Is there a poison ivy cure? Well, avoiding contact with the plant in the first place is probably the best "cure" of all. But if you do come into contact with it, here's a poison ivy remedy or two that can limit the effects and get you back to normal as soon as possible.

1. Try to avoid scratching affected areas. I know this is hard, but scratching will help to spread the offending oil to other, unaffected areas.

2. Urushiol, the irritant oil in poison ivy, is a chemical in the phenol family. Phenols are acids, so washing with a weak alkaline base should help to remove it from the skin. Some people have reported that well-diluted household ammonia applied to the affected areas helps. Also, a paste made from baking soda rubbed gently on the skin can help too. But thoroughly wash off the alkali soon after you have applied it.

3. If you don't already have an aloe vera plant, get one! Forget the commercial gels and ointments, use a real plant. Take a leaf and carefully slice it lengthwise. This will expose the interior juicy part of the leaf, giving you two halves. Apply the juicy side of each half directly to the affected areas and bandage in place. Use a new leaf or leaves each day. It may not look good, but it works good!

4. This home remedy for poison ivy requires jewelweed. There are many recommended ways to use this plant, but simply crushing some leaves with a part of the stem and rubbing the juice you get all over the rash as regularly as you can, is reported by many to be an excellent poison ivy cure.

5. Wash all contaminated clothes in hot water with suitable detergent to avoid re-comtamination. Today's washing machines promote the use of a colder wash as normal. This will likely not remove the irritant oil sufficiently, so make sure the water is hot - not warm, but hot!

A poison ivy rash is painful, itchy and difficult to deal with. But its effects can be limited with common sense and diligence. Different people have their own pet poison ivy remedy that works for them. So if you find a poison ivy cure that works for you, stick with it!