Pokeberry (Phytolacca americana) is a handsome, native perennial of
Northeast North America that has spread south and west, perhaps as far as
Mexico. Pokeberry has a thick taproot, rumored to reach "thigh-size" in the
South, which sends up asparagus-like shoots in early spring. The mature plant
is hip- to shoulder-high, with arching branches. The stalks start out green but
often turn rhubarb red. The medium-green leaves are alternate, with smooth
edges and pronounced ribs. Small white or greenish flowers come in long
clusters, and become green berries that turn red, then dark purple.
Pokeberry grows in rich, moist soil in part sun in distributed soil. Since the
berries are bird favorites, look for pokeberry near roosting sites such as open
woods, fence lines, and your garden. The birds it attracts include many
songbirds, woodpeckers, waxwings, cardinals, bluebirds, and morning doves. Some
mammals, including black bears, are also said to go for the berries.
It's said that "poke" comes from a Pre-Columbian American word meaning "plant
used for red or yellow dye". The berry juice was used for ink, and it continues
to be used for dye, even though it's not particularly colorfast (except on kids'
dress-up clothes). However, as a child in upstate New York, I was told that the
name came from berry's shape. If you closely look at the berries, you'll see
that each one has an indentation in the middle, like someone poked it.
American Pokeberry is seriously poisonous. Sources agree that most parts of the
plant, most of time, induce extreme gastrointestinal distress in mammals.
Accordingly, Native Americans used it as a laxative and emetic. Sources agree
that the root shouldn't be eaten. However, young shoots are eaten after being
THOROUGHLY cooked TWICE in separate waters. The berries were used for wine and,
when THOROUGHLY cooked, pie.
The Cooperative Extension Service, Purdue University, web site warns that no
part of the plant should be touched, let alone eaten, by humans or livestock.
It's pointed out that substances in pokeberry called "mitogens" induce cell
divisions and thus, possibly cell mutations, leading to cancer and birth
defects, but the site also notes that confirming research hasn't been done.
Meanwhile, in the rural Southern USA, "poke salat", as in the oldies song "Poke
Salat Ann", is still a spring delight (rite?). It's believed that an annual
dose has valuable vitamins and prevents arthritis. I, though, wonder how many
healthful ingredients survive double cooking.
Pokeberry has its own plant family, including an Asian cousin, the Indian or
Himalayan pokeberry, Phytolacca acinosa, which is used as a dye and which
is widely used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). There are reports on the
web that the American pokeberry is being studied for modern Western medical use,
including by AIDS researchers who are exploring whether the mitogens can cause
white blood cells to multiple. TCM practitioners beware: the
American cousin, which may have different properties, looks strikingly like the
Asian herb.Sources and further reading:
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