY [well, to be honest we were going to my parents house but sidetracked to the ER because his eyes were swollen shut. He walked past a poison ivy plant at the distance of about 3 feet. He didnt even touch it.] [/QUOTE] Well, normally I’m not one for homeopathic remedies, but 3X implies 0.1%, so I imagine that if this ingredient actually is biologically active, it could work at that concentration. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poison-ivy-rash-care/449925/10 "2008-05-21T00:21:24Z")
[QUOTE=aruvqan] Homeopathic, note the 3X … so it has extra water added. Sorry, Ill stick with Dome-Boro tablets and aterax [spelling] [/QUOTE] Yeah, the ‘homeopathic’ labeling gave me pause; I may never have tried it if it weren’t for the free samples. However, it has been know as a medicinal herb since at least 1888, and it works. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poison-ivy-rash-care/449925/11 "2008-05-21T04:48:25Z")
[QUOTE=j666] Insert snide comment about reading comprehension skill [here](http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=144622&catid=44616). [/QUOTE] Um, it’s not a reading comprehension issue–it’s a different web page issue. The cite I found on [drugstore.com](http://drugstore.com) for “tecnu” didn’t happen to have the homeopathic ingredient listed. You’ve got a completely different [drugstore.com](http://drugstore.com) page there. That’s hardly a “reading comprehension” error on my part. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2008, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poison-ivy-rash-care/449925/12 "2008-05-22T02:15:18Z")
[QUOTE=Duck Duck Goose] Um, it’s not a reading comprehension issue–it’s a different web page issue. The cite I found on [drugstore.com](http://drugstore.com) for “tecnu” didn’t happen to have the homeopathic ingredient listed. You’ve got a completely different [drugstore.com](http://drugstore.com) page there. That’s hardly a “reading comprehension” error on my part. [/QUOTE] Um, you posted a page for a different product. The soap’s been around for a while. See post #4. But let us not have a vulgar quarrel. I just had a really bad time with the rash last year, and was very pleased with this stuff. If anyone is interested, I can do a little research at work; see if _G. robusta_ is in the NF (probably not) or if there is a regulatory reason the stuff is labeled ‘homeopathic’. ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2008, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poison-ivy-rash-care/449925/13 "2008-05-22T04:15:42Z")
[QUOTE=j666] Poison Ivy Rash Care [/QUOTE] First, give a jellyfish poison ivy, then pee on it. After you get stung, the rash will mysteriously clear up! ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2008, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poison-ivy-rash-care/449925/14 "2008-05-22T04:30:10Z")
[QUOTE=BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed] First, give a jellyfish poison ivy, then pee on it. After you get stung, the rash will mysteriously clear up! [/QUOTE] ::writes down as suggestion to send to Heloise’s Hints:: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2008, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poison-ivy-rash-care/449925/15 "2008-05-22T04:41:11Z")
I have been very satisfied with all of my varied and unfortunate-yet-thankfully-brief encounters with Tecnu products.