Mango Season Equals Poison Ivy Symptoms for Some

Mango Season is Poison Ivy Season

Mangos are one of the BEST things about living in the Virgin Islands. This time of year they are hanging all over the place. People have so many of them, if you are lucky, you will have a friend who just gives them away. There is nothing better than a fresh mango right off the tree.

However, most people don’t know that mangos are in the poison ivy family and for those allergic to poison ivy touching the sap or the outside of the fruit can produce days or weeks of intolerable itching! For someone like me who loves mangos and is highly allergic to poison ivy, this means I have to beg friends to cut up the mangos for me so I can have a bite of my favorite fruit.

I found out the hard way after 5 years of suffering with poison ivy symptoms each year when I first moved to St. Thomas. It was only because my parent were watching a news show in Lancaster Ohio (of all places, they don’t even grow mangos!) that reported that mangos, cashews and poison ivy are in the same family and produce the same allergic reaction to those allergic to poison ivy. So if a doctor here tells you that poison ivy does not grow in the Virgin Islands, you can assure them that mangos are producers of the same symptoms and ask for the same treatment. It will save you days of uncontrollable itching. And yes, if you were paying attention, I did say cashews too, and they do grow in the Virgin Islands, although I’ve not seen as many plants, so you are less likely to run into them.