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UPDATES
In April 2009 I received two tips that may be significant.
1. “I got a tip from someone that a product that has been out for while now is really good for poison oak. Apparently it is the same ingredients as Zanfel, which is like $35 an ounce. The original product is called Mean Green Power Hand Scrubber.
Here is the patent info for Zanfel.
And here is the MSDS for Mean Green Hand Scrubber.
I went on the Mean Green website and you can request a free 2oz. sample. I thought you might be interested due to your past research into poison oak and urishiols. We’re going to try it out and see what we think. I thought the Black Hill gang might want to do a little trial.
Environmental Scientist, CA State Parks
2. The best thing I have ever used for washing skin exposed to poison oak is Panoxyl bar, a benzoyl peroxide soap used for acne. Years ago I hired six Poly students to build a trail with Deb and I to the top of the hill above our house in See Cyn. Solid poison oak. We all washed with panoxyl bar after each project day (two days per week for four weeks). Almost no one got any poison oak including Deb and who were heavily exposed. I think the benzoyl peroxide chemically alters the sesquiterpine lactone, rendering it incapable of eliciting a reaction. Whatever, it really worked and it's not expensive.
Dermatologist
I bought a bar for $6.79 at Albertson’s 4-22-09. At the time I learned of one person in whom Panoxyl caused a rash.