Posts Tagged ‘Herbalism’

Hello Friends! Sorry I haven’t written in a while. We recently went camping last week at the beautiful Henry Cowell State Park.

Here is a picture of the beautiful redwoods there:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sumanth/4533450949/

We had a delightful time with our family and friends as we slept out in the open air beneath the stars, hiked among the nature and wildlife, and dipped in the cool rushing river. However, there was one big bummer. My husband Ruben, and a few friends got allergic reactions to poison oak. This was actually the worse case of poison oak that my husband has ever had. And he is highly allergic to it. His face kept swelling up and morphing his face so that he looked like a different person each day in the beginning of the week – first like Jean Luc Picard, then the next day he looked like one of our Korean friends because his cheeks and eyes swelled up so much, and then finally his face just looked like a chubby version of Ruben.

So what did he do for it? Well, being a holistic family, he wanted to avoid going to the doctor unless absolutely necessary. He got poison oak really bad when he was a kid and they gave him a steroid shot. He read that if you get that shot too much you can become immune to it and it can become non-effective. So, he wanted to save that for an occasion that might be life-threatening. There are several herbals that can help, but here’s what he says helped the most:

Jewelweed soap – We wanted to get a Jewelweed tincture but we could only find it in soap. It helped to dry out the skin to get rid of the urushiol oil from the poison oak.

Bentonite Clay mixed with water spread on topically and allowed to dry. This kept him from itching and kept him dry for a long time and it was easy to prepare.

Herbal Ointment – The mixture included: Clove oil, Comfrey, Nettle, Echinacea, Witch Hazel, Calendula, Aloe Vera. Other herbs that can be added to the ointment: Marshmallow root, Marigold flowers. This provided instant relief, although for long-term relief the Bentonite Clay was better for long term. He tried Calamine, but it was pink and messy so he didn’t like it at all.

Vitamin C – (fresh raw orange juice and fresh raw carrot juice, as well as 1,000 Vitamin C pills every hour about 8-10 times per day). It’s your body that ultimately rids itself of the poison oak rash, but Vitamin C helps strengthen your immune system to support the healing system.

Herbal Tea – 1 teaspoon Chamomile flowers & 1 teaspoon Echinacea root & cuts/stems w/16 oz. hot water (strain herbs after steeping for several minutes). I prepared this for him to drink once per day. Once the kids and I had some with him also mixed w/honey. The one day I didn’t make it for him while his rash was bad he said he felt more agitated and itchy.