Triduliâ (Poison Ivy)

Now I have had my fair share of encounters with her, knowingly and unknowingly. Years I have suffered from her touch. I’m a woodman at heart and love to be in the wilds of nature. But I would always bring her home with me around three times a year, and super bad for most of my adult life. So you could say that I have built a deep relationship with her as I have grown to understand her at a very personal level.

She is neither a good nor bad spirit. She is just doing what she is doing, and that is to be a protector of the boundaries of the wilds. She is very defensive in her approach to protecting the ecosystem. Next time you see her take a look at what’s around her.

A Teacher

That’s right, she is a teacher. I know that might sound strange, but I have often sat in her class, being shown my ignorance. 

What are the things she teaches?

Awareness

We tend to be very disconnected these days. We are instead connected to some other form, and in that, we have lost our awareness of the land. Triduliâ can help us to refocus our attention, especially within the land.

Reflection

As one sits with the touch of Triduliâ, you are forced into a state of stillness. Within this stillness, bring Reflections on the self. This is a great time to dive deep into those still waters and seek out that spark within. 

Mind Over Matter

There is nothing like pain and discomfort for one to get in tune with the will to overcome her touch.  

These help us to be in much greater tune with the cosmos. I have gained greater awareness in the wilds because of her, which also reflects in my day-to-day life. Observing every moment and reflecting on those moments help with my understanding of them. This helps with mind over matter, not letting the world around you influence your own mind. She has been a great teacher to me, and I try to help others to understand her.

Poison Ivy

This is Poison Ivy; now, first, she is neither an Ivy nor Poisonous. So this name is somewhat misleading.

She is to be avoided at all levels. Never gaze into her, or you will be consumed in her embrace for weeks, depending on how long you got wrapped up in her.

If she is in your way on a fence line or in your Garden, anything like that, one must be cautious so as to not let her touch you. She has oils on her called Urushiol that causes the crazy itchy, blistering rash. Even slight contact, like brushing up against the leaves, can leave the oils on you. These oils can last on your tools for a year or more also. So make sure you are safty ready when trying to remove her. 

How to Remove?

Well, that’s a tricky one depending on how much there is. Of course, the best thing to do is to call a professional. But with that costing money, you can easily do it. You just have to be patient and dig it up by the roots. 

• Safety First
• Safety Glasses
• Mask 
• Long Sleeves
• Boots 
• Gloves
• A Shovel or other tools.

Wash clothes when done, and use alcohol to clean your tools off. Remember that the oils can sometimes last years on the tools. So clean, then one should keep one’s tools clean anyways. 

Do Not burn it

What if I touched It?

Don’t panic; it’s simple to remove the Urushiol oils from your skin. To understand the oils look at mechanic grease and how that moves around your skin. It smears around that is the same as the Urushiol oils, but it is invisible. 

You have, at the most, 20 Minutes to remove the oils from the first contact.

Use cold water ONLY. Do not jump straight in the shower. First, remove the oils in the place you think has them.

Dawn dish soap works best at breaking up the oils on your skin (I learned this from a Park Ranger).

Then friction is what removes the oils. So a Towel and with one straight swipe down the harm or legs repeat as needed. Do not go back and forth.

That is it. If you follow that formula, your life will be much better.

So what if you did not get it all off

So you have a blister coming up, and it still spreading, and you followed the up formula. Well, you did not get it all; that sucks. Now you must apply any kind of anti ich and drying cream. Do not put lotion on, as that is working against the process. You need to dry the rash out. 

There are 2 stages of itch. The first is the rash now; this is miserable. Do Not scratch, as you can get an infection and end up in the hospital. The Second Wave is the new skin growth that is not harmful but still very annoying.  

Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, Poison Sumac, and countless other plants worldwide have the Urushiol oils on them. No matter what folks say, not one is worse than the other it’s the same. It is just a matter of how much you have been exposed to them. Now Poison Ivy grows more out in Eastern America, and Poison Oak grows more in Western America. But it is the same, so Triduliâ is both Oak and Ivy. Just takes on a different leave form, but both are 3 leaves.

For those Trailblazers and outdoor types, keep looking for her creeping up on you. Have a cleaning kit in your bag.

Now the Ancient Gauls would not have Triduliâ as she was native only to The United States at that time.

Respect Triduliâ and leave her be.

Identify
The leaves vary in shape, but most of the time, similar to the picture having notches in them but not always.
Older ones have big hairy vines like the picture.
They have small flowers at times that are an off-white color.
They have greenish-white berries.
In the fall, they turn a bright red and orange color.
Just remember, leaves of three, leave them be.