i had heard from a neighbor who's son is a landscaper that if you eat a bit of it you will never get it...i dont think it is safe to eat but he never got it again or his father....i have had it twice and each time i used a brown soap to dry it out and it was great..i bought the brown soap in the laundry aisle..havent gotten poison ivy in yrs because i found a better remedy...have someone else do the dirty work in the yard...lol