The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Arthritis
Posted by Newbie@this (Tennessee) on 09/27/2025
★★★★★
I have started taking one or two berries per day for arthritis pain in my back. It has been wonderful! I have noticed it makes me sleepy and go into a very deep sleep if I lay down for a nap. Is that common? Or is it just a coincidence? I am not taking anything else or doing anything different except the berries but I have not found anything online saying this is a side effect.
Arthritis
Posted by susuba (huntsville, al) on 09/19/2025
As long as you swallow the berry whole and dont chew, you are fine. The toxins are inside the seeds, and will not break down in your stomach
Arthritis
Posted by Lea (TX) on 08/31/2025
Do I have to cook it?
Arthritis
Posted by Patsy (SC) on 08/10/2025
here's a recipe I use- boil greens to remove toxins- I do this twice. Then I fry bacon pieces, remove from pan and add one half minced onion to drippings, saute till soft, add poke greens and cook till softened, add 5 beaten eggs, add bacon back in finish cooking then enjoy.
Arthritis
Posted by Ross (Tx) on 07/09/2025
★★★★★
I started taking poke berries about three weeks ago for my spinal stenosis. It has really helped. Better than celebrated which I cannot take anymore. I swallow the berry whole like a pill. Do not chew it. The seeds in the berry has poison that is released if chewed or crushed. Look out for side effects of diarrhea or headache. If you experience that cut back or stop altogether. Do your own research and make your own decision. I'm not a Dr or have any training to give medical advice
Cancer
Posted by Andrea L (Kentucky) on 06/09/2025
Chances are, if you're in an area where poke is growing, they aren't spraying. It tends to get large in areas that are undisturbed, and kinda left to their own devices. But, sure.... get it as far out as possible. IMHO, a city poke is better than no poke.
Pokeberry Side Effects
Posted by Angela (New Castle Indiana ) on 11/21/2024
Poke berry seeds are poisonous if broken open but swallowed whole inside the berry no harm will come. I started taking the berries for a candida issue which had caused serious weight gain and overall poor health within a couple of months. I no longer use medical professionals and everything is research and trial and error for me w great success actually. I built up to eating between 50 and 60 fresh berries a day without any issues. I have also given them to my dog for a fungal skin issue and used them on her topically. No ill effects. I believe the medical community wants people to believe the berries are toxic bc they're extremely potent medicine. When I read things put out by big pharma I take it w a grain of salt.
Arthritis
Posted by Sheila Rekdal (MO) on 11/14/2024
I have made juice for several years and have frozen some as ice cubes. I had one for my herbal tea blend. I have had a good experience with the juice. Have not gotten the courage up yet to try the greens as I have not ventured into finding out how to prepare them yet.
Arthritis
Posted by WKAIII (Rural Indiana) on 10/16/2024
★★★★★
Howdy, Jimbo.
I use pokeberry juice in a honey and vinegar concoction as an energy and lymphatic booster. After finding a good plant (they're everywhere around where I am) I harvest the whole stem bunches and compost what I do not use. I usually bring home anywhere from 1-2 pounds per harvest. Once harvested, place the bunches in a stock pot with enough water to cover and let sit for 30 minutes to loosen any "wild residues" from the berries. Swish once, then strain. Cover with water again and agitate gently to finish the wash. Strain again and let dry, setting the stem bunches on towels for about 10-15 minutes.
I use a fork to pop the berries off of their little stems. USE ONLY THE DARK PURPLE BERRIES. If they're still hard or not fully ripe, they contain too much toxin and will not be usable. Then place the picked berries in a stainless steel or glass bowl. You want a good, hard surface which some plastics will not afford.
Use the end of a wooden spoon or other rounded utensil to crush the berries. DO NOT GRIND. You don't want to rupture the seed skins since that's where all the bad stuff is. Gently crush the berries until you have a pulp. I then add about a cup of raw cider vinegar, swish to mix well and then strain through a fine mesh sieve. Gently press the pulp in the strainer but don't stir it around, avoiding rubbing the seeds against the mesh. You can use water or anything else, but adding something to the pulp helps pull most of the juice out. Just be careful not to bother the seeds.
I hope that helps.
How to Make Pokeberry Extract
Posted by Imani (Md) on 09/03/2024
Lol. Blessings. I love you. Perfect post is perfect!
Blood Pressure
Posted by Imani (Baltimore, MD) on 09/03/2024
Although I hope that you kept the syrup and just cut back on the consumption by a tbsp, I am grateful that you felt compelled to share your experience and recipe here on this forum. You did not credit pokeweed directly but I liked the implication. Blessings to you and please report back. Pharmaceuticals are also considered toxic and deadly if abused. Generations have respected pokeweed and lived another day benefitting from its healing power
Blood Pressure
Posted by Cindy (Illinois, USA) on 08/25/2024 552 posts
That's very interesting, Doug. I'm glad you're okay! Poke has always been used but I never heard of anyone using them in such quantities. Two years! That's a
lot of poke berry juice!
It's also interesting that such a mighty array of wild birds and other critters eat poke berries in winter (when they're least toxic) - for all the other critter watchers out there. It's actually a very ecologically valuable "weed" - the ripe berries of which are, possibly, an excellent emergency, runaway BP wrangler! Good to know! Thanks for sharing!
Blood Pressure
Posted by Doug (N Indiana) on 08/25/2024
★★★★★
Well what a surprise! I feel so foolish thinking these were elderberry. I've been using 6cups of what I thought was elderberry with 6cups of water adding 2 cinnamon sticks and a thumb size piece of ginger. I reduce this down in half, cool to 165F then add 20oz of raw honey. I've putting 2 tblsp of this syrup on my homemade greek yogurt for 2 years. Last fall on my wellness check my BP was 120/64 and I ask for them to recheck because I was in awe. My BP has been elevated since my early 20's to a range of systolic 140-170 over 75-90 diastolic. I have no idea if the poke syrup is the reason but I'm going to discontinue use after researching the poke berry. I'll keep an eye on my BP to see if it goes back up. I'll also save the vacuumed sealed bags of berries I so meticulously picked and stored.
How to Make Pokeberry Extract
Posted by Mama to Many (TN) on 08/04/2024
Dear Tiffany,
When they are deep red/purple in color I just pluck them from the vines. Freezing them is the easiest way to persevere them. Please label them, though.
Then they can be taken and swallowed. (Swallowing them whole allows the seed to just pass through. The seed is the most toxic part but whole the body won't extract much if anything from the seed.)
Dosing depends on what you are treating. Some people will swallow just one berry a day. If you are doing more than a berry a day, increase by one a day and watch for side effect.
You can also make pokeberry tincture - put the fresh berries in grain alcohol (must be a high proof - vodka would not have enough alcohol to persevere fresh herbs - only dried) for 6 weeks. Then strain out the berries. Pokeberry tincture is taken in drop doses. So, one drop a day, then increase by one drop a day. Decrease if you notice side effects.
~Mama to Many~
How to Make Pokeberry Extract
Posted by Tiffany (Waco Ga) on 08/03/2024
How can you harvest them? Can you freeze them?
Arthritis
Posted by Jimbo (Pikeville, Ky) on 06/08/2024
Hello sir. I am greatly intrigued about the pokeberries. I have severe Rheumatoid Arthritis and am considering other natural alternatives around the house I can pick. My question is does your uncle pick the seeds out of the beery before he eats it? Thanks
How to Make Pokeberry Extract
Posted by Vera (Colorado) on 02/29/2024
Red Moon Herbs in Asheville makes a good poke extract.
Arthritis
Posted by Mathew (OK) on 01/22/2024
★★★★★
My family has been eating pokeweed since I was a child. In fact I purposely grow it on my acreage to this day and I'm 55. The leaves need boiled ONLY once, everyone says multiple times, but that's just not true. I also make jelly out of the berries separating the seeds from the juice. My uncle takes one berry each day to treat his arthritis. My wife was just diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, so she will start taking the berries tomorrow.
Cancer
Posted by Javamomma (WI) on 10/12/2023
I'm interested in your use. But I'm also concerned you are eating plants around commercial buiidings as they are treated with all types of chemicals to ward off weeds and insects. May I suggest sticking to foraging in less traveled areas that would not be sprayed with chemicals?
How to Make Pokeberry Extract
Posted by Nola (Salem, Missouri ) on 09/03/2023
I love what you say about eating Yahuah's way. He is so awesome!!
Arthritis
Posted by Teresa (KY) on 08/23/2023
Just curious, but do y'all think pokeberry would help with bone on bone knee pain?
How to Make Pokeberry Extract
Posted by Tommy (Jaw-Juh Mountains) on 07/31/2023
★★★★★
This here's ol' cracker redneck mofo lives where many a' poke berry grows. Yes, you can eat the berries, just don't chew the seeds. Some folk likes to just swallow the berries whole (with the seed in it) and you will have shat out the seed just like GOD's lovely feathered creatures do. DO NOT CHEW OR EAT THE SEEDS but swallow them whole. Or, if you are a chicken, throw a mess of the berries in a Mason/Ball jar and cover with your fave imbibement (some type of white liguor, such as gin or vodka). Let them purdy ol' berries get all soaked up and then pour out in a bowl in a week or so and mashe the bedickens out them thar' berries and put back in the Mason/Ball jar for a couple weeks. Drain off and save the liquid and start consuming up to a shot a day and see what that'll do for ya before you increase or decrease dosage. BEWARE, you may need to stay close to the shitter till you figure out how your bowels react to the delight of this healing drug. I'd rather shit my brains out and have clear bowels every day than to put up with gout or any kind of joint pain.
P.S. Lots of gout is caused by eating dirty food. Get pork and all shell fish and cat fish outta ya diet NOW. Most people that have gout, eat dirty food. Read Leviticus Chap 11 (yes, read the whole thing, not just what you want hear and then stop. Read and study it all. It tells you what you can eat that comes from the behomoth (land animals) and what you can eat from the leviathin (from the waters). And, don't let anyone misinterpret anything in the New Testament that says you can eat whatever you want. NOT TRUE. Keep eatin' dirty (and against GOD's dietary laws and you will continue to be sick). Shut up. Stop whining and git' er' done! .
Gout and Joint Pains
Posted by Mama to Many (TN) on 05/11/2023
Dear Sharon,
Yes, the seeds are especially toxic. So are the berries. The dose makes the poison. I have used pokeberries medicinally. I just swallow them. Then you get the benefit of the berry and the seed just passes through! Please start slowly with these. Just one a day and increase if needed. A spacy feeling would be a side effect to watch out for.
~Mama to Many~
Gout and Joint Pains
Posted by Sharon (Utah) on 05/09/2023
Hi, Some say they eat the Poke root berries and they are medicinal. Then others say don't eat the seeds. Aren't the seeds in the berries? I'm confused. Thx.
Gout and Joint Pains
Posted by Kevin (Michigan) on 10/22/2022
What is you time and temperature to dehydrate the Poke Berries?
Gout and Joint Pains
Posted by Poppy (Ohio River Valley ) on 10/07/2022
★★★★★
Hi..new here. I was reading over your thread and found where you said you can freeze the Poke Berries. They grow everywhere here so I dropped them directly into the freezer. When I use them I put what I want in a small mesh strainer to small to pass the seeds and let them thaw out there over a glass. Once thawed the juice will extract easily. I lightly smash the berries to get the rest of the juice out being careful to not break the seeds. When I'm finished all that is left in the strainer is the skin and the unbroken seeds. With the juice in the glass I top it with seltzer water and drink it that way. It's not too bad. I do try and save the seeds for when we move in case there are no natural patches around us. I do it this way as peace of mind not ingesting the seeds. Hope this helps someone.
Gout and Joint Pains
Posted by Mama to Many (TN) on 08/19/2022
Dear Brain,
Yes, the berries can be frozen straight from the vines. I have done so before.
~Mama to Many~
P.S. - I assume you swallow them whole? That is what I do since the toxicity is primarily in the seeds, as far as I understand. Also, it is a good idea to label the berries lest someone come upon them thinking they are some sort of fruit to eat at liberty.
Gout and Joint Pains
Posted by Brian (South Carolina) on 08/18/2022
Can they be frozen straight off the vine? I froze some Poke Leaves to boil later. I did not blanch the leaves before freezing them and they see fine. Can I do the berries the same way? Thank You very much.
How to Make Pokeberry Extract
Posted by Kim (Shreveport LA) on 06/21/2022
★★★★★
That's bs! Poke salad, that's what we here in the south call it. We ate so much of this as a child, never had one single thing happen to all 11 of us. We'd boil it 3 xs every time we'd pour out the boil water add new and repeat. We live in a time where omg everything's bad for u. And I bet y'all would come up with some stupid reason why kids shouldn't ever drink out of a water hose? Oh we surely will get sick from latex poison. Bs. I thank God for poke salad BC we didn't have too much to eat outside of whatever we'd grow. We'd pick black berries and sloes and poke salad u name it and we all survived and we eat it to this very day. I'm preparing some right now.
We'd call poke salad a spring tonic we never ever got sick from any thing - stomach bugs flues fevers. so if poke's so toxic why are we all so healthy after eating it for yrs? How's your health?
How to Make Pokeberry Extract
Posted by Tea Toy (Murfreesboro, TN) on 02/12/2022
Joyce, you live close to me. Joelton, TN to Murfreesboro, TN. Do you know anyone in this area who makes herbal extracts?
EC: Sorry, Joyce was in her late 70s when she posted on Earth Clinic in 2008. She hasn't posted now for years.
Gout and Joint Pains
Posted by ORH (TEN MILE, TN) on 10/11/2021
AMY........ORH here, do not eat the poke seeds as they are poisonous if crushed. Birds and animals eat them whole and pass them. That is the reason poke plants are everywhere. Yes the berry helps arthritis ..... eat 8/D. Freeze for year round help. ====ORH====
Gout and Joint Pains
Posted by Amy (NC) on 10/10/2021
Does this work for rheumatoid arthritis? How many per day? Do you chew up the seeds or just swallow it?
Cancer
Posted by Jane MNT (Fairfax) on 12/04/2020
★★★★★
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 .....
Mites
Posted by Sarah (Georgia) on 10/29/2018
★★★★★
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!!
Scabies
Posted by Les (San Diego ) on 01/19/2018
Go to a tanning booth. The ultra violet light kills them and eggs immediately. Just don't stay in too long.
Poke Herb Photos
Posted by Robert Henry (Ten Mile , Tn) on 08/10/2017
HI U BUZZARDS DOIN,,,,,,,,, wow, have I been messin my mess kit lately or what? Dave had to set me straight on Poke Sallet. Guess my ancestors picked the wrong leaves. I just did what they said. I also flubbed up on the laundry detergent. I know what Clorox and Purex used to be. What does that tell us? We are all human and are not infallible. I thought I was going to be smart in 4 years or so, but now may have to set a new goal. I missed 65,75 and thought I'd make 85, but now that is in doubt.
Took a bushel of tomatoes to church Sunday and folks loaded up. We offered them apples and pears at our little farm this Saturday. Got a feeling that few will show up 'cause they have to pick um. Hope they prove me wrong.
Reminds me of an ole tale about a traveler who came to a cross road and there was a fella from Ten Mile lying in the shade of a tree. The traveler ask which way to Knoxville and the fella raised his leg and pointed his toe to the right fork. The traveler said, " if you can do a lazier stunt than than that, I'll give you a half dollar". The local said, " put it in my pocket". That about sums it up about folks this day and time. " PUT IT IN MY POCKET".
My Tractor Driver thought that when we retired, we would just coast out. She is finally convinced that we would have been dead a long time ago if we had done that. You have to have a reason to keep on keeping on. We do what we do because if it were not Kim Jong-un, it would be somebody else, so we are getting prepared.
=====ORH=====
Poke Herb Photos
Posted by Robert Henry (Ten Mile, Tn) on 08/10/2017
Dave,,,,,, thank u, my Dad told me that and that's what I' be always done. Live & learn. --ORH---
Poke Herb Photos
Posted by Dave (Fountain Inn, Sc) on 08/09/2017
To Robert Henry re Polk;
That's not how I've eaten it. With a young leaf you do just like any other green. If a little older to be safe, I'd do as you say. I've eaten young Polk many times without multiple boiling and pour off. The trick is .... the leaves must be YOUNG. With no sign of stalk turning color to that reddish tint which evidences an older plant.
Poke Herb Photos
Posted by Mama To Many (Tn) on 08/09/2017
Dear Robert Henry,
Believe it or not, I took that picture yesterday! I am surprised that though we are in the same state our growing conditions are a bit different here, at least this year.
I found out today that free ranging chickens can help with the poisonous snake population. My kids and their friends are building a fort today. One of the friends noticed a very large worm in one of our chicken's mouths. Upon further inspection, they realized it was a small copperhead. The chicken ate its head off. (Sorry to be graphic.) These are older chickens. They don't lay many eggs but they are sure earning their keep in pest control. They are also entertaining.
~Mama to Many~
Poke Herb Photos
Posted by Robert Henry (Ten Mile , Tn) on 08/08/2017
★★★★★
DAVE,,,,,,,,, poke sallet is what our ancestors cleaned out with. Poke sallet in the fall and sassafras roots in the spring. You have to boil and pour off the water several times least you spend the day in the John. Usually the poke greens were mixed with scrambled eggs. We have poke at our lake home but the berries are still green and have not started to turn. I would guess that Mama's picture was from last fall. Birds, raccoons and opossums gorge on the berries. They swallow the seed but do not crush it and they scour it out to start a new plant. Same thing happens to poison ivy berries and it the reason it is so hard to control. It looks as if they had already hit this bush. I do appreciate the pictures, as wild herbs and plants are not my forte.
======ORH=======
Poke Herb Photos
Posted by Dave (Fountain Inn, Sc) on 08/08/2017
★★★★★
Hey there Mama to Many;
You didn't mention in your medicinal review of Polk, that you can EAT it....it is so good. Young leaves as you describe, cooked like you would spinach. Yum. With cornbread of course. (NOT older leaves which apparently begin to turn toxic. Once I nibbled on an older leaf...just a bare taste, and got a bit nauseous.)
Poke Herb Photos
Posted by Mama To Many (Tennessee) on 08/07/2017
★★★★★
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~
Internal Use of Pokeberries
Posted by Robert Henry (Ten Mile, Tn) on 03/26/2017
★★★★★
MAMA,,,,,,,, the guy in my area takes 8 berries a day to treat his arthritis. I have no clue, as I do Borax to avoid it. I do the extract as a precaution.
===ORH==
Internal Use of Pokeberries
Posted by Mama To Many (Tn) on 03/25/2017
★★★★★
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~
Gout and Joint Pains
Posted by Robert Henry (Ten Mile, Tn) on 03/25/2017
JOYCE, where have you been girl. I have missed you for several years. I just hope you are back posting. The old timers are all about gone. I'm only half smart, but know the folks that have been down the dusty trails. You are one of them and you really can help these young folks.
Sorry that I missed this post when it came out.
I wish you well.
=====ORH======
Pokeberry Side Effects
Posted by Robert Henry (Ten Mile, Tn) on 03/25/2017
★★★★★
PEACH FIT,,,,,,,, you sir, have not been far enough around the watermelon. Lots of animals and birds eat Poke Berries . You just can't crush and eat the seed. Animals eat the seed whole and scour them out and that is the way the plant is propagated. I don't eat the berries, but I cook them and make an extract that I take to avoid arthritis. A local freezes them and eats them whole all year 'round.
What shows that you are a novice on the subject is that the leaves have to be cooked several times and the water poured off. Other-wise you will spend the day on the potty. Guess you don't know that folks eat them with scrambled eggs.
I'm roughing you up because of your all knowing tone. Most on EC are pretty smart folk and don't need to be talked down to.
======ORH=======
Pokeberry Side Effects
Posted by Peach Fit (Midwest) on 03/25/2017
★☆☆☆☆
Arthritis
Posted by Robert Henry (Ten Mile, Tn) on 02/21/2017
POKE SALLET ANNIE
HI U GOOD FOLKS DOIN,,,,,, me and Mama have written about this plant over the years. It is a plant that grows wild in the South and the leaves are used to clean you out every spring. The berries will solve your arthritis problems. So's you get the message, a song was written that I think you will enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vkYVWA6yzY
=======ORH=========
Gout and Joint Pains
Posted by Deb (Vancouver, B.d.) on 02/14/2017
I definitely find asparagus to aggravate my gout. It is also listed on most websites as one of the few vegetables that contribute to uric acid. So, I don't think it is necessary to complicate your cure by adding asparagus.
Gout and Joint Pains
Posted by Andy (Australia) on 01/10/2017
M.S.M. - Methyl sulfony methane is a totally natural substance that is the best remedy for Gout, arthritis, joint pain and also great for hair, nails and mild detox from toxins. It is also alkalizing which is great for prevention for cancer.
Gout and Joint Pains
Posted by Ss (South Usa) on 01/10/2017
Hi Joyce, great hearing from you again.
I just wanted to add to this, I had very bad big toe pain that I am sure was gout. I tried many things some helped, but it would always come back, I change shoes and it helped some, but what help the most and eliminated for me was jumping on a mini rebounder. It has not bothered me since. Rebounding is great and everyone should check into some you tubes on this.
Gout and Joint Pains
Posted by Janet (In) on 01/09/2017
Joyce...maybe I have missed your recent posts. Always love to read them. Your poke berries intrigue me. Janet
Gout and Joint Pains
Posted by Hisjewel (America, New York) on 01/09/2017
Correction: That should be taking B complex and stop using bleached flour has helped to eliminate heart palpitations. HisJewel
Gout and Joint Pains
Posted by Hisjewel (America, New York) on 01/09/2017
Hi Joyce for Tn, Its so good to hear from you. I so enjoy reading your cures. One I have taken on is Vitamin B complex for heart arrhythmia, yes and of cause getting rid of the unbleached flour. HisJewel
Gout and Joint Pains
Posted by Joyce (Tn.) on 01/08/2017
★★★★★
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.
Frozen Ankle Pain
Posted by Robert Henry (Ten Mile, Tn) on 10/24/2016
HI U MAMA,,,,,,, just got in from dropping off a repair for our mechanic. He showed me the poke berry brew that he keeps in the frig. He takes a swig every morning. No measurement, just a swig. I asked him to get the formula, but you know how country folks are about keeping secrets. He did say it tastes like wine. I made mine from vodka.
Nothing I'm doing is relieving my back pain so I may try this.
Caution all not to crush the seeds.
Birds and critters eat poke berries and pass them out to form a new plant. It is called scouring and that is the reason fence rows are grown up with cedar, hedge, etc. That is also how the Lord multiplies the pawpaw, dogwood and persimmon trees throughout the forest.
If man would leave nature alone, the planet would do just fine. Next post is about how chem trails are affecting us all. Unbelievable.
========ORH=========
Frozen Ankle Pain
Posted by Mama To Many (Tennessee) on 10/24/2016
Dear Robert Henry,
Would you know the dose of poke that your friend took? My understanding is that the tincture is to be used by the DROP, not the dropperful.
Funny you should mention poke. I have my first batch of poke root tincture brewing right now. I have tons of poke growing around. I use to think of it is a nuisance, but now I look at it with respect. I see it along the dirt roads near my house and it makes me ponder all the healing that is free all around. (But one should not collect poke from roadsides.)
~Mama to Many~
Frozen Ankle Pain
Posted by Robert Henry (Ten Mile, Tn) on 10/23/2016
★★★★★
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==========
Pokeweed
Posted by Mama To Many (Tennessee) on 04/29/2016
Dear Robert Henry,
Yes, sir, I have noticed the poke leaves coming up. For years I would dread the sight of poke as it is such a hearty weed and difficult to get rid of. I was not aware of a tradition to eat the fresh leaves but I will have to look in to that. Fascinating.
But in recent years, I look at poke differently; more with a respect. I see a tenacious plant that is a strong natural medicine. Last fall I harvested a bunch of the berries and put them in my freezer. I purposed to take one a day. You are supposed to swallow one berry a day, whole, like a pill. That way you don't crush the seed, which is the most toxic part, and the seed passes on through. I probably did it a couple of weeks and then forgot about those berries. I got on to something else. But I didn't die! :) My kids were kind of horrified since I had told them for years not to eat poke because it was dangerous! And it is, if used improperly.
I really want to make some Poke Root tincture You are supposed to harvest the root in the fall. Then you can make a tincture of it. A dose of Poke is ONE DROP! Not a dropperful. Apparently it can be used for some cancers. Also for arthritis and mastitis.
So, last September I would drive along country roads and see the poke along side the roads - thousands of poke berries that most think are just a nuisance. Right there. A cancer treatment. Free. (Not that you should collect herbs from roadsides....)
Hopefully I will get some poke tincture made in the fall and have some stories to tell next year. But the root is hard to get out and to get through to it I would be in knee high brush...I didn't want to deal with poison ivy, ticks or snakes.... (who knows...maybe poke is good for snake bites - we have seen a couple of copperheads so far this spring...I am always pondering what remedies might be best for snake bites.)
~Mama to Many~
Pokeweed
Posted by Robert Henry (Ten Mile, Tn) on 04/28/2016
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.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRF24LY5pvw
ATS,,,,, ======ORH=======
Arthritis
Posted by Robert Henry (Ten Mile, Tn) on 02/26/2015
★★★★★
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===========
Where to Buy
Posted by Penny (Phoenix, Az) on 07/28/2010
★★★★★
Pokeweed root is sold by herbco.com. I looked under pokeweed herbal supply on my search engine. Good luck.
Scabies
Posted by Joyce (Joelton, Tn) on 05/23/2010 490 posts
Hello Shan from Reno,
Sorry I can't help you with a source for buying poke sallet (pokeweed) root but you might inquire at a natural resource place in your locality. Before giving up on it growing wild there, type pokeweed or poke sallet in a search window and see if you can pull up a picture of it & go hiking. It is a very easy plant to identify if you know what it looks like. It is growing all over here. Shame you aren't a neighbor because I'd even let you borrow my shovel to dig one up from my yard.
Scabies
Posted by Kathleen (Glenwood, Nova Scotia) on 05/23/2010
We have sheep and sometimes you need the from-the- bottle remedies. Apparently, I cannot provide the actual chemical name here, but if you look up scabies at Wikipedia, you'll see some photos, and you'll probably see the name of the remedy that clears this up fast. I'd suggest you go to a feed store [for farm animals] or a sheep farmer, and buy some. It is usually administered sub-cu to sheep, but on a dog, or a human, 1/2 cc, twice a day, mixed with a little mineral oil, or a little, um, ..liquid horse liniment [comes in an yellow/orange plastic bottle*] and rubbed on the affected area,will clear up the problem -pronto. Ask the farmer or the feed dealer for the injectible product [it begins with the letter, 'I'] that is, it is usually administered by injection, under the skin, in a regular worming program, for ruminants. *come to think of it, this 'liquid horse liniment' might make the 'I' meds. even more effective, since the active ingredient is potassium iodide. Stings like the dickens, though, on any sort of open-type sore. I only saw this problem once, some years back, when we were seeing other problems, associated with widespread use of defoliants, locally, to manage clearcut areas. [very attractive sounding, isn't it? -you can't imagine..] Had this remedy not worked, -and FAST- I can tell you it's one you'll want to high-tail it to a doctor, to get fixed. Hope this helps! -By the way, we are, and have been for many years, COMPLETELY Earth Clinic 'types', and I'm so grateful for this wonderful site. Best wishes to all -
Scabies
Posted by Shan (Reno, Nv, Usa) on 05/21/2010
Hi Joyce,
I have just in the past day relized I have scabies. I'm interested in your polk soak recipe to use. Sad thing is, I'm in Nevada...no polk out here. Is there someplace I can buy the root? Please reply, I'm desperate.
Collembola Infestations
Posted by Joyce (Joelton, Tn) on 07/24/2009 490 posts
★★★★★
Hello Robert from Buford, Ga.,
I didn't have the answer to your question on poke greens (leaves & shoots), but went looking up some of the chemicals found in the pokeweed and their activities. So I will let you make your own decision on the part of the plant to use, after reading the following:
anthocyanin (93,000 parts per million) in fruit (pokeberries) is a pesticide
caryophyllene found in fruit is insectifuge, larvacide (your collembola have a larval stage), antileishmaniac, antistapholococcal, antistreptococcal, fungicide, candidicide, mosquitocide, pesticide
isopquercetrin found in the leaf is insecticide, pesticide
oleonolic acid found in the root is antimalarial, piscicide (kills fish)
tannin found in root is anthelmintic, pesticide
All of the above chemicals have other actions also but I was specifically researching this for your infestation. when you have plenty of time just type research on pokeweed in your search window and have fun reading about this wonderful weed.
I question whether you would get much pesticide part from the eating the leaves since it must be parboiled (and a lot of your chemicals are going to go in the water you drain out, before you finish cooking it. Plus, if you eat a lot of poke greens you are going to find that it is a excellent laxative.
I have never taken any poke root preparation, but remember reading in Earth Clinic, where someone else wrote in recommending a poke root extract & told how to make it and take it. The poke preparation I wrote about for scabies was to boil the root in water & applying to the body after it cools down. I haven't tried this either, but I have a niece who attests that it worked very well to solve her problem with scabies.
I personally took and still take pokeberries for arthritis pain problems and found it works well for that and that they weren't poisonous, as I had been told. For this I just put 20 to 25 poke berries in my mouth and washed them down with water 4 times a day. I later started extracting them in alcohol (they last for years this way versus several months when dehydrated) and usually take from 1/2 to l tsp. full 4 times a day. To figure a dosage for a child, put the child's weight in pounds over l50 (average wt. for adult) & reduce to lowest fraction. This will give you the percentage of adult dose that child should have. A 75 lb. child would get 1/2 the adult dose. When looking up the chemicals, it seemed that the berry would probably have more of the chemicals you are looking for than the leaves would.
Hope you find this helpful and if it works for you be sure and let us know. From what I read in EC, there are a lot of people looking for solutions for Morgellon's.
Has anybody else wondered where all these strange diseases are originating lately. Dear old HIV, then the flesh eating organism (now called necrotizing fascitis, when mentioned at all), now we have Morgellon's, West Nile disease mosquitos, and the latest is that dear old swine flu (for which it looks like taking the shots to prevent it is worse than having it) from what has been published on it.
Collembola Infestations
Posted by Robert (Buford, Ga) on 07/24/2009
Joyce, Will poke greens kill collembola, and how to?
Scabies
Posted by Joyce (Joelton, Tn) on 03/20/2009 490 posts
★★★★★
Hello Vera from NY, Poke greens have always been called poke sallet around here in the south. At the time we were catching scabies in my youth we didn't know about boiling poke root in water and then bathing with the water would kill them, so I have no personal knowledge of this. However, when a niece got the problem a couple of years ago and asked her father what to do to get rid of them, he asked me what to do because they had no money to go to the doctor. When I informed him that pokeweed root boiled in water, and then bathing in the water was said to kill them, he proceeded to dig one up and present it to her to boil in water to bathe in. I don't know how much they put in the water but knowing my brother, I am sure that he got a big old pokeweed root to give her to boil. He laughed as he told me about the results later. She said she felt like she was on fire when she put it on but it sure did work to kill the scabies. If you want to research on this plant, put in pokeweed for the common name, or you'll have trouble finding it. Pokeweed grows back from the same roots in the spring and some of those roots get pretty darned big and difficult to dig out, so my advice is to look for one that looks like it just came up from seeds this year, which it will soon be poking up from the earth. If you get a big root I would hesitate to boil the whole thing to bathe in since it would be very strong.
The letter from Susan from Charleston telling how she used it sounds logical, but I think I would prefer to use something besides Crisco for soothing after the bathing, maybe olive or coconut oil instead. Lots of luck. We have been having a lot of head lice going around down here the last few years and if they make an appearance in this family again, we are likely to boil some poke root and mix in some borax for shampoo to see if they don't succumb quickly as the scabies did. Lots of luck and be sure to cool that water down before bathing with it.
Scabies
Posted by Vera (New York, New York) on 03/19/2009
What exactly is the Poke Green Treatment, and how do I go about treating myself with it for scabies? This website is awesome!
Scabies
Posted by Susan (Charleston, WV ) on 02/26/2009
I would never use the poke green treatment on a child or a pet. It worked for me, an adult. Susan
Scabies
Posted by Susan (Charleston, WV) on 02/18/2009
Remember to wash all your bed linens after your Poke Green Roots treatment, because once you get back in the same bed you will get them again. Wash anything, clothes you came in contact with before you do the treatment. I got them from someone who laid a coat on my bed. Also spray your doorknobs and spigots, whatever you touch, with some kind of disinfect, even wipe over your telephone, glasses, keyboard and mouse, because they're there and you'll get them again. Wear plastic gloves while you're cleaning areas and picking up clothing you've worn. I only had to do it once. Susan
Scabies
Posted by Renate (Jacksonville, Florida) on 02/12/2009
Scabies can live off of the body for 48 to 72 hours. A big reason reason why people get re-infestations is failure to properly clean the mattress (wish someone would have said that a year ago...) You spend a significant part of you day in bed so that is where they thrive outside of the body. The best thing to do, in my opinion, is get a steam cleaner and steam that puppy everyday before putting on new sheets. Make sure you give it time to dry because you don't want to grow mold in your mattress. If you have to take your clothes to the laundry mat like I do (sadly that makes everything that much harder) make sure you keep a "quarantine" bag for dirty laundry and never,never wear anything twice without washing it. Another good tip is if you have a job where you have to wear a uniform like me (go Kmart yay) and you don't have a uniform for everyday of the week, iron the clothes before you put them back on again. High heat kills them instantly. And another thing that I never once thought of to clean everyday is shoes. Especially if you wear them everyday. And lastly, never think that one treatment will cure them if you haven't already noticed. Scabies lay eggs!!! 1-3 eggs per day!!!
Never let anyone tell you that you are dirty because you have scabies. They don't come from dirty people or go to only dirty people. Anyone can get them. Think of it this way... Head lice, for instance, goes to the person with the cleanest hair. Same with scabies... those damn creatures...
Scabies
Posted by Sarah (Monrovia, Ca) on 10/20/2008
★★★★☆
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!
Scabies
Posted by Joyce (Joelton, Tn) 490 posts
★★★★★
Hello Patty from Houston, I don't think there would be any problem with refrigeration of the water from the boiled poke root, but have you considered boiling enough for one day or two and dehydrating or freezing the rest of the root until you need it. Pokeweed should be growing rampant in Texas, the same as here. But be prepared to dig, because those roots can get pretty big. I would just bathe with for one day, and if the itching stopped, hold off to see if it started again.If it does repeat the bathing again (wiping off with drippy wash cloth). I just tried to call my brother to see how many times his daughter had to bath with the pokeroot boiled in water since he didn't mention her using it more than once, but alas my phone is not working now. You probably shouldn't use it continuously for more than 2 or three days.
You should also boil clothing and bed linens to get rid of scabies.
I just looked up scabies in "Cuz Jim's" The Green Pharmacy and he suggests that one can find skin care products containing neem at some health food stores. He says to just mix in several teaspoons of turmeric and apply it to the affected areas daily. He gives this advice because an Indian researcher treated 8l4 people with scabies using a paste made from 4 parts neem leaves and one part turmeric roots, having the infested patients rub it all over themselves daily. 98% of them were improved within 3 to 5 days and were completely cured within 2 weeks.
Another suggestion he has is to boil the skins of a half dozen yellow onions in a quart of water for l5 to 30 minutes to extract the quercetin which has soothing powers against scabies and other skin problems.
Another suggestion is boiling green hulls (from black walnuts) in a cup of water until the water is half evaporated and apply to affected areas. A more heavy concentration can be obtained by covering the hulls with water, bring to a boil and simmer until half the water is evaporated. Apply liberally to the skin, daily applications should be safe, but hope you don't mind being brownskinned for awhile.]
