I get the same thing from the Georgia clay soil here if left on my skin for too long. When I was a child in suburbs of Chicago I once got hives from playing in the snow. My mom rushed me to the doctor. They said I had an allergy to snow. I know that sounds crazy, but later I chalked it up to it being snow made of acid rain. When I moved to Georgia I get the same reaction to the clay soils. So my theory is I have a PH allergy to the acidicness of the clay soil. I just came inside after it happening now. It a weird way it’s good to hear others have this strange allergy. I was edging with an edger that has a blade cutter on it not the plastic string. It spit up some soil on my sweat covered leg and clung there. After a while it felt like I was standing in a fire ant mound covered in bites.

it seems a temperature thing they need a warm long season to start flowering at all, and more warmth to have ripe seeds in Germany and Switzerland Miscanthus starts to get problematic, or rather the first findings of seedlings occur. the recommendation ist to use only cultivars (as seedlings are more prolific) and if you fear that yours could develop seeds, the suggestion is to "Chelsea-chop" them: take about a third of around May/June which will just delay them enough that it is too little time for rie seeds. the location of your garden within the landscape is an important factor, if you are close to the country side, you should be extra carefull. and if they produce runners, it`s a different species/ wrong labeled stuff.

Ohhh yes, I have to jump in here! (thanks Joe, for that yard waste bags thread LOL) SPANK that itch! LOL Okay, I'm laughing, but I'm serious. Being the tactile creature that I am, I used to have the nasty habit of scratching itches (poison oak or ivy rash, skeeter bites, wounds healed to that almost completely healed point but scab not quite ready to come off itch-at-the-edges stage, simple dry skin, whatever... you get the idea) to the point - without conscious awareness, particularly bad on auto-pilot in my sleep - of scratching things into a laceration. I had to re-train myself to spank/slap itchies or to use a cotton, well-textured cloth. I've tried all of the OTC and no small amount of Rx stuff for PI/PO... and by far, in order of what I tried OTC through the years and all effective for me, these have been the best: bleach water solution (1 part bleach, 9-10 parts H2O - same principle as what follows below) Rubbing Alcohol - used gleefully on a terrycloth washcloth that was otherwise clean/dry, rubbing it on - be sure to wash with an oil-"attacking" detergent such as Dawn with hot water and not re-use without washing. 7% Iodine Solution - Oh yes yes yes yes! Be careful though, you can usually get this some place that sells vet/livestock supplies like the co-op BUT, you will know the difference with this compared to OTC people-pharmacy iodine, you open the bottle and the fumes can make your eyes burn/water... stout/potent, but very effective. Ethyl Alcohol - oh yea baby... move over regular rubbing alcohol, this was so much better. Germ-X - and this one is more recent and sheer fluke. I canNOT stand how my hands feel when I have been in public anywhere, especially after touching things that who knows how many other people and things have come into contact with, my hands just feel NASTY - but keeping soap and water in my vehicle became a PITA because bottles got left not sealed/closed tightly, water leaked out, etc. so I tried this stuff and "fell in love" - main ingredient: ethyl alcohol, with a carrier, moisturizer, - and fragrance if you like. The primary factors with my preferred "products" are that they have some impact on drying the PI/PO oils along with one's own body oils and subsequently removing it from the area, and with "victimized"/irritated skin/tissue, these things "burn" and that sates the general urge to scratch. I've had PI/PO on my face and near my eyes before, the only one of those that I will NOT use on my face/near my eyes is the Iodine. My son that has become so sensitive, he has had really good results with a mixture of essential oils that "Grandma" mixed up for him because he keeps getting into the stuff (climbing trees, out in the woods, being a boy, ya know?) If anyone else is "into" essential oils for treatment, let me know and I'll send or post the exact EOs to mix/use and at what ratio and "dosage" (topical) Iva/y-rest, etc. have never been of any use/relief for me personally. I have also not had any noteworthy relief or countering from steroids, taken internally or applied topically. Cortisone creams help for bug bites for me but rarely PI/PO irritation. Aside from 1) attempting to avoid the stuff 2) secondary offense being washing with soap and water if there is/was a chance I was exposed [this usually happens too late for me for bad outbreaks because I'm out working, sweating, and sweat just passes the oils right along and unthought of and usually spread hours before I quit work for the day and get to the shower] and 3) the above list of OTC stuff when #1 and #2 have not prevented an "outbreak". The bleach water solution I *personally* mix stronger than that but that above is how the "recipe" was given to me. I have used straight bleach on the stuff before. But YMMV and everyone has different skin types and sensitivities. The bleach water solution, at the 1:9 and 1:10 ratio though is pretty effective for skeeter bites. All of you who are sensitive to PI/PO - you have my empathy!!!!

Just a word of caution: Do be careful about taking these over-the-counter remedies without consulting with your doc first. They can contra-indicate if you're taking other meds. I'm on the "other side" of most of you, having stopped my periods 15 years ago at age 44. (And sorry to say, the hot flashes are still with me.) My experience showed that I was not able to quickly find a successful regimen to hold my menopausal symptoms in check. I consulted with three or four GYNs until I found one who was willing to stick with me until we got it right. I really had to become my own advocate, if you will. We need to be as well educated as we can about the subject. As you look for what you can "take" to help you, you should also research really well the results of the (Women's Health Initiative) study they released back in 02. Don't rely on websites related to drug or supplement firms - read what's available on the National Institute of Health and other medical sites. In '06 the NIH released results of a separate study that showed herbal supplements were of no value in relieving hot flashes. Some women are lucky in that their menopausal symptoms are less severe and perhaps they perceive that herbs like black cohash have helped. But it's not "everyone's menopause," and what works for some doesn't work for all. After lots of trial and error, I was on an HRT regiment with both estrogen and progesterone that was wonderful for my body. I took the pills for about twelve years (referred to them as my "life line"). Hot flashes and night sweats were completely eliminated, and I was able to concentrate once again (although NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING helps for memory loss!). On and off I also tried a variety of anti-anxiety pills, none of which seemed to make a discernable difference. Depression is very common in menopausal women. Many people have had good results with the bio-identical hormones. I tried them for about a year but I didn't find the results comparable at all, so I stopped. I'm no longer on any hormones, and it has been a real struggle. I still have almost-daily hot flashes and nightly hot sweats (although the night sweats are not as severe, yet they still awaken me and that's annoying enough). Since stopping HRT, I don't think I've had a single uninterrupted night's sleep. But, as with every step I've taken since my periods stopped fifteen years ago, being off HRT is my choice. I have just learned to live with it. I think the bottom line is that you need to understand what if any risks there are in your body/family history that would or wouldn't make HRT a good solution for you. I don't think I've seen any mention here of calcium supplements, and that's so very important. We should be taking 1,200-1,500 mg daily if we're not on estrogen, a bit less with estrogen. Osteoporosis is very common in both pre-and post-menopausal women. Here is a link that might be useful: Menopause and Herbal Supplements Study Article