As implied in it's name, poison ivy, Toxicodendron radicans, contains a substance called urushiol that when comes in contact with the skin will produce a nasty rash for most people. However, some people only experience mild or even no reaction to the poisonous plant. According to various internet sites, immunity can come and go so you should always be cautious when around poison ivy even if you have never had a reaction. This semester I have definitely come in contact with poison ivy. I was collecting some Virginia creeper and I looked down to see my elbow resting nicely in a patch of poison ivy. I have not had a reaction all semester so I am very thankful and cautiously optimistic that I am currently not allergic to poison ivy. Someone brought up in lab one day the practice of eating small amounts of poison ivy periodically to become immune for that season. There are stories online of people accidentally burning poison ivy and going to the hospital with a collapsed lung so I do not know how introducing it into your digestive system is possible. But as I've learned you can find most anything on the internet. In the first link the man eats a poison ivy leaf straight off the tree. The second link below is a video of a man eating poison ivy by wrapping it in some bread and washing it down with some water.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sux00hnd4BU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYToLyqJzuk
http://www.poison-ivy.org/html/stories.htm
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