Monday, October 13, 2003 at 10:56 AM Poison ivy is known in medical terms as Rhus Dermatitis which is a type of contact dermatitis. As the name implies, a contact dermatitis is an irritation of the skin caused by contact with a specific irritant. In the case of poison ivy, the irritant is called urushiol which is a resin found in the plants in the Anacardiaceae family and the Rhus genus. Plants included in this classification are poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. Also included are the cashew nut tree, mango tree, Japanese lacquer tree, and marking nut tree. —looped |