Black Walnut Rash?

chainsawland

A month ago I took down a Black Walnut, and the next day I got a rash all over my neck, face and forearms. First I though it was from sweat or something on the tree, then some one told me it's from the sap in Black Walnut. Anyone ever hear of this?

windthrown

Walnuts have several distinct chemicles in them that are known to cause problems. There is an old wive's tale that sheep should not be fed walnut leaves. I could never verify the toxins or effects of it, and the sheep I fed copious amounts of walnut leaves to (we had a walnut orchard and I fed them the prunings) never had any reaction from eating walnut leaves, which they loved to eat. There is also a common belief that walnut chips should not be used in barns because of the effects on animal hoofs. This is specifically for horses that can (supposedly) absorb walnut toxins thiough their hoofs.

One thing is that you may be allergic to walnuts. Skin tests are common indicators of food allergies (though they are not always accurate, as gut allergies are often triggered by different mechanisms than in the skin). Or you have developed a topical skin allergy to walnut wood or sap. I have a similar allergy to redwood, from all the tannic acid in them. I first developed the problem when I was doing deck carpentry and fencing, which in California is almost all done with redwood. Then later cutting them with chainsaws I got the same result; a skin rash. So I shower after being exposed to redwood now and it does not bother me. We also have a grove of redwoods here, and more than likely they are one of the main causes of my allergies (sinus allergies from redwood pollen). I have pruned many a walnut tree, and never had any adverse effects. Mostly white walnut though, grafted on black walnut roots. I have a rather high tolerance of poison oak as well though. I only get a small rash where I am exposed; I do not go into the full body reaction like my ex, or my next older brother does when they are exposed to PO.

chainsawland

It's strange because I have no reaction to eating walnuts. It was just the sap from cutting the tree. I will try to avoid cutting anymore Black Walnuts in the future.

Eric Frei

I get bad, real bad rashes from ficus trees. And more recently I get a reaction to paperbark trees. Such is life, we're all different.

I love walnuts to eat too, dip them in honey and try that.

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kflood74

watch out for ginko trees.

windthrown

Ginkos have the same stuff as Poison oak/ivy, urushiol, that causes contact dermititis. Not the same as an allergy, the urushiol reaction is more like organ transplant rejection. Urushiol is also common in the family Anacardiaceae, including mango, Rengas tree, Burmese lacquer tree, India marking nut tree, and the shells of the cashews.

Female ginko fruit also stink, and many towns ban planting them for that reason. Ginkos fruit has butyric acid which is what makes rancid butter and vomit stink.

kflood74

Yep I found at that ginkos have the same chemical as poison oak about three months ago. I had a rash from head to toe and had to go get medication to get rid of it.

windthrown

Yah, seeminly few people know this. I do not know why anyone would plant a ginko but they do. Stinkey and poisonous.

They sell ground up ginko as a supplement here in the health food stores. It is a blood vessel dilator, like aspirin (the effective medicinal ingreadient of willows). Ginko is supposed to be good for whitefinger.

dannyboysfc

Im personally very lucky and almost never have any sort of reaction to poison oak or any tree. I have heard repeatedly though that black walnut(the cut ends of the wood) can cause a reaction that can be pretty severe for some people.

jean nebel

My son has a rash that looks like poison after helping his grandfather cut black walnut trees and nothing we use is helping it, it is getting worse what can I do to help get it better?