From the Spring Foraging Cookbook: Poke (Phytolacca americana)

This native edible and medicinal plant is a matter of some controversy.  For centuries, Poke Salat (salat is an old English term for edible greens with roots in ancient Rome) was one of the most beloved wild edibles among both Native Americans and early Americans of European descent.  It remained popular in the Appalachians well into my childhood and is still beloved by the more traditional folks and some foragers.  The problem is that the plant is somewhat toxic.  

Your county Extension Service and Master Gardeners will likely only offer you advice on how to eradicate this “weed.”  Many modern foraging and herbal books discourage people from using Poke for reasons I consider less than valid.  I am sure that every year kids are rushed to the hospital after being seen eating Poke berries.  However, I can find no evidence of any fatalities due to eating a few berries.  They are certainly toxic, but they induce nausea and people who eat them generally throw them up, usually before the body absorbs enough toxicity to cause harm.  It would surprise many to know that early Americans learned from the Cherokee to make a Poke berry wine, taken in small amounts for arthritis… and many old timers still swear by it.  As an herbalist, I use poke root for its strong lymphatic, diaphoretic and antiviral properties.  The root is the most toxic part of the plant, and a large dosage could certainly prove fatal.  Some sources say ½ ounce of the tinctured root would be dangerous, others 1 ounce could be fatal… no knowledgeable herbalist would use such high doses.  Poke root tincture should be administered by the drop.

Most foraging books recommend using the small, tender, early spring shoots or the tender spring leaves, before any of the purple color of the stalk has moved into the leaves.  They then recommend boiling in 2-3 changes of water before cooking in fat.  Okay…. Officially, that is my advice as I dare not disagree with the “experts.”  But, that is not what I do.  My unproven theory is that people build up a tolerance to the toxicity of Poke if they eat the plant regularly.  I eat the leaves raw in early spring and never boil before cooking in fat to enjoy as a potherb.  I am not unique in this regard.  I have spoken with several experienced foragers and old mountain folks who do the same.  Meanwhile, a friend who was inexperienced with Poke mistook “salat” for salad in her first experience with the leaves and ate a large bowl, fresh and raw…. She called Poison Control, who told her not to worry because she would soon vomit and/or have diarrhea and be fine – she did, but she has an aversion to Poke to this day.  Perhaps experiences such as that are why so many fear this delicious plant and call it a weed, even though it is native.  

Poke is definitely in my top 5 favorite wild edible plants.  It is one of our first spring vegetables and I actually grow a few plants in pots so I can have Poke even earlier in the season!  I cook the young shoots just like asparagus, simply using the steam/saute method I described under that plant.  For the greens, I just wash them and cook them in pork fat – bacon, fatback, etc.  I cook them down well, but less than dandelions since they are more tender, and then serve with hot pepper vinegar.  For a salad, I add a few small, tender leaves to a mix of other spring greens.  Often, I just snack on raw leaves as I find them outdoors.  The flavor of Poke is very much like sweet garden peas.  I have never gotten sick, but I don’t eat a ton of them, either.  

Traditionally, mountain people have considered Poke to be a “blood cleanser.”  At least a few servings were believed necessary for the immune system and to help restore vitality after long winters of eating mostly dry beans, salted meats, sauerkraut and potatoes.  The old ways helped my great grandparents to live to an average of 100 yrs… all but one, at least to the mid-90s.  While I have no proof that such spring tonics as Poke, Ramps and Dandelion greens contributed to this, I have no reason to doubt it either.  My grandparents, who did not eat such things in adulthood, did not live as long.  I believe wild foods are essential for nutrition… and besides, they are delicious!  I must reference you to my disclaimer though; use caution.  I must repeat that every “official” source on foraging states that no part of Poke should ever be eaten raw, or cooked when mature – early spring greens and shoots only.  They advocate at least two changes of water and boiling cooking from 16-30 minutes.  So, I'll go along with that advice to be safe.

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I have read something about a burning or biting taste indicating toxicity, and all but one times when I've tried poke I have tasted that despite all the preparation--it made me unwilling to try more unfortunately! Do you taste that too? Is there a possibility it's different by region?

M Ljin wrote:I have read something about a burning or biting taste indicating toxicity, and all but one times when I've tried poke I have tasted that despite all the preparation--it made me unwilling to try more unfortunately! Do you taste that too? Is there a possibility it's different by region?

I don't get that.  I get more of the sensation like when I eat raw green pea pods.

Oh! That is it precisely--like pea pods. So perhaps I need not worry so much about it.

M Ljin wrote:Oh! That is it precisely--like pea pods. So perhaps I need not worry so much about it.

Well, legally I can't make that statement, but I don't worry about it.

As a kid I pretty well swallowed every  berry that someone told me was poison…including poke.    I never got sick. I am 76, so I lived through it.  To be clear, I never chewed the berry. I swallowed them whole.

John F Dean wrote:As a kid I pretty well swallowed every  berry that someone told me was poison…including poke.    I never got sick. I am 76, so I lived through it.  To be clear, I never chewed the berry. I swallowed them whole.

You are bolder than I!

Not bolder …. Just a pretty dumb kid.  Of course, my after knowledge is there are very few plants that produce berries so toxic that one will kill.