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Banana Peel to Heal Poison Ivy

Q. I recently spent an entire day weeding our overgrown yard. Unwittingly, I pulled a lot of poison ivy. Over the next few days my arms and shins were covered with itchy rash.

I treated this with Benadryl at night and Ivy-Dry in the morning. The spray usually wore off around 11 am, making for a rough afternoon at work.

I did a search for poison ivy remedies and found some people use banana peels for temporary relief. I always pack a banana as part of my lunch, so I had nothing to lose.

I was surprised to find it was effective. Right after rubbing the peel on the affected area, the skin turned red and the poison ivy itch subsided in a few minutes. The relief lasted about three hours. It worked as well as some of the over-the-counter remedies I was paying $9 for.

A. We’ve never heard of using banana peels for poison ivy, though readers have suggested using them for warts and hemorrhoids.

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About the Author
Terry Graedon, PhD, is a medical anthropologist and co-host of The People’s Pharmacy radio show, co-author of The People’s Pharmacy syndicated newspaper columns and numerous books, and co-founder of The People’s Pharmacy website. Terry taught in the Duke University School of Nursing and was an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology. She is a Fellow of the Society of Applied Anthropology. Terry is one of the country's leading authorities on the science behind folk remedies..
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