Day: September 6, 2018

vandaliatraveler:

Appalachian Summer, 2018, Volume Thirty-Three: American Pokeweed. If familiarity breeds contempt, then this tall, gangling perennial herb with brilliant purple berries and gaudy red stems is one sorely underappreciated plant – except by traditional medicine practitioners and native plant gatherers who’ve learned its secrets. Often regarded as a noxious weed, the enterprising American pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) pops up with little notice in the moist, partly-shaded nooks of open woods, clearings, disturbed areas, and gardens. And yet, despite all parts of the plant being mildly to extremely toxic to human beings, pokeweed has a long history of medicinal and culinary use in Appalachia. In many rural areas throughout the region, the plant’s young leaves and stems are harvested for food in the spring, although they must be blanched repeatedly in fresh water to remove their toxins. The leaves are often wilted in bacon grease and served as poke sallet. The plant has also been used by traditional medicine practitioners to treat everything from skin disease to rheumatism. Pokeweed berries, while quite striking to look at, are not edible, except by certain birds that have a natural immunity to their toxin. They’ve been used historically to make ink and dye. Good posting here on everything you wanted to know about pokeweed, but were afraid to ask.