There were a lot of people that died from Poison Oak back in the early settler days in northern Cal, western Ore - mostly from burning it and breathing the smoke. Without medical treatment (e.g., cortisone, et al), I'm not sure if someone could survive breathing the airborne poison. According to WebMD, the body gains sensitivity to the poison (urusiol) after exposure to it. So your first exposure may result in nothing more than a vase of beautifully colored leaves in your living room. Growing up in western Oregon I had friends who were not allergic - so they said. My sister rubbed it on her arm to "prove" she wasn't allergic ... I wouldn't wish it on too many people. Evidently, Poison Oak and Poison Ivy are related - or at least produce the same poison (urusiol). Therefore, I'd be reluctant to say that one is worse than the other. That being said, northern California has some of the largest "trees" of PO I've ever seen; you'll never get me to hike around Lake Shasta or Redding (and I've heard it's worse in certain other locations).
There's another type of poison sumac thats a parasitic vine.It's not quite as bad as the poison oak/ivy,but once you've lost your resistance it really sucks.I used to be immune(so I thought)to them all,and then I spent four yrs slogging through it with a chain saw.Now if theres any contact at all(even 2nd hand),it attacks me with a vengence.If you see a vine that looks like it has 5fingered pot leaves on it,DONT MESS WITH IT! On the bright side!If you have jewel weed/touch me nots,you can crush it up,and rub it on the effected areas,and it will neutrilize the poison from them almost immediately.That's what the Native Americans used for it.You can supposedly rub it on as a preventative before potential exposure. www.hbci.com/~wenonah/hydro/jewelwed.htm Matt
That looks like what I have always called "Virginia Creeper." The berries of Virginia Creeper are poisonous if ingested, but I have never had an allergic reaction to the plant itself. As some have noted, reactions to many plants vary between individuals. My father, apparently, was not allergic to Poison Ivy. I've watched him grab it, and rip it from the ground, with no ill effects what so ever. I, on the other hand, need only to look closely at it to break out.
Watch out when poison ivy comes a creepin' around Watch out when poison ivy comes a creepin' around..... Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs - Poison Ivy - YouTube
