Pokeberry Health Benefits

HI U GOOD PEOPLE DOING, , , , , , , , are you familiar with the term scouring? It means to scrub the surface . Have you not wondered why Cedar trees mostly grow on a fence row? It is because the birds eat the Cedar berries, sit on the fence and poop the the seeds out. The seed now has been scoured by the birds digestive system and ready to sprout. Walla.. a new Cedar tree emerges.

I do this with sandpaper on my garden melon seeds. They sprout PDQ. That’s the way nature works. You got to break the hull.

I tell you this because lots of folks in my neighborhood eat Poke Berries to help their arthritis. Poke berries are supposed to be poisonous, but only if you eat crush the seed. Birds love these berries. One guy I know freezes them and eats them all year long for his health problem. He just poops the seeds out as the birds do.

ATS=======ORH===========

EC:  

 

Replied by Robert Henry
(Ten Mile, Tn)
02/21/2017

I cooked pokeberry 3 times leaves and drained 3 times as guidance of the book CANCER MÉDECINE FROM NATURE by ROGER BLOOM . POKEBERRY is one of main ingredients to treat cancer of HARRY HOXSEY formula.

I ate boiling leaves with soy sauce or made soup with tofu. It was delicious without spending a penny. I enjoyed picking them at the park, courthouse, mountain ….wherever I spotted them growing wild on …..

Joyce, Will poke greens kill collembola, and how to?

EC: Interesting thread on collembola infestations here: http://www.biology-online.org/biology-forum/about3318.html

Just got off the phone with the old mechanic that works on my farm equipment. Last year, he had a log roll over his ankle. His Orthopedic doctor told him that his ankle needed to be fused. He hesitated and a Redneck friend told him that Poke Berry Extract would eliminate his pain. It did. He ran out of the potion and his pain came back. He got back on the extract and his pain again went away.

I will get the rest of this story as I have written about poke berry extract helping arthritis in the past. This is a wild plant that grows all over the South.

Dang, I may even start growing it at our little farm.

=======ORH==========

Replied by Mama To Many
(Tennessee)
10/24/2016

Replied by Robert Henry
(Ten Mile, Tn)
10/24/2016

Gout:

Pick your pokeberries (poke sallet) next fall. Great for all joint pains. My brother had a bad attack of gout and hobbling with a walker. Said doctor told him he would have to live with it because he had nothing else to try. Picked him a bag of ripe pokeberries and carried to him. Had a little trouble in talking him into eating asparagus also, because he said the doctor told him it was bad for the gout. My reply was it was bad for the gout but it was good for him. Two days later with about 15 to 20 pokeberries 4 times per day and plenty of asparagus, he was walking without limping, without pain and without the walker.

When you have a bumper crop of pokeberries, just dehydrate the excess that you can’t use while fresh and ripe. For those who want to get more sophisticated and make a pokeberry tincture or extract, just google “how do I make a herbal extract or tincture. Basic rule of thumb is two most common diluents is alcohol and vinegar. Fresh herb is equal parts of herb to diluent. Using dehydrated herb use ratio of 2 parts diluent to one part dehydrated herb.

Replied by Hisjewel
(America, New York)
01/09/2017

Replied by Hisjewel
(America, New York)
01/09/2017

Replied by Janet
(In)
01/09/2017

Replied by Ss
(South Usa)
01/10/2017

Replied by Andy
(Australia)
01/10/2017

Replied by Deb
(Vancouver, B.d.)
02/14/2017

Replied by Robert Henry
(Ten Mile, Tn)
03/25/2017

Replied by Amy
(NC)
10/10/2021

Replied by Kevin
(Michigan)
10/22/2022

Response to Sandra

“To Joyce from Joelton,Tn. Gout: What is the method used with Pokeweed for Gout? Do you make a paste and wrap the foot, or do you ingest them? Please advise? What are the exact measurements for this herb?”

I started doing this by putting berries in l gallon jug and using enough Vodka to just cover the berries. Put tight lid on and let set a week or two, moving jug around a little every two to three days. After that, just strain off the liquid and store in brown or green bottles. Beer bottles work fine for storage. (You can also use your potato masher (or whatever you have) to kind of sqush those pokeberries before straining the liquid off.

For those of you who are interested in doing your own herbs, when using fresh herbs your ratio is l:l. If using dehydrated herbs the ratio is l part herb to 2 parts diluent.

I can’t remember where I read it, but I do recall reading that you shouldn’t treat children under l2 with poke, because it hastened the setting of the long bones (arms & legs). There might be something to this because my family ate a lot of poke sallet and many of us have normal size bodies but short arms and legs. I might also add that most references recommend parboiling through 3 waters before ingesting, but my family (and others that I know who ate their share of it) only parboiled through one water (water discarded) before proceeding to finish cooking it and eating it.

Replied by Denise
(USA)
10/01/2008

Replied by Denise
(Sparks, NV)
10/06/2008

I have used pokeberries internally. I harvested the fresh berries and froze them. Then take 1 a day and swallow like a pill so you don’t crush the seed.

I made a pokeberry tincture last fall just to have on hand. I have taken a drop at a time in water.

I haven’t noticed anything yea or nay yet with the pokeberries. But I mostly forget to take them and don’t really have anything I am trying to treat. I just like to try things out on myself to understand them better. I have used a drop of tincture or whole berry daily for at least a couple of weeks at a time and it hasn’t killed me yet.

The dose makes the poison. Poke is toxic if used incorrectly, but that is the same with nearly everything. You can die from drinking too much water all at once!

~Mama to Many~

Poke root tincture will get rid of mites on people. I found this out when I got mites. This instantly works, start out with one drop in a cup of water in a day and build up to three to five drops a day until the mites are gone. Only use drops, not dropfuls. Poke root can be dangerous if not used properly! Mine came back a couple of times and I just started the tincture again, I always started with these drops and that worked for me. Peace at last!!

Here is a close up of pokeweed.

Poke is tall now in TN; some plants are 6 feet tall!

This picture shows the bright magenta berry stem. Most of these berries have been picked clean by the birds. They will digest all but the seeds and then pass the seeds along for new poke plants next spring. The seed is the most dangerous part.

The green berries are not ripe. The deep purple berries are ripe. Some people will swallow a berry a day and let the seed pass through (the seed is the most toxic part, other than the root.) The berry a day is for arthritis.

Poke root tincture is used by some for Lyme disease, a DROP at a time. (Not a dropperful.)
Poke root oil is used for breast tumors.

In the spring the leaves used to be boiled in three changes of water for a “tonic” food. If the plant is taller than a foot, the plants are too old to harvest the leaves, so they say.

Poke berries make a fun homemade ink for children, with supervision of course.

Poke is a perfect example of “the dose makes the poison.” Poke is classified as poisonous, but when used carefully by those who know what they are doing it can be a great benefit.

~Mama to Many~

Replied by Mama To Many
(Tn)
08/09/2017

Replied by Dave
(Fountain Inn, Sc)
08/09/2017

Replied by Robert Henry
(Ten Mile, Tn)
08/10/2017

Replied by Robert Henry
(Ten Mile , Tn)
08/10/2017

POKEBERRIES ARE POISONOUS. Honestly, this post seems like trolling, as recommending asparagus for gout is also contraindicated. But pokeberries are POISONOUS. DO NOT EAT.

“Poke sallet” or salad is made from the leaves and even those have to be cooked thoroughly and drained to be consumed.

http://www.poison.org/articles/2012-aug/pokeberries-and-grapes-look-alike

HI U CITY SLICKERS DOING,,,,,,,,,,, at the farm today and saw lots of Poke Weeds bursting forth with fresh tender leaves. The pore Southern folks know that spring is when their Momma fed them Poke Salad to clean out the bad stuff their innards had accumulated over the winter.

I am not an expert on the subject and will ask Mama to Many to send ya’ll to school on this wild plant. I’ll bet she has a recipe that will have you fit as a fiddle in no time.

Lots of folks will tell you that the Poke Berries are poisonous, but only if you eat crush the seeds. A local freezes the berries and eats them year round for his Arthritis.

Years ago they even wrote a song called Poke Salad Annie and if this does not have you patting your foot, then you too far gone for EC ‘s brightest to help you.

ATS,,,,, ======ORH=======

Replied by Mama To Many
(Tennessee)
04/29/2016

This is a wonderful site, I got scabies from a patient who were treated twice with Elemite, I began to have scabies break out after 3 weeks. The whole family memebers applied Elemite all over from head to toe, but the scabies were not killed. I have more break out. I tried neem oil, tea tree oil,oregano oil, nothing worked. Then I tried Poke root, only adult used this potent herbs, I let my children use turmeric and neem powder paste which is safer for children. It seem that I got a very resistant type, I splashed the decoction all over and instantly, dead bodies of scabies popped out all over me. It was itchy badly, but I wanted to kill the mite so bad and left it on my body for a couple of hours. I thought I will be free from scabies after this treatment, but I still itch the next day. a few days later I have break out again. Then I tried poke root for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th time. I began to have many bruises on my legs. Now I only itch on my ear lobe. So I decided to stop use poke and see what will happen to me. I also desperately wash all clothes and linens with hot water. Many many loads a day. I’m praying for a cure from this! If anyone have a better solution, please post on this site!

I think I have scabies…after having what i thought was a rash for a couple of weeks, my son came over and laid across my bed for a while and he called the next day saying he was itching too…well, i had thought I had it because it felt like bites of different intensity, etc..i had gone to my doctor and she said I didn’t have scabies because I didn’t have the rash…well I have them..and I’ve tried permethrin (got her to give me a prescription anyway), no help (my son used it and his are gone),(he’s grown and gone) have tried tea tree oil, it soothes but doesn’t eradicate them, have done the washes, and daily changes of sheets, towels, all other clothing..washes, etc..and last night tried the peroxide and borax soak..I am still itching today..will try the above again (peroxide, etc) but have ordered some enzymes and meat tenderizer and will try that…also will try the poke remedy..but does anyone know if the boiled concoction can be boiled and refrigerated for use later…i don’t have a continuous supply..is there any danger with poke and should it be rinsed off and can it be used daily? also, does anyone know if they can “live” in the mattress? Also I have lots of carpet..I think I have infested my surroundings…Help someone ! ! How does this happen to someone who bathes daily and sometimes twice…???

Replied by Renate
(Jacksonville, Florida)
02/12/2009

Replied by Les
(San Diego)
01/19/2018

YES, YES, YES!!! This round, I’ve only been battling scabies for about three weeks. Three full body Pyrithrin treatments, borax and peroxide soak and several Oregano oil and Tea Tree treatments, nothing was working (I actually think they liked the Oregano oil)
I had scabies once before about ten tears ago, and a single treatment with Pyrithrin cream did the trick. I’m certain that if its the same species of scabies they have developed a resistance to the toxin(but not me, it was making me sick).

I live in the Tennessee mountains where theres lots of Poke Salad, one treatment as prescribed above and boy, could I tell a difference. They seem to be almost completely gone, and man, did it itch for about five minutes…I could tell them little boogers was hatin’ life. I’m sure I’ll have to do it a couple more times, thats all right its free!. I spent close to a hundred bucks in less than three weeks without results, when God provided the cure for free right out my back door So, do it…. Man am I happy. Thank you.

Pokeberries for Scabies:

I had them once and lucky for me, read in the paper the same day what to do to get rid of them.

I dug up the roots of Poke Greens that is plentiful in my area.

I boiled the roots for 5 minutes. Just 3 or 4 small sprigs of roots is enough in a small pot.

Got in the shower and after it was cool enough, splashed the Poke tea all over me and Scabies popped out all over me. Itches like crazy but left it on as long as I could stand it about 3 minutes.

Then greased myself with crisco all over and the itching stopped. I waited about ten minutes and washed off the crisco and never had another scabie. It worked for me. But it’s not easy going through it because of the itching.

Susan

EC: More about Poke’s medicinal uses here: http://www.redmoonherbs.com/articles/poke-medicinal-use.php

Photo of Polk Greens: http://www.bloggingwv.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/polk4.jpg

Replied by Susan
(Charleston, WV)
02/18/2009

Replied by Susan
(Charleston, WV)
02/26/2009

Replied by Vera
(New York, New York)
03/19/2009

Replied by Shan
(Reno, Nv, Usa)
05/21/2010

Replied by Kathleen
(Glenwood, Nova Scotia)
05/23/2010