Exposure to poison oak can cause a red, bumpy rash that makes it difficult to focus on anything other than finding relief for the intense itching. Severe reactions intensify symptoms and increase the duration of the rash. While most cases of poison oak improve without treatment, you might need prescription medication if you experience a severe allergic reaction.
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As poison ivy creeps up in the central and eastern U.S., poison oak is the bane of many an outdoor traveler or worker on the West Coast. Extremely common in some places, poison oak also comes in a diversity of growth forms, and...
Walking, hiking and running in natural environments are good ways to build stamina, enjoy nature, and get away from the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life. However, those who regularly engage in outdoor exercise are also th...
Poison oak will put a damper on anyone's camping trip, but it can be especially dangerous if the urushiol oil that causes a rash on your skin is transferred to your eyes. Left unchecked, it can cause your eyes to swell shut and...
Poison oak is a plant which contains an oily resin called urushiol. If this resin is allowed to make contact with your skin, it can cause an allergic reaction which causes a rash. If you come into contact with poison oak, the b...
Poison oak or sumac poisoning is an allergic reaction caused by physical contact to poison oak or poison ivy plants, according to MedlinePlus, an online service of the National Institutes of Health. Sap from these plants can co...
Poison oak as a member of the plant genus Toxicodendrons, along with poison ivy and poison sumac. In the United States, two distinctive species of poison oak are present: eastern poison oak and western poison oak. While poison ...
Exposure to poison oak causes unpleasant symptoms in the 50 to 70 percent of people who are sensitive to it, but the culprit is an oil rather than a poison, according to the National Institutes of Health. Toxicodendron plants--...
Poison oak rash is a type of allergic skin rash that causes contact dermatitis. The poison oak's leaves, stems and roots contain an oily substance called urushiol; when urushiol comes in contact with skin, a rash forms. MayoCli...
Poison oak is a plant which, similar to poison ivy and poison sumac, commonly causes a rash as a result of contact with a chemical which all three plants contain. The rash is caused by an allergic reaction that occurs in many p...
Poison oak is an allergy-inducing plant that grows mainly in the Southeast and on the West Coast, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The allergy-causing substance in poison oak is an oil called urushiol, which is pre...
Direct skin contact with poison oak results in contact dermatitis. The sap of the poison oak plant contains an oil called urushiol that causes an allergic reaction in humans. The symptoms of an allergic reaction to poison oak i...
Poison oak, which is often associated with poison ivy or sumac, is a type of shrub found primarily on the West Coast of the United States. This plant contains a natural oil called urushiol that can cause a severe allergic react...
Poison oak contains a substance called urushiol that causes contact dermatitis. Urushiol is a gooey oleoresin produced in the stems, roots, leaves and flowers of the poison oak plant. Contact dermatitis refers to a skin inflamm...
The poison oak bush has shiny leaves that appear in groups of three. Contact with a poison oak plant is very irritating to the skin. The oily sap it emits causes skin outbreaks. Anywhere the skin wipes against the oil of the po...
The "poison" in poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum) is a volatile oil called urushiol. If you come in contact with the plant and are sensitive to the oil, you will develop an oozing rash that will itch and burn for two to t...
Poison oak is a plant that is identified by three leaves. In most cases the middle leaf is the longest. It can grow as a vine or a shrub. In some areas the plant may have yellow or green flowers and clusters of green-yellow or ...
Poison oak is a plant with three leaflets that appear on a single stalk and grow in bushes. These plants, like poison ivy and sumac, contain an oil called urushiol, which causes an allergic reaction on the skin, creating an itc...
Over half of our population is allergic to urushiol oil, the active component in poison oak. Even the smallest amount of contact with the oil can cause a severe rash that results in blistering and oozing of the skin. The rash i...
A poison oak rash is the result of being exposed to sap from the poison oak plants. This oily sap is on the leaves, stems, and roots of these plants. Poison oak causes contact dermatitis, which is an allergic reaction that cau...
Poison oak appears throughout the United States. In eastern locales it looks like a small shrub, while in Pacific coastal regions it grows on vines or in tall clumps. Its name comes from the leaves, which resemble those of an ...
Always watch out for poison oak when you go into the wilderness. It has a distinctive three leaf pattern--the source of the old rhyme "leaves of three, leave them be"--and if you spot it, keep your distance. It also helps to w...
Poison oak contains urushiol oil, which is what irritates your skin so much. When you scratch, it doesn't get rid of the oil. On the contrary, it just spreads it further and further across your skin, irritating more areas and ...
Identifying poison oak is the first thing you should do to avoid exposure. The leaves are similar to those grown on an oak tree with rounded tips, and they are slightly larger than poison ivy leaves. Three leaflets appear on a ...
Poison oak and its cousins, poison ivy and poison sumac, all release the oil urushiol from every part of the plant. This oil is extraordinarily powerful; even a billionth of a gram can cause a rash for most people. A quarter o...
