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Herb Of The Week - Pokeweed

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Glad to see we're getting some discussion on this one :)

 

Below is some info on it from Georgetown University ...

 

*Smile*

Chris (list mom)

http://www.alittleolfactory.com

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

http://www.georgetown.edu/departments/physiology/cam/urbanherbs/pokeweed

..htm

 

 

POKEWEED

Phytolacca americana

 

Location

South of the Preclinical Science Building.

 

Description

Pokeweed is a stout, branching plant standing from four to ten feet high

from summer to fall, with racemes of white or pinkish flowers a quarter

inch wide. The berries are dark purple (Newcomb 1977).

 

History

Pokeweed is native to North America. Delaware Indians prescribed

pokeweed as a cardiac stimulant (Le Strange 1977). The Pamunkey Indians

of Virginia drank a tea made of boiled berries for rheumatism (Duke

2001). Other American Indians used pokeweed tea for rheumatism,

arthritis, and dysentery (Foster 1990). Powdered root was used to treat

cancer. In Appalachia dried fruits have been used topically on sores

(Duke 2001).

 

During the nineteenth century pokeweed was used to treat many diseases,

including syphilis and rheumatism (LeStrange 1977). Leaf juice was once

mixed with gunpowder as a cancer remedy (Duke 2001). The poisonous root

of the pokeweed was used as an emetic and cathartic (LeStrange 1977).

Ointments or decoctions were used to treat cancers and tumors (Grieve

1998). In Spain, a root preparation was used to treat skin problems

(Grieve 1998). Root poultices were used for neuralgia, bruises, sprains

and swellings (Foster 1990).

 

Pennsylvania Dutch (and people in Portugal) used the juice of the

berries for ink and as a coloring agent for wine. The later effort was

apparently short-lived as poke ruined the taste of the wine and had

poisonous effects (Duke 2001). Pokeweed berry has also been used as a

food coloring.

 

Current Medicinal Uses

Pokeweed is not currently used medicinally and is poisonous. Components

of pokeweed are used in laboratory studies. Pokeweed antiviral protein

has activity against HIV and is being investigated as an antiviral

vaginal microbicide (D'Cruz 2003).

 

Young spring shoots of poke are edible after being cooked thoroughly

(the cooking water should be discarded) but the entire plant becomes

poisonous as it matures (Duke 2001).

 

Adverse effects

All parts of poke are poisonous. Berries are less toxic than the root

but have poisoned children (Duke 2001). Fatalities have been reported

in children after eating poke berries (LeStrange 1977).

 

References

D'Cruz OJ, Waurzyniak B, Uckun FM. Mucosal toxicity studies of a gel

formulation of native pokeweed antiviral protein.Toxicol Pathol. 2004

Mar-Apr;32(2):212-21.

 

Duke JA. Handbook of Medicinal Herbs. CRC Press, Boca Raton, 2001. (p.

367-368)

 

Foster S, Duke JA. Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants. Houghton Mifflin

Company, Boston, 1990. (p. 56)

 

Grieve M. A Modern Herbal. Tiger Books International, London, 1998

(first published in 1931 by Jonathan Cape Ltd):648-649.

 

Kiple KF, Ornelas KC, ed. The Cambridge World History of Food. Cambridge

University Press, Cambridge, 2000. (p. 1837)

 

Le Strange, R. A History of Herbal Plants. Arco Publishing Company,

Inc., New York, 1977. (pp. 202-203)

 

Lewis WH, Elvin-Lewis MPF. Medical Botany: Plants Affecting Man's

Health. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1977. (pp. 90, 98, 167, 278)

 

Newcomb L. Newcomb's Wildflower Guide. Little, Brown and Company,

Boston, 1977. (p. 200)

 

Disclaimer

Information on this website is for educational purposes only. Many herbs

historically used for medicine are considered too toxic to use today;

some of these herbs have caused deaths. Do not ingest these herbs based

on information on this website. We have not provided sufficient

information for the safe medicinal use of any of these herbs, nor

sufficient information for treatment of poisoning. All recreational use

of these herbs is dangerous.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Why eat something that needs several boilings and rinsings to be edible?

People used to do the same with skunk cabbage.

I never could see the point, when there is so much wild

greenery that is good as is.

 

Ien in the Kootenays

***************************

Good planets are hard to find.

Let's look after this one!

One way to sustainable activism

http://theforestpath.com

***************************

 

 

 

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