Pokeweed
From REWILD.info Field Guide, the free Field Guide To Rewilding
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| Pokeweed | ||||||||||||||
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| Phytolacca americana | ||||||||||||||
 Pokeweed berries
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Contents |
[edit] Introduction
Along with the dandelion and sassafras, pokeweed represents one of the best-known wild edible plants. However, due to the fact that it contains a very potent poison, this plant should be treated with the utmost respect and care during harvesting and preparation.
[edit] Description
[edit] Identification
This perennial herbaceous plant which can reach a height of 10 feet, but is usually under four feet . The stem is often red as the plant matures. Central stem type, with one or more stalks. Plant dies back to roots each winter.
Leaves: The leaves are alternate with coarse texture with moderate porosity. Leaves can reach nine inches in length. Each leaf is entire. Leaves are medium green and smooth with an unpleasant odor.
Flowers: The flowers have 5 regular parts with upright stamens and are up to 0.2 inches wide. They have white petal-like sepals without true petals, on white pedicles and peduncles in an upright or drooping raceme, which darken as the plant fruits. Blooms first appear in early summer and continue into early fall.
Fruit: A shiny dark purple berry held in racemous clusters on pink pedicles with a pink peduncle. Pedicles without berries have a distinctive rounded five part calyx. Berries are pomes, round with a flat indented top and bottom. Immature berries are green, turning white and then blackish purple.
Root: Thick central taproot which grows deep and spreads horizontally. Rapid growth. Tan cortex, white pulp, moderate number of rootlets. Transversely cut root slices show concentric rings. No nitrogen fixation ability.[1] [2]
[edit] Origin, Distribution, Habitat, and Life Cycle
- Origin
- North America.
- Distribution
- US: Maine to Florida and west to the Great Plains[3]
- Habitat
- Disturbed, partially sunny areas in fields, thickets and the edges of trails and forests.[4]
- Life Cycle
- Perennial
- Phenology
- Flowers - June to October[5]
[edit] Common Names
- poke
- pokebush
- pokeberry
- pokeroot
- polk salad
- polk sallet
- poke salad
- poke sallet
- inkberry
- ombú
- American nightshade
- cancer jalap
- coakum
- garget
- pigeon berry
- pocan bush
- redweed
- scoke
- red ink plant
- pokeroot
- Virginia poke
- chui xu shang lu (Chinese)
- raisin d'Amérique (French)
- teinturière (French)
- Kermesbeere (German)
- fitolaca (Spanish)
- hierba carmín (Spanish)
[edit] Related Species
- P. acinosa (Southeast Asia)
- P. americana (North America)
- P. clavigera (China)
- P. dioica (South America)
- P. decandra
- P. esculenta (East Asia)
- P. heteropetala (Mexico)
- P. icosandra (South America)
- P. octandra (New Zealand)
[edit] Uses
[edit] Edible Uses
- Greens
- The young leaves and shoots (up to 6 inches)[5] can be used as a potherb. Only gather leaves or stalks from the plant before it has begun flowering.[6] They should always be boiled in 2 to 3 changes of water for 10 minutes each time.[3]
- Pickles
- Please help the REWILD.info Field Guide by providing this information.
- Berries
- Although the seeds within the berries are highly toxic, the berries are often cooked into a jelly or pie, and seeds are strained out or pass through unless bitten. Cooking is believed to inactivate toxins in the berries by some and others attribute toxicity to the seeds within the berries.
[edit] Nutritional Information
Per 110 grams dry weight of shoots [7]
- Protein: 31g; Fat: 4.8g; Carbohydrate: 44g; Fibre: 0g; Ash: 20.2g;
- Minerals - Calcium: 631mg; Phosphorus: 524mg; Iron: 20.2mg; Magnesium: 0mg; Sodium: 0mg; Potassium: 0mg; Zinc: 0mg;
- Vitamins - A: 62mg; Thiamine (B1): 0.95mg; Riboflavin (B2): 3.93mg; Niacin: 14.3mg; B6: 0mg; C: 1619mg;
[edit] Medicinal Uses
[edit] Medicinal Properties
Alterative, Anodyne, Anti-inflammatory, Antiviral, Cancer, Cathartic, Expectorant, Homeopathy, Hypnotic, Narcotic, Purgative [7]
[edit] Traditional Medicinal uses
Historically used for syphilis, diphtheria, conjunctivitis, cancer, adenitis and emesis or as a purgative.[8] Used topically for scabies. Heroic and toxic class herb which requires professional training.[9]
Root Tincture: Alterative, for lymphatic disorders including breast lumps and skin conditions (especially when accompanied by a poultice on the lesions.) Also for arthritis, rheumatism, conjunctivitis, tonsillitis, infectious disease, edema, and cancer.[10] [11] [12]
Root poultice: the root roasted in ashes and mashed is used as a poultice for breast abscesses. Also used for rheumatic pains, and swellings.[13]
Root wash: used for sprains or swellings.
Root infused oil: The freshly dried root can be steeped in oil for breast abscesses and is often used in cancer protocols.[14][15]
Berries: eaten without biting into the toxic seeds for arthritis. One is taken the first day, two the second, up to 7 and back down to one. [16]The berries can also be soaked in water and the water drunk for rheumatism and arthritis. Juice has been topically applied for cancer, hemorrhoids and tremors.[17]
Leaves: Cathartic and purgative.
Ash from plant: Potassium rich, used in cancer salves[18]
[edit] Practical Uses
- Berries
- Use the juice of the berries to make a purple dye or ink. Caution: the seeds within the berries contain dangerous toxins.
[edit] Warning
Pokeweed contains several poisons that can have extremely harmful effects, including death.
- Phytlaccine
- Phytolaccigenin
- This triterpene saponin causes hemagglutination[19] and can lead to reduced red blood cell counts or abnormalities of the white blood cells.[4]
[edit] Lore
- The generic name Phytolacca derives from the Latin lac meaning "red" and phyto meaning "plant". Therefore, the binomial Phytolacca americana means "American red plant".[4]
- Supporters of presidential candidate James K. Polk work pokeweed leaves as a campaign symbol in the 1844 election despite the disparate spelling.[4]
[edit] Disclaimer
Rewild.info, its parent company Mythmedia, and Rewild.info contributors are not responsible or liable for any of the information used on this website. Practice at your own risk!
[edit] External Links
- http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=PHAM4
- http://www.ppws.vt.edu/scott/weed_id/phtam.htm
- The Wildman's guide for Preparing Pokeweed
- http://wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Pokeweed.html
[edit] Sources
Attribution
- Copied from the following sources licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License
References
- ^ http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Phytolacca+americana
- ^ http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?28252
- ^ a b Gibbons, Euell. Stalking the Wild Asparagus. 1962.
- ^ a b c d e Brill, Steve. Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and Not So Wild) Places. 1994.
- ^ a b Peterson, Lee Allen. A Field Gude to Edible Wild Plants of Eastern and Central North America.
- ^ Tatum, Billy Joe. Billy Joe Tatum's Wild Foods Cookbook and Field Guide.
- ^ a b Phytolacca americana - Plants For A Future
- ^ http://www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/kings/phytolacca.html
- ^ http://www.swsbm.com/FelterMM/Felters-P.pdf
- ^ http://www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/kings/phytolacca.html
- ^ http://www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/ellingwood/phytolacca.html
- ^ http://www.swsbm.com/FelterMM/Felters-P.pdf
- ^ http://www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/ellingwood/phytolacca.html
- ^ http://www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/ellingwood/phytolacca.html
- ^ http://www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/kings/phytolacca.html
- ^ David Winston. Cherokee Herbal Medicine. Medicines from the Earth. 2001.
- ^ http://www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/kings/phytolacca.html
- ^ http://www.cancersalves.com
- ^ Wikipedia:Phytolacca americana
