Poke Weed

There is a plant with berries growing over the top of our fence from our neighbor's back yard.

Kevin and I were outside the other night, and he asked me if I thought it would be okay for him to try the berries. I advised him not to, since I believe that you should NEVER eat anything outside unless you know what it is, and thank God for that.

I took a picture of the plant and posted it on my Facebook page to see if I could get some help in identifying it. In a matter of minutes, I had my lead.


This is pokeweed, also known as poke, pokebush, pokeberry, pokeroot, polk salad, polk salat, polk sallet, inkberry or ombú.

The plant is toxic. Eating less than 10 berries shouldn't be fatal to an adult...but, still...can you imagine if Kevin had chowed down on them?

Apparently if you pick the right leaves at the right time and boil them, rinse them and reboil them, then rinse them and reboil them, you can eat them. The berries are toxic when raw but cooked juice is edible (the seeds remain toxic after cooking). However, it may be difficult to identify exactly when leaves have no red color whatsoever, and an incorrect picking may result in a poisoning. As long as we aren't starving, I think I'll pass on this one.

According to Wikipedia:

Since pioneer times, pokeweed has been used as a folk remedy to treat many ailments. It can be applied topically or taken internally. Topical treatments have been used for acne and other ailments. Internal treatments include tonsillitis, swollen glands and weight loss. Grated pokeroot was used by Native Americans as a poultice to treat inflammations and rashes of the breast. Independent researchers are investigating phytolacca's use in treating AIDS and cancer patients. Especially to those who have not been properly trained in its use, pokeweed should be considered dangerous and possibly deadly.

Ingestion of poisonous parts of the plant may cause severe stomach cramping, nausea with persistent diarrhea and vomiting, sometimes bloody, slow and difficult breathing, weakness, spasms, hypertension, severe convulsions, and death. However, consuming fewer than 10 uncooked berries is generally harmless to adults. Several investigators have reported deaths in children following the ingestion of uncooked berries or pokeberry juice. Severe poisonings have been reported in adults who ingested mature pokeweed leaves and following the ingestion of tea brewed from one-half teaspoonful of powdered pokeroot.

What have we learned here today?

1. Don't eat any berries unless you know that they are safe.

2. Don't piss me off; I have easy access to home-made pokeroot tea.

3. Connor and Lex are bound to find a cure for cancer and aids growing in my own backyard.