I suppose you could also substitute coconut oil instead of the lard to give it a wonderful coconut smell. No question, for some people, pokeweed can give you a nasty rash. It is horribly invasive, if you cut the plant , 5 more sprout up at the base! I am not aware that there is any problem with chickens eating these berries, although they are not recommended for human consumption. An old-timer was also in the waiting room and started telling him about an old cure or arthritis just using things that grow in your backyard. Unless youve been tested, you wont know whether or not you have a tolerance for this plant. Well, Diane, dont keep us in the dark on this one. They are very noticeable and contain a lot of red juice. I *can* vouch for it. Ok so I am really confused! Pokeweed is a simple perennial, which means it relies on seeds for propagation. Ive been eating it all of my life.. As an adult, I quit boiling it more than once.. On advice from my Apahe stepdad, I peel all of the red from the stems and leaves.. For the past 40 or 50 years I have been eating all above-ground parts of the plant with no side effects.. Nice! We never eat the shoots but, here in Appalachia, know a few people who do so every spring and consider them a delicacy. Most of the job of a cytogenetics lab is to create medical karotypes, which are pictures that capture the number and appearance of chromosomes in human tissues (usually blood). Nadia suggests trying it with a very small pokeweed before it has developed a really big root system. We have treated it over the years with no success, and finally just let it be. Not sure if a state makes a difference on these berries but I was told not to pick or eat them. Yes, pokeweed is toxic to dogs as well as cats. Here in eastern Ontario most of the Birds dont seem to know about the berries, but the Harmonia Asian Ladybird Beetles land on the berries and suck many of them dry. Not to anyone I know, but some rare cases have been reported (see earlier comments). ), you can now get root powder at mountain rose herbs. ( for precautions on work) but in past comments some stated that you CAN NOT get a rash from the stalks, nor will you break out from pulling it? Swelling. We had a strange plant suddenly start growing in a planting barrel on our patio. Botanists, using gene sequencing data, are debating how big the pokeweed family is. We pull it or chop it in places where we dont want it, but this might be only semi-effective, since it will try to come back from the root each spring. I didnt know they were posionous till today. The reverse, however, isn't true. My son and I go on nature walks every day for his home-schooling. With proper care, the rash should disappear in a couple of days. What do you know about the anti-inflammatory compounds vs. the poison issue? Thats awesome information, I bet it would work on methicillin-resistant bacteria as well. So, since it is a beautiful plant and the birds and butterflies do love it so much, I decided to keep it. Im not sure of the variety as the berries look completely different from the picture at the top of the page. It dies back to its very large taproot each winter and re-emerges each spring. Yes, like I said in the post, it is very insistent about coming back and increasing. Ive been researching this berry for a while, and I was wondering if the berries could be refined into a juice. Shingles is not contagious. Dark blue-black, purple berries mature in the late summer to fall and attract birds. My husbands grandmother (from the Arkansas hills) taught me to prep poke boil 3x in fresh water before sauting in bacon fat for a finished dish. Nothing major, but some folks may have worse experiences. Im sure your birds appreciate it anyway!! Yes, drinking brewed, pokeweed tea was once a common practice, centuries ago. Pokeweed poisoning is defined as the accidental or intentional intake of the plant or plant product containing the aforementioned toxic proteins. We have several healthy specimens in our yard, mostly around the edges in the fence or up against the house, and we appreciate it because birds find it irresistible. Think of all the ferns, grasses, sedges, lilies, peas, sunflowers, nightshades, milkweeds, mustards, mints, and mallows weeds and wildflowers and many more! We have a lot of birds so we are waiting to see how they like it. Anything contagious, such as the flu, is always automatically infectious: if you can catch it from someone, it's being passed to you via an infectious agent, which is the thing that gets you sickusually a virus or a bacteria. Erinn grew up in the rural Midwest surrounded by farms and gardens, where self-sufficiency and living off the land is a way of life. This is not a plant I want to cook using the trial and error method. Now Im sorry I didnt replant it, but hopefully well get another volunteer soon. Again, are you sure you identified the plant correctly? Or DOING harm? Aside from its decorative and culinary qualities , Pokeweed is useful for establishing quail habitat, since quail love the berries (birds are not affected by the toxins), and it also forms a nice shady refuge for them. Never heard of this, and I cant really help. Actually, hes going to be reacting to a peanut allergy as well double death insurance. No, no gloves, etc. I thought sleep might help. I did that for a couple of days and within three days the poison ivy was dried up and ::gone::! Avoid scratching: it will only facilitate the spread of the toxins in your body. Great story, Teresa! The berries have been used for food coloring, ink, and dye. Im sure it can be done, but Ive never heard of it. Just like with humans, dogs should be kept away from all parts of the pokeweed, but especially the roots and pokeberries. Thanks again. Sit in the water for ten-fifteen minutes a day and make sure all the poison ivy gets a bath in the mixture. Native Americans used pokeweed as a treatment for arthritis and to induce vomiting, and in some parts of the United States, people have been eating pokeweed as an early spring green for generations. The berries contain a red dye used to colour wine, candies, cloth, and paper. Use good. In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page. She's passionate about sharing the knowledge she's gained from years of indoor and outdoor gardening, hydroponics, composting and an ever-growing collection of houseplants. And removing this plant from the ground is the most effective way to get rid of it from your property. Heres one example. Come to find out I have been told they are poke berries. But I dont see that as getting sick. Commonly Found In: You can find poison ivy throughout the continental US except for the West Coast, where its occurrence is rare. So glad ti hear you say THAT! Roseola is contagious even if a rash is . No offense to anybody, but I never boil through two waters, I just fry it in bacon grease with a little waterI make small servings, freeze in snack bags. So whenever I go to pull weeds, Im super careful to make sure none is around. Scratching could cause additional tears in the skin, leading to a secondary infection. But for now it will stay for a while longer. Touching the stems or leaves should have no effect at all. I had no idea what I have in my yard. It is native to the eastern United States but has been introduced west to California and Oregon and to the Old World. Usually affects children younger than 10 years old, the infection starts after 10 to 21 days of contact. however not as effective on poison IVY as Jewel weed. Shingles is a painful viral infection that can affect anyone who has had chickenpox. The exact cause of pityriasis rosea is not known. Do you know if its normal for it to be dying like this already? The ripe berries are also used by swallowing whole, the seed contains the poison but passes through. As for winter vs. summer toxicity, I just dont know, but I think if youre worried about your dogs, you should stop worrying. I dont know if poke berries have anti-cancer properties, but I doubt if they would hurt anybody UNLESS a person tried poke berries first and waited for the results before seeing their physician. Every part of the pokeweed plant contains toxic phytolacca toxin and phytolaccigenin proteins. Another danger is that the natural chemicals in pokeweed could interact with common medications. Im hoping to get it active again soon. Currently you have JavaScript disabled. Photography and musings about nature, native plants, and keeping the wild in the city. Thanks for commenting, Bobby. While Pokeweed berries might look attractive, you should refrain from picking them: their juice can threaten your internal organs and cause damage. Pokeweed isn't considered to be a broad skin allergen, certainly nothing like poison ivy. So, avoid touching pokeweed with your bare hands. Thanks for commenting. It is very powerful medicine and must be respected and used properly. Hi Steve. Leaves many, alternate, smooth, oblong-lanceolate, to 1 foot long, on petioles. Each pokeweed berry is an enlarged pistil or ovary that is made up of 810 (usually 10) carpels (a type of seed chamber), each with its own seed. I have never been that hungry, thank God. Fascinating! Stay away from it and if you have to remove it, make sure you use protective gear. The garlic mustard exploded everywhere EXCEPT where there was enough sunlight for pokeweed to grow. Pokeweed is a tall, smooth, branching perennial with red stems and juicy, dark purple berries. I suspect they will all have regenerated and I just hope I can at least get the berries cut off before they fully ripen, then my plan is to mow or cut them off again and spray them like you describe, John, but using either the borax or boric acid, unless someone here has an easier solution. Remove from heat and allow to cool, then strain and bottle.. "For the typical viral exanthem, or eruptive skin rash caused by a virus, including for the COVID rashes, the rash itself is not contagious. See our Terms and Conditions page for more details). We also have friends in the bootheel, especially around Haywood City, near Sikeston. More effect usually happens after touching the juice of the berries, which can cause blistering of the skin. In addition, cases of rashes and other skin irritations from touching the leaves (similar to poison ivy) have also been widely reported. When mature it can reach heights of 9 -10' feet with a spread of near equal proportion. 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