Ditch the itch! How to avoid poisonous plants

What to know about poison ivy

Poison ivy is a shrub or a vine. These can climb on other plants and trees or trail along the ground. Poison ivy can have small whitish flowers or berries. It grows in nearly all parts of the U.S.

To identify poison ivy, you can remember the saying, “Leaves of three, let them be.” Each leaf of the plant has three leaflets that look shiny or glossy. The leaves turn red in the spring, green in the summer and yellow, orange and red in the fall.^{1, 2}

What to know about poison oak

Poison oak has three leaflets with rounded tips. The leaves’ edges appear scalloped and fuzzy.

It usually grows as a shrub in the Eastern U.S. and the South. The shrub may have white or yellow berries. In the Western U.S., poison oak appears more often as a vine or a tall clump.^{1, 2}

What to know about poison sumac

Poison sumac is a tree or tall shrub. Each leaf has from seven to 13 smooth leaflets that change colors with the seasons. You can find poison sumac in the swampy areas of the Northeast, Midwest and parts of the Southeast. It also has drooping clusters of yellow, cream or green flowers or berries.^{1, 2}

Symptoms

Symptoms of poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac are usually the same:

• An itchy rash
• Fluid-filled blisters
• Redness and sometimes swelling

You may start experiencing symptoms anywhere from a few hours to several days after being exposed to the plant.¹

What to do if you have symptoms

• Wash and rinse your skin with soapy, lukewarm water as soon as you can (rubbing alcohol can also help)
• Wash your clothes and everything that touched the plant
• Don’t scratch! And, leave blisters alone
• Use cool compresses, take short, lukewarm showers or baths and use calamine lotion to help with irritation¹
• Get emergency care right away if you have a hard time breathing or swallowing, a rash or swelling around your eyes or mouth, severe itch that prevents sleep, a fever or a rash that covers a large area of your body¹

If your rash does not get better or go away within a week to 10 days, contact your primary care provider. Or, you can use our General Medical service for non-urgent conditions. Connect with us 24/7 by phone or video to get quality care from licensed healthcare professionals.