Hi,
I know it sounds like a bad idea, but I have seen some poison oak vines that would be AWESOME in a cage. I have seen some poison oak vines strangling trees and I thought if I could cut the vines off the tree, they would be really cool spiral cage furniture peices. I am not allergic to poison oak, so getting it would not be a problem. The only problem I see is the oils in the poison oak. I think most of the oil would be in the leaves, bark, and cambium layer of the plants. So if I stripped the bark, the oils wouldn't be a problem anymore. I just wanted to see if it would be okay to do this, or if it is all around bad idea. It is really late and I am tired, so I might read this in the morning and think it is the worst idea I've ever had. THanks for the help, jrbl
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Poison oak branches for cage furniture
Replies (3)
Not sure good or bad for snakes .....
But im so allergic to i just broke out reading your post ..... THANKS ALOT lol
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just because you are not allergic now doesnt mean you wont become allergic if you mess around with it enough....the sap is allergenic, not just the leaves.....If you have some dead vines that have been dried out by the sun longterm it would be alot safer, but I would stick to driftwood and play it safe.
Poison oak/ivy/etc carry the allergenic compounds in all of the fluid witin the plant. Hence, while the leaves carry the majority of the compounds, the stems, seeds, and even roots also can cause reactions. Nobody is completly immune to it's effects, but some people have a much greater tolerance than others. This tolerance also changes over the years- I used to be virtually immune to the effects of poison ivy, but now I break out (albeit very slightly) if I come into contact with it. I would not recommend using any part of poison oak for decorations- even if it doesn't cause you ill effects, it might cause problems for your herps or other people in your household. As I recall, the toxin can be removed by boiling, but I would never suggest doing so, as the vapors can enter a person's lungs and will cause damage or even death, regardless of your normal tolerance to the plant.
