Phytolacca americana
Phytolacca americana, also known as American pokeweed, pokeweed, poke sallet, or poke salad, is a poisonous, herbaceous perennial plant in the pokeweed family Phytolaccaceae growing up to 8 ft in height. It has simple leaves on green to red or purplish stems and a large white taproot. The flo…
What can you do with Poke berries?
They pick the young leaves and then boil them at least two times to remove any toxins. The greens are then made into a traditional spring dish called “poke sallet.” Pokeberries were also used for dying things. Native Americans dyed their war ponies with it and during the Civil War, the juice was used as an ink.
What are the health benefits of pokeberry?
North American Indians drank tea made from the berries to treat arthritis. Early colonists used pokeberry sap to heal skin lesions. In the Appalachian Mountains, dried pokeberry fruits are applied to wounds to speed healing. One cup (160 grams) of pokeberry shoots raw contains the following:
Can you eat pokeberries?
Bunches of small, glossy, dark purple fruit develop on the stems which mature during August – November. Pokeberry should not be consumed raw as it is highly toxic. The cooked berries are safe to make pies. The juice extracted from the Pokeberries is used to enhance the color of wines.
How do you eat pokeweed berries?
Use the berries externally for body paint—or exchange your drop of root tincture for one berry a day. If you must try eating pokeweed, only do so in the early spring with leaves from short plants—under one foot tall—after boiling and pouring off the water three times.
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Is pokeberry good for anything?
Today, pokeberry is being researched as a possible treatment for cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, a chemical found in pokeberry juice has been used to successfully treat cancerous tumors in laboratory mice. The chemical is also being tested to determine if it can protect cells from HIV and AIDS.
What can pokeweed be used for?
In homeopathic medicine, pokeweed is used to treat tonsillitis. It is also used to treat psoriasis and eczema and suppress inflammatory immune responses. Pokeweed is also rumored to prevent or treat cancer and boost immunity in people with HIV.
Can humans eat pokeberry?
The highest amounts of poison are found in the roots, leaves, and stems. Small amounts are in the fruit. Cooked berries and leaves (cooked twice in separate water) can technically be eaten. However, this is not recommended because there is no guarantee that they are safe.
What happens if you touch pokeweed?
Pokeweed can cause nausea, vomiting, cramping, stomach pain, diarrhea, low blood pressure, difficulty controlling urination (incontinence), thirst, and other serious side effects. Don't touch pokeweed with your bare hands. Chemicals in the plant can pass though the skin and affect the blood.
Can you smoke pokeweed?
If you burn pokeweed, the smoke from the fire will contain these toxins. Breathing in even a small amount of this smoke will bring the toxins into your lungs and airways. This can cause a severe allergic reaction that may result in trouble breathing. To avoid this, dispose of pokeweed in the trash, not by burning it.
Should I keep pokeweed?
What to do about pokeweed? A: Your plants with pink stems and long strands of berries is Phytolacca americana (pokeweed). It is considered a non-native invasive plant and removal is recommended. Seeds and roots should go in trash to reduce chances of spreading it.
Do pokeweed berries taste good?
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How do you cook pokeberry?
1:191:49How to Harvest and Prepare Pokeweed - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAgain in the second pot of water for about another two or three minutes. Once your pokeweed isMoreAgain in the second pot of water for about another two or three minutes. Once your pokeweed is boiled. Try it in Mexican style beans and greens omelets. Or casseroles you.
Can you eat pokeberry raw?
Though the berries of the poke plant have been used for everything from ink to lipstick (Dolly Parton famously wrote about the latter in her inspirational book Dream More: Celebrate the Dreamer in You), you should never eat them – nor the roots, stalk, seeds or raw leaves of the pokeweed.
How did Native Americans use pokeweed?
Indians of the Rocky Mountain region used pokeweed to treat epilepsy, anxiety and neurological disorders. The Pah-Utes fermented berries in water to make a narcotic tea (Scully, 217). Today, pokeweed proteins have shown promise in treating certain types of cancer and inhibiting HIV cell replication (Mitich, 889).
How do you dispose of pokeweed?
Place all the pieces of pokeweed on a tarp and let it begin to dry out. Once it withers and dries, you can place it in a garbage bag for disposal. Be careful not to leave any berries or seeds behind.
How do I get rid of pokeweed for good?
Apply glyphosate directly to the leaves of the plant to kill it. This acts through the vascular system and while it takes a while to see results, eventually the chemical reaches the roots. Other chemicals to control pokeweed are dicamba and 2,4 D. Use spot applications on plants as they occur in your garden.
How do you make pokeweed edible?
1:171:49How to Harvest and Prepare Pokeweed - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipOnce your pokeweed is boiled. Try it in Mexican style beans and greens omelets. Or casseroles you.MoreOnce your pokeweed is boiled. Try it in Mexican style beans and greens omelets. Or casseroles you.
What happens if you touch pokeweed with your bare hands?
Simply touching pokeweed roots, stems, leaves or berries can provoke an allergic reaction. Very similar to poison oak or ivy. More mild cases happen when the berry juice or plant sap comes in contact with the skin. Exposure to its toxic proteins can cause an inflamed, blister-like rash.
Can you eat raw pokeweed?
Poke salad or poke sallet? Pokeweed is always eaten cooked. In fact, raw poke can make you sick or even kill you. It's especially dangerous for children and older folks.
Can you eat Common pokeweed?
It is considered a pest species by farmers. Pokeweed is poisonous to humans, dogs, and livestock. In spring and early summer, shoots and leaves (not the root) are edible with proper cooking (hence the common name "poke sallet"), but they later become deadly, and the berries are also poisonous.
About Pokeberries
It is also known as red ink, inkberry, crowberry, Phytolacca Americana, cancer root, cancer jalap, American nightshade, coakum, chongras, crowberry, and garget pigeonberry, scoke, red ink plant, Poke is an herbaceous plant with berry-like fruit. It is native to the Eastern United States, where it proliferates in damp soils.
Health Benefits of Pokeberries
The roots of pokeberry plants are anti-inflammatory, expectorant, narcotic, hypnotic, cathartic, and purgative.
Pokeberry Side Effects
It has been reported that all parts of the pokeweed plant are poisonous. Poisoning has been reported from drinking tea brewed from pokeweed root and leaves.
Pokeberry – Phytolacca Americana
It is an herbaceous perennial plant that can grow to 2-12 feet in height. The fleshy taproot is large, thick and coarse with 4-6 inches as a diameter. The stems are stout and erect which varies in color from green, red, pink or purple up to 3-7 feet high. The leaves are alternate, lanceolate to nearly ovate; 3½-20 inches long and 1½-5 inches wide.
Health Benefits of Pokeberry
Pokeberry is used as a medicine for arthritis, mumps and other various skin conditions. The roots are used as an anti- inflammatory, expectorant, narcotic, hypnotic, cathartic and purgative. The root helps to treat chronic catarrh, swollen glands, immune diseases and bronchitis.
The Bottom Line
Pokeberries are found in grape-like clusters on tall perennials with purple-red stems. Eating several berries can cause pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Adults have eaten the roots, mistaking them for medicinal plants. Serious gastrointestinal problems have occurred, including bloody vomiting, bloody diarrhea, and low blood pressure.
The Full Story
These purple berries look alike. But are they both good to eat? Can you tell them apart? Can your child tell them apart?
This Really Happened
An 18-month-old boy wandered away from his mom in his own front yard for less than a minute. She found him with purple juice all over his hands and mouth, near a plant with clusters of dark purple, almost black, berries. She immediately researched the berry on the internet, believed from photos that they were pokeberries, and called Poison Control.
So, how poisonous is pokeweed?
As it turns out, there's a long history here in the mountains of using this common "weed" as a potherb.
When to harvest poke root
Poke root is best dug up in the fall after the plant has died back for the winter. This is when the plant is the most medicinal and the least toxic. The next best time to dig the roots is in the early spring when the leaves are just coming out (as long as you're sure what you're picking!).
Uses for pokeweed
Once you've dug up the root, the next step—if you've decided to give pokeweed a try—is drawing out those medicinal properties. The best way to do that is to make a tincture (alcohol extract). Wash the root, chop it into small pieces, fill a jar with the plant material, and then add enough 100-proof alcohol to cover the roots.
More health benefits of pokeweed
In my community, poke tincture is a favorite for sore throats, strep throat, severe colds and respiratory infections. It's also used for infected gums, swollen lymph glands and breast cysts. Studies in Germany and the United States are even finding positive results with HIV, cancer and lymphoma.
Poke berry uses
Poke berries are useful, too—and not just for body paint.
Conclusion
Pokeweed can be powerful medicine as long as you approach it with caution and use the right applications. Make poke root into a tincture for immune support and experiment with dosing with a single drop (not a dropperful!) at a time. Poke root oil or salve can help dissolve lumps, bumps or alleviate sore lymph nodes.
Pokeweed Berries and Greens: Eat Up and Stay Safe
American pokeweed ( Phytolacca americana) is a milestone plant for many foragers. It’s the first plant that many of us eat that could also kill us.
Is Pokeweed Poisonous to Touch?
So, is pokeweed poisonous to touch? Considering that I painted with pokeweed berries when I was a child, the answer is no. However, as I’ll explain later, different people do have different sensitivities. So it’s always prudent to proceed with caution.
Identifying the Pokeweed Plant
A close-up view of an American pokeweed leaf is required to correctly identify it.
Pokeweed Berries Have Look-Alikes
American pokeweed may be confused with elderberry, but elderberry doesn’t have alternate leaves, and its berries grow in an umbel. (Image by Manfred Richter from Pixabay)
Where to Find Pokeweed
Pokeweed is native to the United States. It grows throughout most of the contiguous states, except for in the Rocky Mountain states and North and South Dakota.
Harvesting Pokeweed Berries and Greens
The conventional wisdom is to harvest leaves and stems from young plants no more than 6-10 inches (15-25 centimeters) tall. 7) Peterson Field Guides. Edible Wild Plants: Eastern/Central North America. Lee Allen Peterson.
The Pokeweed Boogeyman
And this would probably be a good time to talk about the pokeweed boogeyman. In my opinion, the poisonous nature of pokeweed has been exaggerated.
What is Pokeweed?
Pokeweed or pokeberry ( Phytolacca americana) is a native plant that grows in disturbed soils, such as fields and pastures. The plant is hazardous to livestock and all parts of the plant are considered toxic. It is a perennial with a red, woody stem boasting long, oval leaves that may get up to ten inches (25 cm.) long.
Common Pokeweed Control
Manual removal for common pokeweed control requires the gardener to dig deeply and get out the entire taproot. Pulling is not successful as it leaves behind roots that will regenerate. If you do nothing else, remove the fruits from the plant before they spread. The plant can produce up to 48,000 seeds, which remain viable in soil for 40 years.
How to Use Pokeweed Berries
If you have some of this plant growing on your property and are feeling adventurous, you can try to use the berries in a pie. A safer use for the fruit, however, is as an ink or dye. Crushed berries yield a tremendous amount of juice, which was once used to color inferior wines. The juice also will dye fabrics a deep crimson or fuchsia color.
What Is Pokeweed Used For?
Historically, pokeweed has been used by Native Americans as a purgative (to stimulate bowel clearance) and an emetic (to promote vomiting). Many traditional cultures believe that doing so "cleanses" the body.
Possible Side Effects
Pokeweed contains phytolaccine, a powerful irritant that can cause severe gastrointestinal symptoms in humans and mammals. (Birds are largely unaffected, hence the moniker "pigeon berries.")
Dosage and Preparation
There are no guidelines directing the safe use of pokeweed or pokeweed remedies in humans. As a rule, the consumption of fresh pokeweed should be avoided.
What to Look For
Ensuring that a pokeweed product is safe can be difficult given that so few undergo testing by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), ConsumerLab, or other independent certifying authority.
Caution
If you or someone you love is experiencing symptoms of pokeweed poisoning, call 911 or the national toll-free Poison Help hotline (1-800-222-1222), where you will be connected to a poison control center in your area.
