How to Treat and Prevent Poison Ivy, Oak, and Sumac

Poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac all have a chemical irritant called urushiol that’s secreted from the leaves or stalks. Most of us are allergic and react to urushiol with itching and a rash.

Overview

When it comes to poison ivy or poison oak, prevention is really the best medicine. However, my gut tells me you probably didn’t look this up to see how to avoid poison ivy as much as how to treat it, so let’s start there.