Both poison ivy and poison oak excrete the same chemical---urushiol oil---which most humans are allergic to and which causes the rashes, itching and blisters everyone hates so much. You can treat it with a number of formal medications, including corticosteroid creams, oral antihistamines and steroid injections from a doctor. Home remedies and folk remedies have existed for millennia, however, and can help you treat the symptoms when store-bought medicine is either unwanted or unavailable.
Jewelweed
Jewelweed often grows near poison ivy. It neutralizes the urushiol oil and keeps it from irritating the skin. The plant is also known as touch-me-not and can be identified by its horn-shaped purple flowers. Take the jewelweed stem, crush it up and apply the liquid to the spot affected by the poison oak or ivy. It should prevent the symptoms from appearing. You can purchase extract at many holistic medicine stores if you don't have any jewelweed near you.
Colloidal Oatmeal
Colloidal oatmeal works as a soaking agent, cooling your skin and drying out the blisters caused by urushiol oil. Add a cup to a cool or lukewarm bath (avoid hot water, since it makes the symptoms worse) and stir it in until it is completely blended. Soak it in for 15 minutes to half an hour, and take care when entering and exiting the tub, since colloidal oatmeal can be slippery. It works for several hours, and you can take multiple oatmeal baths a day if you need to.
Cold Compresses
Cold compresses work in conjunction with a soft breeze or gentle blowing to alternately cool down the skin and dry out the blisters. Soak a soft washcloth in cold water, and place ice cubes in the middle of it. Hold it against the poison oak or ivy rash, pressing gently so as not to further aggravate the skin. If the water in the cloth warms up, refresh it with more cool water. Hold the compress in place for 15 to 30 minutes, then run a fan over it or blow on it gently.
Calamine Lotion
Calamine lotion has long been prized as a basic cure for poison ivy. By cooling the skin, it reduces the oozing of blisters, which in turn helps eliminate the itching. Apply it to the rash several times a day at periodic intervals. Monitor the rash closely, and stop using the calamine once the fluids from the blisters stop flowing. (Otherwise, you'll dry the skin out too much and exacerbate the itch.)
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