RE: urushi

From: Brett Breitwieser (brett@bigskyranch.us)
Date: Thu Nov 20 2003 - 11:32:16 PST


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Mugwort does work... my wife used to get a severe rash if she passed thru
the air that had some poison oak fumes... the active ingredient in poison
sumac and urushi seems to be the same, urushiols (3-Alkyl resorcinol
derivatives with long side chains)... mugwort works because it interrupts
the chemical process that is causing the rash and the spread of the rash.
IMHO, you have nothing to lose.... we use to make a strong mugwort tea,
then cool it down (DO NOT use warm/hot tea on rash, it opens up the pores!)
I don't know where you live, but we got ours along the approaches to the
beaches in Northern California... good luck, hope this helps!

Also note, if it is getting as bad as it sounds, I would seriously recommend
seeing a doctor/dermatologist... I've seen similar rashes get way out of
hand and spread to the eyes and nose! It can be dangerous! get treatment
sooner than later!

Brett Breitwieser (zen@arizuma.us)
Arizuma Zen
http://arizuma.us

"The clouds evaporate in the cold sky.
The autumn has departed and the mountain is barren.
This is where we originally dwell." -Hongzhi

-----Original Message-----
From: Gene [mailto:oldmanriver@alltel.net]
Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2003 11:08 AM
To: Shakuhachi@communication.ucsd.edu
Subject: urushi

Man - lemme' give you dumb new shakuhachi makers (like me) a tip: BE
CAREFUL WITH URUSHI!

This is the third day of my "attack", and I'm in the running sores stage
(ugh!), up all night, every night, scratching and sloshing alcohol on the
affected areas to kill the nerve ends. Although I could not have touched
urushi to these areas, I have patches of rash on the back of my left knee,
my left shin, my right side, my right ear, my left hand, my nose, my right
eye and lips are all puffy, and - ugh! - the most sensitive of all
unspeakable areas.

It has gotten worse every day for three days.

And my wife now has it on her right forearm, and she never touched urushi!

And I used only TWO DROPS of urushi. Literally.

Now admittedly I did thin the urushi with lacquer thinner, creating perhaps
two or three ounces, but I have no recollection of ANY of it ever touching
my skin. And, if any of it did, it was certainly only a microscopic amount.

Actually, I was tinting the outside of the root section of the shakuhachi
I'm making, like many of the Japanese shakuhachi makers do. Just to darken
up the naturally dark area there a bit more. I was not using it in the
bore. I'm using an Epoxy compound there.

And this urushi poisoning also has a physiologically debilitating effect, a
sort of nauseous yucky feeling. . . .

Learn from my ignorance, you newbies: take care!

Gene

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<DIV><SPAN class=3D338402219-20112003><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#0000ff =

size=3D2>Mugwort does work... my wife used to get a severe rash if she =
passed thru=20
the air that had some poison oak fumes... the active ingredient in =
poison sumac=20
and urushi&nbsp;seems to be the same, urushiols (3-Alkyl resorcinol =
derivatives=20
with long side chains)... mugwort works because it interrupts the =
chemical=20
process that is causing the&nbsp;rash and the spread of the rash. IMHO, =
you have=20
nothing to lose.... we use to make a strong mugwort tea, &nbsp;then cool =
it down=20
(DO NOT use warm/hot tea on rash, it opens up the pores!) I don't know =
where you=20
live, but we got ours along the approaches to the beaches in Northern=20
California... good luck, hope this helps!</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D338402219-20112003><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#0000ff =

size=3D2></FONT></SPAN>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D338402219-20112003><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#0000ff =
size=3D2>Also=20
note, if it is getting as bad as it sounds, I would seriously recommend =
seeing a=20
doctor/dermatologist... I've seen similar rashes get way out of hand and =
spread=20
to the eyes and nose! It can be dangerous! get treatment sooner than=20
later!</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#0000ff size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DBatang size=3D2><STRONG>Brett Breitwieser (<A=20
href=3D"mailto:zen@arizuma.us">zen@arizuma.us</A>)</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=3DBatang size=3D2>Arizuma =
Zen</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=3DBatang size=3D2><A=20
href=3D"http://arizuma.us/">http://arizuma.us></FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=3D2>"The clouds evaporate in the cold=20
sky.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=3D2>The autumn has departed and the mountain is =
barren.=20
</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=3D2>This is where we originally dwell."=20
-Hongzhi</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV class=3DOutlookMessageHeader dir=3Dltr align=3Dleft><FONT =
face=3DTahoma=20
size=3D2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> Gene=20
[mailto:
oldmanriver@alltel.net]<BR><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, November 20, =
2003=20
11:08 AM<BR><B>To:</B> =
Shakuhachi@communication.ucsd.edu<BR><B>Subject:</B>=20
urushi<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV>Man - lemme' give you dumb new shakuhachi makers (like me) a =
tip:&nbsp; BE=20
CAREFUL WITH URUSHI!</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>This is the third day of my "attack", and I'm in the running sores =
stage=20
(ugh!), up all night, every night, scratching and sloshing alcohol on =
the=20
affected areas to kill the nerve ends.&nbsp; Although I could not have =
touched=20
urushi to these areas, I have patches of rash on the back of my left =
knee, my=20
left shin, my right side, my right ear, my left hand, my nose, my right =
eye and=20
lips are all puffy,&nbsp;and - ugh! -&nbsp;the most sensitive of all =
unspeakable=20
areas.</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>It has gotten worse every day for three days.</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>And my wife now has it on her right forearm, and she never touched=20
urushi!</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>And I used only TWO DROPS of urushi.&nbsp; Literally.</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>Now admittedly I did thin the urushi with lacquer thinner, creating =
perhaps=20
two or three ounces, but I have no recollection of ANY of it ever =
touching my=20
skin.&nbsp; And, if any of it did, it was certainly only a microscopic=20
amount.</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>Actually, I was tinting the outside of the root section of the =
shakuhachi=20
I'm making, like many of the Japanese shakuhachi makers do.&nbsp; Just =
to darken=20
up the naturally dark area there a bit more.&nbsp; I was not using it in =
the=20
bore.&nbsp; I'm using an Epoxy compound there.</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>And this urushi poisoning also has a physiologically debilitating =
effect, a=20
sort of nauseous yucky feeling. . . .</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>Learn from my ignorance, you newbies:&nbsp; take care!</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>Gene</DIV></BODY></HTML>

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