Parsnip Rash - Phytophotodermatitis

[pargyle]

No ... it's not April 1st.

I left two of my parsnip plants to go to seed this year - the flowers were covered in pollinators and I now have a very healthy supply of Tender and True seeds for next year ... However ... Be warned ...

I chopped the plants down - in the hot weather last Saturday - I had a short sleeved shirt and it was so hot I didn't bother with gloves. Later on I spent hours in the sunshine painting some new gates I've bought - I was wearing nitrile gloves for that task.

By Sunday morning the back of my hands and lower arms looked like I'd had boiling water sprayed over me ... red raw and itching like mad. I thought it was a combination of the sweat in my gloves and the heat of the sun causing a heat rash and went out in the sun to put some more paint on the gates ... by Sunday evening the red areas were covered in blisters - it looked more like I had third degree burns ...

It had become only marginally better by Wednesday so I dropped by the local Pharmacist to see what he could give me to taks the heat rash down. I showed him the lesions and he said 'Do you have a garden and what have you been doing in it ? - That's a Parsnip rash'.

I didn't know but mature parsnip plants have the same chemical in their sap as really dangerous plants like Giant Hogweed. The chemic;al gets onto your skin from the cut stems and the leaves .. nothing happens immediately though as it is photosensitive and the reaction only starts upon exposure to sunlight - once exposed to sunlight it starts to blister and become really uncomfortable.

So ... here I am a week onwards with blisters still forming, my hands and lower arms looking like I've got a case of scabies and driving me mad with the itching. Cortisone cream and camomile lotion are easing it but ... having been a gardener and vegetable grower almost from the time I could walk ... it's something I've never experienced before ...

So... be warned if you let your parsnips go to seed ........ gloves and long sleeve shirts when you come to cut them down !

And if you grow any of the following they can have the same effect :

• Parsnips (Pastinaca sativa)
• Carrots (Daucus carota subsp. sativus)
• Celery (Apium graveolens)
• Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)
• Wild Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa)
• Queen Anne's Lace (Wild Carrot) (Daucus carota)
• Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum)
• Limes (Citrus × aurantiifolia)
• Figs (Ficus carica)
• Chrysanthemums – Chrysanthemum genus, aster family
• Common Rue (Ruta graveolens)
• Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia)

It could take months for the reaction to subside, it can't be washed off once the chemical has been activated it's there on your skin and will react every time it gets exposed to sunlight ...

It won't put me off growing any of the above but I'll be a little more cautious cutting them down in the future ...

 

[The Poot]

Crikey! That doesn’t look good at all. Thanks for the warning. I hope leeks and shallots are not the same as I’ve let several run to seed this year?
I hope it clears up quickly Philip.

 

[pargyle]

Crikey! That doesn’t look good at all. Thanks for the warning. I hope leeks and shallots are not the same as I’ve let several run to seed this year?
I hope it clears up quickly Philip.

The pharmacist reckons the worst of it should be gone in a couple of weeks if I keep it out of the sun (That's not easy ... can't wear gloves in this weather !) but the skin discolouration could be there for months .....

 

[Amari]

No ... it's not April 1st.

I left two of my parsnip plants to go to seed this year - the flowers were covered in pollinators and I now have a very healthy supply of Tender and True seeds for next year ... However ... Be warned ...

I chopped the plants down - in the hot weather last Saturday - I had a short sleeved shirt and it was so hot I didn't bother with gloves. Later on I spent hours in the sunshine painting some new gates I've bought - I was wearing nitrile gloves for that task.

By Sunday morning the back of my hands and lower arms looked like I'd had boiling water sprayed over me ... red raw and itching like mad. I thought it was a combination of the sweat in my gloves and the heat of the sun causing a heat rash and went out in the sun to put some more paint on the gates ... by Sunday evening the red areas were covered in blisters - it looked more like I had third degree burns ...

It had become only marginally better by Wednesday so I dropped by the local Pharmacist to see what he could give me to taks the heat rash down. I showed him the lesions and he said 'Do you have a garden and what have you been doing in it ? - That's a Parsnip rash'.

I didn't know but mature parsnip plants have the same chemical in their sap as really dangerous plants like Giant Hogweed. The chemic;al gets onto your skin from the cut stems and the leaves .. nothing happens immediately though as it is photosensitive and the reaction only starts upon exposure to sunlight - once exposed to sunlight it starts to blister and become really uncomfortable.

So ... here I am a week onwards with blisters still forming, my hands and lower arms looking like I've got a case of scabies and driving me mad with the itching. Cortisone cream and camomile lotion are easing it but ... having been a gardener and vegetable grower almost from the time I could walk ... it's something I've never experienced before ...

So... be warned if you let your parsnips go to seed ........ gloves and long sleeve shirts when you come to cut them down !

And if you grow any of the following they can have the same effect :

• Parsnips (Pastinaca sativa)
• Carrots (Daucus carota subsp. sativus)
• Celery (Apium graveolens)
• Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)
• Wild Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa)
• Queen Anne's Lace (Wild Carrot) (Daucus carota)
• Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum)
• Limes (Citrus × aurantiifolia)
• Figs (Ficus carica)
• Chrysanthemums – Chrysanthemum genus, aster family
• Common Rue (Ruta graveolens)
• Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia)

It could take months for the reaction to subside, it can't be washed off once the chemical has been activated it's there on your skin and will react every time it gets exposed to sunlight ...

It won't put me off growing any of the above but I'll be a little more cautious cutting them down in the future ...View attachment 27373View attachment 27374View attachment 27373

Fascinating Pargyle, but ouch and sympathy!

I grow parsnips in dustbins because voles on the allotment have a partiality to the roots.

I've never heard of this syndrome. Days gone by as a junior hospital doctor I would have been keen to submit your case history and pics to a medical journal - publications were needed for promotion/CV. Happily, those days are long gone.

Hope it settles quickly. Drex on here might suggest remedies.....?

 

[Newbeeneil]

Not nice Philip, I've seen cases of blistering from Giant Hog Weed but never from Parsnips!
A doctor once told me that the photosensitivity from Giant Hog Weed can linger for up to 10 years and can reappear each year when you expose the site of blistering to the sun! Fingers crossed for you that that isn't the case with Parsnip!

 

[pargyle]

I've learnt a lot about it in the last couple of days ... Giant hogweed can put you in hospital and require skin grafts - fortunately it is relatively rare in the UK. Parsnips are in the same family but the concentration of the substance that causes it is less ..

This USA site gives you the full story ....

https://commonsensehome.com/phytophotodermatitis/

 

[Erichalfbee]

No ... it's not April 1st.

I left two of my parsnip plants to go to seed this year - the flowers were covered in pollinators and I now have a very healthy supply of Tender and True seeds for next year ... However ... Be warned ...

I chopped the plants down - in the hot weather last Saturday - I had a short sleeved shirt and it was so hot I didn't bother with gloves. Later on I spent hours in the sunshine painting some new gates I've bought - I was wearing nitrile gloves for that task.

By Sunday morning the back of my hands and lower arms looked like I'd had boiling water sprayed over me ... red raw and itching like mad. I thought it was a combination of the sweat in my gloves and the heat of the sun causing a heat rash and went out in the sun to put some more paint on the gates ... by Sunday evening the red areas were covered in blisters - it looked more like I had third degree burns ...

It had become only marginally better by Wednesday so I dropped by the local Pharmacist to see what he could give me to taks the heat rash down. I showed him the lesions and he said 'Do you have a garden and what have you been doing in it ? - That's a Parsnip rash'.

I didn't know but mature parsnip plants have the same chemical in their sap as really dangerous plants like Giant Hogweed. The chemic;al gets onto your skin from the cut stems and the leaves .. nothing happens immediately though as it is photosensitive and the reaction only starts upon exposure to sunlight - once exposed to sunlight it starts to blister and become really uncomfortable.

So ... here I am a week onwards with blisters still forming, my hands and lower arms looking like I've got a case of scabies and driving me mad with the itching. Cortisone cream and camomile lotion are easing it but ... having been a gardener and vegetable grower almost from the time I could walk ... it's something I've never experienced before ...

So... be warned if you let your parsnips go to seed ........ gloves and long sleeve shirts when you come to cut them down !

And if you grow any of the following they can have the same effect :

• Parsnips (Pastinaca sativa)
• Carrots (Daucus carota subsp. sativus)
• Celery (Apium graveolens)
• Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)
• Wild Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa)
• Queen Anne's Lace (Wild Carrot) (Daucus carota)
• Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum)
• Limes (Citrus × aurantiifolia)
• Figs (Ficus carica)
• Chrysanthemums – Chrysanthemum genus, aster family
• Common Rue (Ruta graveolens)
• Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia)

It could take months for the reaction to subside, it can't be washed off once the chemical has been activated it's there on your skin and will react every time it gets exposed to sunlight ...

It won't put me off growing any of the above but I'll be a little more cautious cutting them down in the future ...View attachment 27373View attachment 27374View attachment 27373

Ouch Philip
I shall take extra care cutting mine down. I did know about this but didn’t realise it could be so extreme.

 

[Buzby]

I suffered similarly ,but not so bad, after strimming Hogweed (not giant) around my apiary end of May. Skin still showing signs of discolouration but no itching or blistering. Thankfully I was wearing a visor.

 

[Michael Palmer]

Over here, we have a plant called Wild Parsnip. It has taken over the roadsides, hedgerows, and fence lines. There are areas where we can't go because the Parsnip is so dense. I too have been burned by the sap. Horrible blisters that take weeks to heal.

https://blogs.cornell.edu/weedid/wild-parsnip/

 

[pargyle]

Ouch Philip
I shall take extra care cutting mine down. I did know about this but didn’t realise it could be so extreme.

I suffered similarly ,but not so bad, after strimming Hogweed (not giant) around my apiary end of May. Skin still showing signs of discolouration but no itching or blistering. Thankfully I was wearing a visor.

I had no idea the condition even existed ... if it happens the key is to cover up the areas affected BEFORE they are exposed to sunlight and get lots of soapy water on to the affected areas immediately. But, the problem is that the reaction is not instant ... mine took 24 hours by which time the damage was done !

 

[pargyle]

Over here, we have a plant called Wild Parsnip. It has taken over the roadsides, hedgerows, and fence lines. There are areas where we can't go because the Parsnip is so dense. I too have been burned by the sap. Horrible blisters that take weeks to heal.

https://blogs.cornell.edu/weedid/wild-parsnip/

Yes, by comparison Mike, I got off fairly lighltly ... I looked at some of the USA websites with warnings about wild parsnip - it's almost as vile as Giant Hogweed. People make the mistake of weed wacking it down in shorts and end up in hospital.

You also have poison Ivy across there as well .. in the 1970s we had a holiday with relatives in Atlanta and I made the mistake of helping out by cutting the undergrowth under their pine trees back ... not knowing that it was infested with poison ivy ... I ended up in the local A & E dept at Emory Hospital ... fortunately, they got to it quickly and knew what to do.

 

[Sutty]

Ow!
Lots of substances can cause photosensitivity including some medicines. I wasn't aware of some of those plants though!
Some high factor sunscreen should help reduce exacerbations with further sunlight exposure (though possibly not if the skin is broken), it's the UV light in combination with the toxins that does the damage.

 

[CLB]

How well I know this condition, but not as a result of parsnip contact. Years ago my husband worked in the garden all day, brushing past a Rue plant. His skin blistered in a similar fashion, then several blisters appeared to combine, with one being about 5/6" across near his ankle. It resulted in him having two weeks off work with his legs kept in bin liners (attractive?!) after applying creams several times a day, as well taking steroid tablets which he had to be weaned off over a couple of weeks.

Hope your condition doesn't need this drastic treatment.

 

[pargyle]

The blisters were there and more appearing at times until yesterday, Without trying to spoil your lunch the blisters tended to pop and it just left areas of raw skin that are a bit crusty and scabbing over, There's still a lot of skin discoloration but the camomile lotion and the cortisone cream has reduced the irritation to a manageable level.

I will be very careful in future - this is not something I want to repeat.

 

[pargyle]

How well I know this condition, but not as a result of parsnip contact. Years ago my husband worked in the garden all day, brushing past a Rue plant. His skin blistered in a similar fashion, then several blisters appeared to combine, with one being about 5/6" across near his ankle. It resulted in him having two weeks off work with his legs kept in bin liners (attractive?!) after applying creams several times a day, as well taking steroid tablets which he had to be weaned off over a couple of weeks.

Hope your condition doesn't need this drastic treatment.

Ohhh .. that must have been really painful for him ... no ... my condition was nowhere near this bad but it's a very cautionary post - I don't think anyone realises the danger of some of the toxins in these plants.

 

[Michael Palmer]

Yes, by comparison Mike, I got off fairly lighltly ... I looked at some of the USA websites with warnings about wild parsnip - it's almost as vile as Giant Hogweed. People make the mistake of weed wacking it down in shorts and end up in hospital.

You also have poison Ivy across there as well .. in the 1970s we had a holiday with relatives in Atlanta and I made the mistake of helping out by cutting the undergrowth under their pine trees back ... not knowing that it was infested with poison ivy ... I ended up in the local A & E dept at Emory Hospital ... fortunately, they got to it quickly and knew what to do.

What really gets me...The government wants to get rid of all those invasive that are taking over the countryside. Such as honeysuckle. They spray it with two herbicides and rid whole acreages...always ledgy waste areas. An awesome nectar plant, just after apples. And Purple Loosestrife, that fills in the dearth between the end of Lime and the beginning of Goldenrod. They released a European beetle to control it. Almost wiped it out...but it's coming back...very lush this year...as I think the beetle really doesn't thrive here long term. Always hoping. Anyway, what I'm getting at, why don't they control a plant like Wild Parsnip that is so injurious to people and animals, and leave the invasive that are so important to our pollinators?

 

[Sutty]

What really gets me...The government wants to get rid of all those invasive that are taking over the countryside. Such as honeysuckle. They spray it with two herbicides and rid whole acreages...always ledgy waste areas. An awesome nectar plant, just after apples. And Purple Loosestrife, that fills in the dearth between the end of Lime and the beginning of Goldenrod. They released a European beetle to control it. Almost wiped it out...but it's coming back...very lush this year...as I think the beetle really doesn't thrive here long term. Always hoping. Anyway, what I'm getting at, why don't they control a plant like Wild Parsnip that is so injurious to people and animals, and leave the invasive that are so important to our pollinators?

Probably because wild parsnip is identical to the farmed version.
And because our government have no idea.

 

[pargyle]

It's what governments do ... they are mostly inept at making the right decisions at the right time for the right reasons ....

Our local council leaves the grass verges until all the wild flowers start to blossom and they become useful to our pollinators then along comes the council grass mower and chops them all down. They no longer mow them every month like they used to as, after appeals that it wasn't necessary. they stopped doing it ... so now they just mow it twice a year .... once in the spring and then again now when it's covered in wild flowers .... I despair ....

 

[pargyle]

What really gets me...The government wants to get rid of all those invasive that are taking over the countryside. Such as honeysuckle. They spray it with two herbicides and rid whole acreages...always ledgy waste areas. An awesome nectar plant, just after apples. And Purple Loosestrife, that fills in the dearth between the end of Lime and the beginning of Goldenrod. They released a European beetle to control it. Almost wiped it out...but it's coming back...very lush this year...as I think the beetle really doesn't thrive here long term. Always hoping. Anyway, what I'm getting at, why don't they control a plant like Wild Parsnip that is so injurious to people and animals, and leave the invasive that are so important to our pollinators?

Purple loostrife around my pond at present has hundreds of bees on it and other pollinators - such a useful and long lasting source at this time of the year. It spreads like mad but ... great plant for bees. Honeysuckle is another great pollinator plant ... I love to see it tangled up in the hedgerows - does no harm at all.

 

[Goran]

I also learned it on hard way.. After that, no matter how hot, always trim the grass with long sleeves.. And believe me I have some slopes which under summer sun really isn't much fun to trim with or without long sleeves.. But we planted walnuts to make the shade and eventually when grow, reduce vegetation below..