Obviously the best remedy for curing poison ivy is not to get it at all.
Staying away from poison ivy leaves and vines will keep you away from the highly contractable urushiol, which is the oil that absorbs into your skin and causes the irritation.
Fortunately once you have the rash it won't spread to others, however it's painful and the irritation can cause loss of work, productivity and discomfort.
In case prevention isn't an option, or you already have poison ivy, natural remedy and drug treatments are the only other options.
We're going to talk mostly about natural home remedies for curing poison ivy, so let's start with one of the more common treatments - Jewelweed.
Rubbing the irritation and skin rashes with the leaves of jewelweed can be used to help stop the itching.
You can also rub the juice from it's hollow stems on the affected areas, and once dried starts to help the healing process and may help cure poison ivy in as little as three days.
Another common treatment is making a skin wash with Goldenseal.
Try mixing a tablespoon of powdered goldenseal root with a cup of hot water.
After it cools down enough to use it, dab the goldenseal treatment on the affected areas.
The herb's anti-inflammatory properties will help to rapidly dry up the poison ivy rashes and blisters.
For an added bonus, this mixture is also noted to help with poison oak rashes.
A commonly known cure, oatmeal, can also help.
Applying it to the skin after cooking it is not only soothing, but the white powdery finish left once dry will help to dry out the poison ivy rashes and expedite healing.
In cases where much of your body is infected, taking an oatmeal bath is a good way to coat all of your skin.
Put the entire box of oatmeal in warm bathwater and soak in it for a while, but be sure not to dry off when you get out, you don't want to wipe the oatmeal off your skin while it's still wet.
Vitamins also help - especially vitamin C and E.
Vitamin C taken in large doses will act as an antihistamine and detoxifier.
Try dissolving a vitamin C tablet in warm water and wash the inflamed area.
Squeezing the juice from an orange or lemon is also an effective wash to use, simply dabbing it on will do the trick.
Same thing for vitamin E pills, just pop them and rub it in.
One method in particular, though rather harsh, seems to offer great results.
First, wash the area with rubbing alcohol then wash again with soap and warm water.
Pour plain table salt on the affected areas which will help to reduce the chance of the poison ivy oil from spreading and causing further infection, it'll also offer a bit of itching relief.
Wash that off and apply a heavy coat of aloe vera on the rash, this will immediately cool and provide instant relief of the itching and burning sensation.
Used by Native Americans for centuries, Witch Hazel is known for it's anit-inflammatory properties and uses for all kinds of irritating skin conditions.
Dabbing it on the irritated area several times a day with a cotton ball is the easiest way to apply.
Witch hazel is also a very effective drying agent, and in the case of poison ivy can dramatically reduce the itch and promote healing of the painful blisters and rashes common with this condition.