I've had similar rashes after gardening in wilder areas of my garden, and never identified the culprit; I suspect that some plants have this effect on some people and it never makes it into "the literature."

By the way, pulling isn't a very effective way to deal with "dog strangling vine" as it's also known, since it re-sprouts readily from root fragments. I have a small area where I sometimes see this thug, and one of these days I'm going to finally get some (dreaded) herbicide and tackle it... two or more applications are needed, right around flowering time.

I don't get this sort of reaction to it, but I imagine it's possible that any given person might be allergic to it or sensitive to it.

Personally, I hate the smell of it. It's not even a particularly offensive smell on any sort of objective level, but it's the smell of THIS STUFF, and because of that, I have come to despise it.

It's true that pulling it won't necessarily do the trick, but I have raised bed built along a concrete wall, and I simply can't get at the root clusters (they're under the wall and inaccessible). I did find that the places where I dutifully and regularly pulled it up last year have far fewer sprouts coming up this year than last year...in fact, almost none. It's perennial, and the roots will re-sprout extremely readily, but if you spend a year almost never allowing it to get any leaves into the sun, this will make an impact on its regrowth the following year.

Even though I garden organically, I'm about ready to pull out some big-guns herbicides myself, because I hate this stuff, and I want it gone. The only thing stopping me is that I'm pregnant this year, and mucking about with chemicals that nasty seems unwise. Next year, however, the black swallow-wort had better watch out, because I will be taking no prisoners.

thanks for replying... it could be this stuff that's bothering me, or something else, just not sure. I've been going into some neglected parts of the garden this year and making new beds... I'm just so tired of trying to ignore the... ITCHING... I thought I was done after my annual early-spring bout of poison ivy.

Leira, I agree, the smell of the swallow-wort is gross somehow. But smells are so subjective. I was out at Blanchette Gardens in Carlisle the other day, and they had some Caryopteris, and on the sign they warned that the leaves give off a foul smell when crushed... I of course had to try it, and thought instead that it was a rather pleasant odor of strong coffee!

Another weed I've been pulling dutifully for the past 2 years is goat weed. The previous owner planted some for groundcover in dense shade, and it minded its own business for a long time, and then just exploded all over a few years ago. Incredibly tenacious roots that go on forever and the SMALLEST fragment re-sprouts. I've cleared one area consistently for 2 years now, picking individual bits out by hand and raking through the soil to coax out the roots, and it is finally "manageable", although it keeps coming back.

As far as herbicide on the swallow-wort, my husband sprayed a lot of it with Roundup a few months ago, and it really had no effect - go figure... strong stuff...

Susan

Isn't goat weed epimedium? Is that a WEED?

maybe you mean bishop's weed- aegopodium?
mindy

never knew what this was before your post. i pulled it out w/ bare hands yesterday, as i have always done, and no worries re my hands...
sure you didn't handle euphorbia? that's known for skin problems....
mindy

I have had horrendous welts from strangling dog vine. Its viciously poisonous. I do not have any poison ivy and have never reacted to it anyway but i handle SDV with heavy leather gloves, long pants, rubber boots, long sleeves and a mask. I immediately shower afterwards and put all material into dark plastic bags. Don't ever compost this stuff. It's poison.

I see that I responded to this thread a few years ago, claiming no skin irritation. Boy, was I wrong! Right now I'm nursing some welts on my arms because I pulled up some of the stuff a week ago. I hate it.

I can well believe that there are skin reactions to this stuff. I never pull ANY weeds any more without heavy rubberized gloves after a surprise case of poison ivy taught me better. But last summer I noticed I was coughing a lot when I pulled out the taller black swallow wort weeds. So in my case I feel there is definitely something noxious about them.

This summer I'm doing my best to stay ahead of their growth and pull them out when they're still small, and so far I haven't coughed ... much. (I'm sure they will beat me at some point & I WILL be coughing & gagging again, but so far so good.)

I've been getting some rashes on my forearms while weeding but I'm not sure from what. Black swallow-wort is just one of the weeds I've been pulling. It could be an allergy to pollen or something else since it's been so dry here and the plants are covered with dust (except where I've been watering).

Anyway, I dealt with it by wearing Armed Gardener Heavy Duty Arm Protective Sleeves that I'd bought to use when messing with roses. These sleeves really protect your arms. You need to wear gloves as well, but I almost always do.

Claire

edit note: barrett001 posted while I was I was writing - the heavy rubberized gloves are a good idea too if they're long.

my sister has black swallow wort and has been working for the past two years pulling it up. Her hands are a mess and nothing seems to help them. She's started pulling again this year but so far, while the shoots are still small, her hands have been fine. Any suggestions for the best gloves to use for this type of work - not sure what she wears now but they are not that helpful.

Kkendasue, my "technique" when pulling weeds is to double-glove. I keep a box of disposable exam gloves in my kitchen and when I go out to garden, I put these on first then outdoor garden gloves on top. The garden gloves stay outside in my garden shed. When done, I take off the exam gloves using the "Proper Glove Removal Technique" from the workshops on handling pathogens in the classroom that all teachers must take.

I also do all major weeding in early spring when the weeds are just emerging and the temperatures are cool enough for long sleeves and long pants.

I had a bad allergic reaction in my eye after destroying the seeds by microwaving them inside the house. my eye became red and several cysts formed on my lower lid

This thread began in 2009!

I joined in the complaining about the possible toxicity of black swallow-wort in 2015. I am still fighting it, but there is significantly less to deal with (thank the universe & any powers therein!!!) and it has not spread (yet!) to other parts of my gardens....

Mostly I run out after a good rain and pull it along with my other weeds, & the BSW is small, weak, & easy to pull. My next door neighbor has some near the border between our properties, and occasionally I sneak across & pull hers too. She hasn't complained yet! :-}

i too responded to this a few years ago. I bought Kevlar gauntlets after having to get a cortisone shot, the welts on my arms and hands were so bad. Even though I wore the Kevlar gauntlets and leather gloves I STILL had a rash after trying to irradicate this evil weed, and became congested and I ears felt 'plugged up'. i resorted to cutting the small purple flowers off and, if any made it to that stage, cutting off the pods. The Ontario government recommends putting any plant parts of Dog Strangling Vine into black garbage bags and leaving them in the hot sun for several weeks. The bags should then go into the garbage, not recyclable yard waste.

Just reading that The Nature Conservancy reccomends burning the pods - not putting them in the garbage. This invasive species is also responsible for a huge loss of Monarch butterflies because they lay their eggs on the pods thinking it's milkweed but they don't survive because the vincetoxicum nigrum and vincetoxicum rossicum, provide no nutrients for the Monarch larvae and they die.

Burning the pods is recommended? And the fumes wouldn't contain the toxicity....? BDSV must be different from poison ivy then.

The Monarchs is what determined me to do my level best to eradicate all mine (& my close neighbor's). It took me 3 years with a LOT of handpulling, and luckily I never got as bad an adverse reaction as some on this thread. (Just a very mild rash once when I forgot gloves & holding my breath when pulling out the bigger, more mature plants with pods in the very first season.)

They are MUCH reduced now, & I never get the pods, but the tiny thin filaments still try to poke up out of the ground underneath some of my other valued plants such as hostas & hydrangeas. Eternal vigilance is needed to fight these dreadful weeds!!

I got blisters last year and this year I forgot to put on gloves and got blisters again