Years ago my grandmother couldn't get within 20 feet of poision or she would get it. Seems like I always seen Calamine lotion around, probably for that. Read up on it and online said it is for symptoms to calm itch and steriods help stop it from spreading. Grandad, the old fart would go out there and dig it up and never got itches or rash from anything that I know. He would have 10 Sevin all over his bare hands dusting peas. He live at the end of the Chlordane era, used it for those large ants living in trees and outside as a barrier, not on crops. That stuff eradicated most pests, banned now.