If you eat young poison ivy/oak leaves (before they produce oil) you can become immune to the oil?

Question

i did this when i was a kid and it seemed to work if there is any scientific mythbuster type solution to this

Answer 1

I don't see how it could possibly work on a scientific basis, which is not to say it couldn't.

The reason you have a poison ivy rash is that your skin mounts an allergic reaction to urushiol, which is a component of the oil. So if the oil and hence the urushiol is not present, I don't see how the eating the leaves could possibly help cause immunity.

It might be possible to do something like take the oil with the urushiol in it and heavily dilute it with mineral oil, for example, then apply that to the skin. I know that with certain other types of allergies, such as to wasp or bee venom, that's how they reduce the severity of the allargic reaction in the patient.

Also, according to wikipedia, eating the leaves is not a great idea in any case.

Answer 2

That's a really scary thought. Ew, you eat it? I remember my throat swelling when my neighbors burned a bunch poison ivy and I almost died from it as a kid from breathing it !!! I've been told that if you eat certain poisons your body can become immune.I've never see it and I wouldn't recommend it either!

Answer 3

this is called psudoimmunity you are not really immune but a small qty of the poison will not harm you as your body is tolarent to it
dont try it now