I am very lucky not to get poison oak, but many people suffer miserably at this time of year. So, this blog post is a Public Service Announcement: relief from poison oak is within reach, literally.
At the Not-So-Simple Living Fair this weekend, I took a mind-blowing workshop with a native Pomo woman named Corine Pearce, whose vast knowledge about local ecology is museum-worthy. She spoke about many different local plants and their native uses with great respect and admiration, but manzanita is her favorite. Every single part of the plant has use, from the berries and the bark. I will soon share recipes for manzanita cider, “Love Tea,” and other exciting concoctions.
She also revealed the many uses of the poison oak plant itself…
Here Corine shocks the audience by wielding a branch of poison oak and discussing it’s many native uses and beneficial properties.
But, that is another story, too. today, I will share the simple cure for poison oak.
How to Treat Poison Oak Naturally with Manzanita
1. Harvest a live branch from a manzanita tree. Harvest as-is, with leaves on.
2. Boil the entire branch with leaves on in a large pot until the water turns black.
3. Pour the water from the pot into a lukewarm bath. Soak affected areas for treatment of poison oak.
For those of you who get poison oak, I would love to hear if this works. Let me know if you try it.
Eat Mendocino 
July 30, 2013 at 8:20 pm
I don’t get poison oak either, but Hannah may have it. I’ll let her know.
July 30, 2013 at 10:13 pm
love it, I do not get poison oak but I will investigate it with someone who Does 🙂 not really
July 31, 2013 at 6:38 am
I’ve used the Manzanita tea rememdy for years. It really does dry up the “hamburger” look that my poison oak encounters bring on.
September 25, 2014 at 3:10 am
Thanks for finally talking about >How to treat poison oak naturally with
manzanita | Eat Mendocino <Loved it!