As the weather warms, spending more time outside is a must. While there are a ton of benefits to enjoying nature, there are also a few drawbacks you should be prepared for, like mosquito bites and, ...

Poison ivy might be a small plant, but it can cause big trouble—for both your yard and your skin. Its oily sap, called urushiol, is what triggers that itchy rash, and even a tiny amount can cause a ...

Michigan's summer climate provides ideal growing conditions for many flowers and other plants we enjoy — and for a few poisonous, three-leafed plants we all could do without. Though the common phrase: ...

With summer break ramping up, more families are heading outside for hikes, backyard play and weekends at the lake.

If summer is making you itch, then Minuteclinic Nurse Practitioner Patricia Baginski is here to help. Here are her tips for tick bites, poison ivy, and more: How do you correctly remove a tick bite?

Last week, we answered a reader’s comment about using witch hazel to ease the itch of a poison ivy rash. We suggested a few other products that might also be useful. In response, we received this ...

Enjoying the outdoors carries the danger of running into nature’s less-friendly side: toxic plants and animals. As toxicologists at the University of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Poison Center, we see many ...

Some methods work better than others to get rid of poison ivy permanently.

Poison ivy has three leaves, and the middle leaf has a longer stem. Touching poison ivy causes an allergic reaction due to urushiol oil. Poison oak and poison sumac are related to poison ivy and also ...

What makes poison ivy a much dreaded plant is urushiol, an oily resin that, upon contact with the skin, can result in contact dermatitis, often presenting as a red, itchy rash with blisters or bumps.