So I finally had time to get out there and do some serious dewberry hunting. It's a little lean as we just didn't get the latter rain we needed, but better than last year with the tresspassing cattle trampling everything to death---so I find the mother load of berries and I'm picking away when I realize that the other three leaved plants in there are NOT dewberry leaves, but indeed poison ivy. Yippeee. I figure I will be okay because of the goats milk as the innoculation against poison ivy, but are they going to be safe to eat? I sure don't want to give anyone intestinal poison ivy. I washed them in salt water as I always do to kill bugs and stuff. Any ideas or opinions on this? Thanks as always!

-- Doreen (animalwaitress@yahoo.com), May 07, 2002

Answers

It is the oil on the poison ivy leaves that cause the rash. Personally, I wouldn't want to risk eating anything that had poison ivy oil on it. I use soap to clean my skin really well if I have gotton into poison ivy, which seems to prevent an outbreak pretty well if I get well cleaned up within a few hours.

-- Terri (hooperterri@prodigy.net), May 07, 2002.

In my wife's Native American Medicine book (circa 1898) it recommends that you should boil poison ivy and oak leaves and drink the broth/tea to make yourself immune. Let me know if it works ?

-- Joel Rosen (JoelnBecky@webtv.net), May 07, 2002.

If your goats are munching poison ivy and you are drinking their milk, the berries are safe for you to eat. You may have to eat them all by yourself. Be sure to tell folks the berries came from a poison ivy patch and let them decide for themselves.

-- Laura (LadybugWrangler@somewhere.com), May 08, 2002.

I should have made it clear that "they" were not the ubiquitous "they", nor were 'they" my goats, but other humanoids, like me-but without the aid of my goats milk innoculation...I'm leery of drinking poison oak or ivy tea. You go ahead and let me know it works, kay?

-- Doreen (bisquit@here.com), May 08, 2002.

I may be off base here (not the first time. . .), but I seem to recall reading that Euell Gibbons was able to acquire immunity from poison ivy by consuming (starting with very minute quantities of the smallest leaves, then building up with time) poison ivy leaves. He started in the early spring, and by summertime had his system ready for summer wandering in the wild. If he could do, then others could do it.

-- j.r. guerra in s. tx. (jrguerra@boultinghousesimpson.com), May 08, 2002.

I heard that some people got poison oak from trying to build up an immunity from eating it.

-- Terri (hooperterri@prodigy.net), May 08, 2002.

Well I ate them and I am indeed fine, not iching in my stomach, nor any signs of illness. I decided to pass on sharing them with my friends tho', one of the girls I work with has really severe allergies to tons of things and it just seemed like it wasn't a good idea to try them with her. Of course I did wash them in water and salt, I don't know if I'm brave enough to eat something without washing it when I know it has touched poison ivy. Thanks for all of your answers!

-- Doreen (bisquit@here.com), May 09, 2002.

Hair of the dog that bit ya?

-- charles (cr@dixienet.com), May 09, 2002.