# Will goat milk help your immunity to Poison Ivy?



## glenolam (Apr 27, 2010)

Just a question - I get Poison Ivy/Sumac/Oak - you name it - every year at least once.  Without fail.

I know goats eat the stuff and have no issues, so could drinking their milk help me?  Or will it do the opposite and could I get Poison Ivy from drinking the milk after she ate some?

Seems like a stupid question to me, but figured I'd ask anyway.


----------



## chandasue (Apr 28, 2010)

I have read somewhere (Story Guide to Raising Dairy Goats or Natural Goat Care probably) that if they eat it that it helps protect you from a reaction. Personally I couldn't tell you since I have never reacted to poison ivy. Some weird natural immunity to the stuff, but poison oak or burning nettle is another story... :/


----------



## MrsCountryChick (May 10, 2010)

I've heard that theory also. That's the appeal of alot of people who like to eat Goatmilk Fudge.... or so they say.  I too have gotten a Bad reaction a few years in a row in the summer (to where I needed an injection & steriods to bring the swelling down.....it looked like I lost a fight.  from all the swelling). I've drank goats milk daily or nearly daily last year & this year since having our dairy goats and haven't gotten any poison ivy at all. Which is REALLY Wonderful! I even hand pick long grass for my chickens or geese when their pens are grass free & still no poison ivy. There are times I'll find what has looked like a poison ivy blister or so on my arm or leg, but it's never any larger than a nickel sized area &  it looks like poison ivy with a few waterlike filled small blisters & they go away in a day or two with no noticable itching or spreading, so as a theory goes I'd say there's some truth to it. I'm outside daily with my animals doing chores, etc. so I'm Always exposed to weeds, grass, etc. & my goats eat weed browse so they surely eat poison ivy.


----------



## glenolam (May 10, 2010)

Kind of makes you want to test the theory by actually rubbing it on you!  

Side note - that's how I got started on Poison Ivy - by rubbing the darn leaves all over my legs and arms with my twin when we were at my brother's little league game about 20 yrs ago....All b/c one of our friends had it and it was "SO COOL!"  



Then - blam, nothing but swollen eyes, gauzed up arms and legs and even some *there* because I had no idea I could squat so low... Earned the nickname "crater legs" in middle school because the bubbles left huge holes in my legs.  I get it simply by walking by it now and I swear sometimes by even looking at it.


----------



## The Egg Bandit (May 10, 2010)

Twenty-five years ago I got a horrific case of poison ivy.  Nothing was helping.  Then I read somewhere that juice from the Spotted Touch-Me-Not (AKA Jewelweed) plant helped with the rashes.  I found some and crushed up a bunch of it and smeared it on all the affected areas.  It actually soothed a little bit, and did seem to help it heal faster.  I kept the rest on hand for a while afterward but have never had another case of poison ivy. 
Of course, now I'm on new land that has lots of brush.  I keep looking for wild Spotted Touch-Me-Nots just in case I need them.  I haven't seen them growing wild since I left Pennsylvania though.

ETA: Of course it could just be the goat milk causing the immunity too.


----------



## babsbag (Jun 29, 2010)

When I was a kid we had a family friend that took care of foster kids (human ones), a lot of them. She swore that the children would get poison oak until they started drinking the goats milk, then no more poison oak. That was the main reason she kept her goats.

Unfortunately I haven't been able to test this theory. My goats eat poison oak, and I do milk them, but I don't drink much milk as it is fattening and NOT fat free. 

I just wonder how much milk I would have to drink for this to work...if it does.


----------



## freemotion (Jun 29, 2010)

babsbag said:
			
		

> Unfortunately I haven't been able to test this theory. My goats eat poison oak, and I do milk them, but I don't drink much milk as it is fattening and NOT fat free.


Oh, my dear, I have such good news for you!  The "fat free" hype is one of the major factors that has made America fat.  Saturated fat is a necessary nutrient, a building block of cell walls and of many of the hormones (chemical signalers) of your body.  It is refined flours, sugars, and hydrogenated fats and veg oils that make you fat.  

Not milk.  Always drink whole milk, not skim. 

For the science behind this, research saturated fats here:  www.westonaprice.org


----------



## aggieterpkatie (Jun 29, 2010)

freemotion said:
			
		

> babsbag said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I agree!!  Full fat dairy products are also great at keeping you feeling fuller longer so you aren't as hungry! 

Just another lie that society tells us.  Just like lard...lard is much better for you than crisco!  I've been cooking with only lard and butter, no fake fats like crisco or margerine.  

Just focus on the good fats!


----------



## freemotion (Jun 29, 2010)

More good news:  The fats from pasteured animals is very high in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) which is proven to promote fat loss and build lean muscle mass.  Bring on the milk, butter, cheese, and barbecue!  But only of truly pastured animals.

Hence my little dairy herd.

Just don't use that glass of ice cold whole goat's milk to wash down a brownie and you will be all set.


----------



## chandasue (Jun 30, 2010)

Cool! I'm not the only Weston A. Price fan! We could really shock people and start talking about fluoride... LOL


----------



## ohiofarmgirl (Jun 30, 2010)

NOT a stupid question and i'm here to tell you it works! 

the only reason we got goats was b/c this property was infested with all the "poisons" (ivy, sumac, etc).... not only did the goats eat it - they LOVED it. 

and we milked them...

...and now my reactions are MUCH less and fewer and far between.

the only thing to be on the lookout for is that you need to remember to wear a long sleeved shirt and/or wash up to your elbows immediately after milking... just to make sure your ladies arent dragging their udders thru all that mess and transferring it to you. 

another way to build up your immunity AND get rid of the poison ivy.... get pigs. it totally works - they will eat down all the ivy, root it up, AND help your 'ivy-immune' system.. and its delicious (she said shoveling in a forkfull of home cured, home raised-n-butchered bacon). 

and i'm seconding the "skim milks is a buncha hogwash"..... if you want a shocker (and dont milk at home) switch to organic milk. i did and lost 5 pounds without doing anything else. 

which is another reason why we home dairy. all raw, all whole, all the time. oh hey - my shorts are getting looser..again.. darn. guess i gotta eat more! where is my pie?


----------

