Herbal Remedies: Pokeroot

Pokeroot, of the Phytolacca genus, is known by many names, including pokeweed, pokebush, pokeberry, ink berry and polk salad, just to name a few.

Native Habitatat

Pokeroot commonly grows in the wild in moderate climates in both North and South America, as well as in New Zealand.

Historical and cultural significance

A native herb embedded in American history - the red juice of which has been used to simulate blood in the Benjamin Lay anti-slavery protests, and used by Native Americans to decorate their horses before battle and as a narcotic, the leaves of which immortalized in Southern American cuisine...

In the American South, however, this has not stopped the population from using the leaves of the pokeroot to create a favorite dish, known as polk salad. Even though the leaves of young plants are used to create polk salad, and even though they are boiled not once, not twice, but thrice in order to remove the toxins, doctors still urge against ingesting this southern delicacy. The popularity and significance of this cuisine can be noted by Elvis Presley's performance of the song, "Polk Salad Annie."

Primary and auxiliary uses

Often used as a homeopathic remedy throughout the Americas and later in Europe, a great many healing attributes are accredited to pokeroot. One ad for pokeroot oil on Amazon.com describes the $9.95 product to be a "blend of herbs and oils to help soften, cleanse and reduce swelling of the skin. Use for sore throats, earaches, herpes, stones and abnormal growths, such as cysts and breast lumps."

It's also editable, as the primary ingredient in a popular dish in the American South known as Polk Salad.

Extract from pokeroot berries has been used as ink in Europe.

Preparation of Pokeroot

For homeopathic purposes, pokeroot is commonly applied externally as an oil; however, it is, on occasion, ingested in power form.

Example of successful use

Pokeweed antiviral protein (PAP), a 29-kDa protein isolated from Phytolacca americana, inhibits translation by catalyticallyremoving a specific adenine residue from the large rRNA of the60S subunit of eukaryotic ribosomes. In addition to its ribosome-inactivatingability, PAP has potent antiviral activity against many plantand animal viruses, including HIV.

Known contra-indications

Pokeroot produces phytolaccatoxin and phytolaccigenin, which are highly poisonous to mammals, including humans.

Pregnant women to have used pokeroot treatment have developed fetal abnormalities.

Other items of interest

It is widely claimed that ingesting extract of the root of the pokeweed, in liquid or powder form, can treat breast cancer; however, those who make this claim have no clinical trials to support their declarations, and critics point to this.