Thanks to everyone who has given me their advice: Sue and John as I walked into church, Jack strolling through the frozen-foods aisle at the grocery store, Melissa while waiting in line at the bank, Tim on the corner of Capitol Street downtown.

I think I've heard more about poison ivy than I thought was possible. But it must be a menace to everyone, because it seems like all of my friends and readers have suggestions (and stories) about it.

Here's a compendium of the advice I've received about dealing with the evil plant before and after you touch it:

"Don't know if this is eco-friendly, but our boys were very much troubled as youngsters, especially where it hurts the most," writes gardening enthusiast Ann Castaldo. "Seemed every place they liked to play was a PI hotspot. A neighbor who worked in construction suggested spraying chlorine bleach on the offending plants when the sun was strongest. It makes them shrivel and die. We did around the swing set and 'cowboy' rock. It worked, and after a year or two, the hotspots were gone."

One of the nicest folks in town, Sandy Zando, wrote this about her husband:

"Joe has discovered the best product to eradicate poison ivy - it really works! It is Roundup Poison Ivy & Tough Brush Killer.

"He is very allergic and, when we moved to our present home four years ago, it was in our yard and neighbors' yards and all along the street. It is gone, thanks to Joe. He takes great pleasure in walking around armed with this secret weapon and ambushes every poison ivy leaf he finds. He prides himself in following up on the attack a few days later to view his victory. I know Lowe's sells it, so please share with your readers."

Wow, Joe's a great chef and he's mean with poison ivy spray. Impressive!

Sandy continues:

"Also, Joe discovered years ago at the very first sign of an outbreak on his skin, he would soak the spot with Epsom salts two to three times a day for a few days and it stops it in its tracks. He pours some of the salts in a bowl with water and soaks the wash cloth in the mixture. He rings out some of the water and then lays the cloth on the spot(s) for a few minutes. It works for him. ..."

I tried this treatment, and it's amazing. It cools and soothes and, well, it helps.

Reader Rodney Jordan gives this advice:

"I hate using anything chemical to kill anything, so to speak."

His wife knew someone who used saltwater to kill some young pines in his dad's yard.

"The only problem with this, according to the Internet, is that nothing will grow in that spot for years to come. It is just dead ground. This is recommended on the Net as a last resort," Jordan explained. If you've got a spot where you don't want to plant anything for a while, this might be worth a try.

Jordan suggested a "potion" sold at Loop Pharmacy in St. Albans "that will stop the itch almost instantaneously."

"It has xylene, menthol and some other stuff in it. It is very cool when it goes on. It really works. The stuff is kinda pricy, about $10 a bottle. The saleslady at Loop told me that the road maintenance people for St. Albans come in and get it all the time," he said. Sounds great. I'll check that one out, too.

Several pharmacies must concoct "potions" to help with this itchy problem. Wonderful Debbie Di Filippo wrote:

"Just last summer was my first encounter with poison ivy. Someone told me about 'shake medicine' made at Trivillian's Pharmacy in Kanawha City. It definitely works."

I think they make some form of this lotion at Fruth, as well. It's the one my son likes, and it works for him.

One of the smartest women I know, Rita Wilson, weighed in on the issue:

"Tecnu really works. If you wash with it after exposure to poison ivy, it removes the oils. You'll never see even a trace of a rash. I used to mail-order it from Burpee's. In recent years, I've bought it at Green's Feed and Seed.

"My brother-in-law is extremely susceptible to poison ivy. When we were all much younger, my husband and my brother-in-law went fishing somewhere on Blue Creek. After returning to Michigan, Dave had such a severe case of total body poison ivy that he spent several days covered in a prescription potion and Saran Wrap. The next summer, when he and my sister visited again, my husband and Dave went fishing on Blue Creek once again. Dave ended up walking through chest high poison ivy. I had him take my trusty bottle of Tecnu to the shower with instructions to use it all over. He didn't get even a trace of a rash."

Dot Henry of Charleston agrees with Rita:

"This has worked for me and my family. At the drugstore, buy Tecnu and after being in 'wild' areas, scrub yourself with this product. I use a small hand brush and really scrub it in - even after a rash. I also use an antihistamine gel to help with itching," Dot explained.

Well, I'm ready to go tackle the poison ivy again. The only thing better than all of this advice from friends would be if they would just come on over and pull the awful stuff out for me!

Sara Busse is a Charleston resident and a Master Gardener. E-mail her at sjbu...@gmail.com.