Poke root

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Soaring

Hawk <asoaringhawk Sun,

Aug 20, 2006 at 6:33 PM

To:

herbs

I'd

like your permission to post the following article Please.

I have

a private email list that I share interesting URL's that I find, mostly

natural health related. Which goes out to over 50 groups & 100 individuals

(around 15,000 people). All addresses are BCC'd. The only address

anyone sees is mine (asoaringhawk@gmail).

This is

how it will appear, Corinna:

 

* Ema

at Red Moon <herbs * *

Tue, Aug 22, 2006 at

1:12 PM

*

To:

Soaring Hawk <asoaringhawk

Thanks

for asking permission.

You are

welcome to use the article.

Blessings,

Ema

Carmona

http://www.redmoonherbs.com/articles/poke-medicinal-use.php

Poke:

Old Medicinal Uses

by

Corinna Wood

Growing

up in the Northeast, I loved playing with the purple pokeberries, painting

designs on my skin. My parents allowed this, though they made it clear that I

shouldn't eat the berries of this " poisonous, invasive weed. " The

huge poke plants were such a bane in their garden that they would actually tie

a rope around the roots and use a Jeep to pull them out!

So when

I moved to the South, I was surprised to hear a number of people report that

their grandmothers always ate poke as a spring green.

Intrigued,

I discovered that poke root has traditionally been used in tiny doses as an immune

stimulant. And swallowing one berry a day is an old treatment for arthritis.

This powerful plant actually has a wide range of medicinal uses -- but you have

to treat it with respect or risk unpleasant side effects (see below).

As it

turns out, there's a long history here in the mountains of using this common

" weed " as a potherb. But don't make the all-too-common mistake of

confusing " poke sallit " (the English word for cooked greens) with

" poke salad. " DON'T EAT POKE IN A SALAD! It's considered safe ONLY when

boiled in three changes of water (traditionally with some pork or " fatback " ).

And it should be harvested for cooking greens ONLY when the plant is less than

a foot tall.

I've

cooked poke this way a few times. It was certainly tasty (especially with the

fatback!), but I was still a bit mystified. Why all the focus on poke? This is

a time of year when many wild greens are abundant -- dandelion, chickweed and

nettles are among my favorites. And with these, you don't need to toss out the

cooking water (and a lot of nutrients with it). But I do know folks who say

they feel a powerful energy from eating the poke greens.

My

favorite way to use poke is to make a tincture from the root for stimulating

the immune system. Herbs can rival the effectiveness of antibiotics, and

they're generally much gentler on the body. Many herbalists turn to goldenseal

for this purpose, but it's an endangered species. Poke, on the other hand, is a

weed -- the problem is not having too little of it, but too much. And for most

purposes, poke is at least as good, if not better.

Pokeroot

is best dug up in the fall, after the plant has died back for the winter. This

is when the plant is the most medicinal and the least toxic. The next best time

to dig the roots is in the early spring, when the leaves are just coming out

(as long as you're sure what you're picking!).

As

anyone who's ever tried to pull up a poke plant knows, getting anything but the

smallest roots out of the ground is a project. They range in size from a large

carrot to a construction cone. Fortunately, just one small root will make

enough medicine to last you and your loved ones for years -- proving once again

that there's no lack of good medicine all around us.

Once

you've dug up the root (and parked the Jeep), the next step – if you've decided

to give pokeweed a try -- is drawing out those medicinal properties. The best

way to do that is to make a tincture (alcohol extract). Wash the root, chop it

into small pieces, fill a jar with the plant material, and then add enough 100-proof

alcohol to cover the roots. Leave it on your counter for six weeks, then strain

out the roots. The resulting milky liquid is remarkably mild-looking and -tasting,

considering the punch it packs.

Poke is

so powerful that it's taken by the drop. Begin with one to three drops (using a

dropper, of course). Wait 24 hours. If that doesn't seem to help, add one drop

per day to the dosage (and that's drops, not droppersful!).

Individuals

show widely varying tolerance for poke. Some people can't handle more than

three or five drops per day, while others can take 25 or 50 drops with no

adverse effects. The side effects of poke includemental unclarity, spaciness

and out-of-body feelings. If you notice such feelings, it means you've found

your tolerance level, so back off to a lower dosage. If you take way too much

(such as mistaking droppersful for drops, which some people have done!), you

may encounter more severe side effects, such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

When I

was using poke to treat Lyme disease a number of years ago, I found that after

taking 10 drops per day for several weeks, I started feeling unclear, spacy and

disconnected, as if I weren't really in my body. I cut the dosage back to five

drops and the side effects vanished, but the tincture was still very effective

in helping resolve the Lyme disease. Remember, everyone's tolerance and needs

are different.

Over

the years, I've found poke to be invaluable as an herbal alternative to

antibiotics when immune or lymphatic stimulation is needed. For many

generations, this plant has helped people with immune issues ranging from sore

throat to breast cancer. And of course, there are times when antibiotics are

called for -- so when in doubt, consult your doctor or herbalist.

In my

community, poke tincture is a favorite for sore throats, strep throat, severe

colds and respiratory infections. It's also used for infected gums, swollen

lymph glands and breast cysts. Studies in Germany and the United States are

even finding positive results with HIV, cancer and lymphoma. In addition, it's

very effective in treating genital herpes -- taking just a few drops when the

tingling begins usually prevents the blister phase entirely and reduces the

frequency of outbreaks.

Poke

root can also be made into an oil simply by substituting oil for alcohol. Any

cooking oil will work, but olive oil is my favorite because of its high

resistance to rancidity. And by melting in some beeswax (which gives it a

creamy consistency), the oil can be made into a balm or salve. Both the salve

and the oil are also used externally to dissolve lumps, bumps, growths and tumors.

And many people find them helpful when applied externally to swollen lymph

glands, sore throats or breast lumps.

Pokeberries

are useful, too -- and not just for body paint. (This paint, by the way, is

quite safe; it's only the seeds inside that are toxic, and then only when

chewed.) In Appalachian folk medicine, the berries are swallowed as a treatment

for arthritis and for immune stimulation -- one berry (either fresh or dried)

is the equivalent of one drop of root tincture.

Since

the seeds are the toxic part, you just spit them out. And even if you swallow

some seeds, don't worry -- they're extremely difficult to break open with your

teeth and will come out the other end intact.

(That's

how poke spreads, in fact -- birds love to eat the berries, and then the seeds

spread through their droppings.) Although poke proliferates by seed, the plants

are perennial, and the roots will grow larger every year.

So if

you find yourself cursing this " dangerous, noxious weed " in your yard

or garden this spring, just remember that if you let a few plants thrive until

fall, they can reward you with some very powerful medicine -- not to mention

beautiful purple berries that make a delightful body paint!

 

Corinna

Wood is the director of Red Moon Herbs, making herbal medicines from fresh,

local plants, with a focus on women's health, for over ten years. A gifted

teacher and powerful visionary, Corinna has opened the hearts of thousands to

the wisdom of the plants and their own bodies.

Corinna's

background includes an extensive apprenticeship with Susun Weed in 1993 as well

as a B.S. in Biology. Corinna is certified as an herbalist, a fertility

awareness teacher, and also in permaculture design.

You are

invited to attend Corinna's classes--see About Programs

http://www.redmoonherbs.com/about_programs.php

page to see current opportunities to study with Corinna.

 

Red

Moon Herbs' Poke tincture is available on the *Tinctures*

<http://www.redmoonherbs.com/extracts.php

<http://www.redmoonherbs.com/extracts.php>>

page.

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permission to reprint this article, please contact

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