…no, not something your children do to each other….I’m talking about Poke weed (Phytolacca americana). One of my students at the college asked me about Poke last week. He wanted to know why you freeze it before eating it. I thought perhaps ya’ll might be interested in learning more about Poke.
I want to get back to writing more about herbs and how to use them. I have decided to create a post, at least once a month, about an herb. I chose February’s herb because of my student’s question. I hope this will help all of you widen your herbal knowledge. I will try to pick common herbs, not wild-exotic-never-be-able-to-grow-it-here plants.
Poke, as it is known around my parts, is also called poke weed, poke bush, or polk salad/salet/salit. Poke is an herb that can grow from 1 to 10 feet tall…or so they say. What I see locally is usually in the 2 to 4 foot range. I’ve never seen a 10 foot tall example….I can’t even imagine it. Poke has large leaves and the stems are colored pink to red. It produces a beautiful cluster of greenish-white flowers which turn into beautiful purple berries – don’t eat them…they are poisonous.
In fact, poke contains phtolaccatoxin and phytolaccigenin – both are toxic. Birds enjoy the berries and aren’t poisoned by them only because the seeds have hard outer shells and can pass through a bird’s digestive system intact. Poke is very nutritious when it is harvested and prepared the right way….it can make you very sick if you don’t know what you are doing…and for small children or the elderly it can be deadly.
However, many people love poke salad. They use young poke weed leaves that are no longer than 6 or 8 inches. Harvest the leaves before the plant has flowers and before the stems turn red. Poke leaves need to be boiled three times, each time discarding the water (and thus the toxins that boil out). Then they are considered safe to eat. You can even find commercially canned poke salad…sometimes called poke salet or salit. You will probably only find canned poke salad here in the south. We even have festivals for Poke.
Poke is very nutritious, high in calcium, phosphorus, Vitamins A and C, iron and more. I have heard the taste described most often as similar to spinach. I have even heard it likened to Asparagus.
I haven’t had poke. I don’t like cooked greens – I like them raw. Nothing is better than a raw spinach salad…but cooked spinach…not my cup o’ tea! However, this is good knowledge to have tucked away just in case!
Poke has been used for many things. It has been used both topically, for acne and arthritis, and internally for everything from arthritis to swollen glands to weight loss (possibly achieved by the massive vomiting that will ensue if you eat too much or don’t get the toxins out!).
Poke berries (also known as ink berries) have a glorious history! Did you know that the Declaration of Independence was written with fermented poke berry juice? Native Americans used them as a dye, many soldiers from the Civil War used poke berry juice to write letters home. You can also dye fabric with poke berry juice!
I never did find a reference to freezing poke before using it. I don’t know if this is something handed down in this young man’s family or if there is really a benefit to freezing poke before cooking. If ya’ll know about this, please leave a comment and share that with me!
Blessings,
The Essential Herbalist 
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