Richard Whelan ~ Medical Herbalist ~ Poke Root

POKE ROOT
Common Names
Poke Root , American nightshade
Botanical Name
Phytolacca americana
Syn. Phytolacca decandra
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What is it?

The root of Poke Root, a most impressive looking plant reaching 4 meters in height and having strong purple-green stems that support flourishes of drooping flowers eventually giving way to large clusters of purple berries.

FLOWERS/BERRIES

CHOPPED ROOT

POWDERED

How has it been used?

Poke Root is a powerful cleansing remedy, used to help especially when the lymphatic system has become congested. This may show up in the early stages as being chronically tired with slightly swollen glands but by the time the lymph has really sludged up things may have gone all the way down to advanced rheumatism, respiratory disease or auto-immunity issues; conditions that Poke Root has traditionally been used to treat.

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Personal experiences

I have great respect for Poke Root and have used it thousands of times in my work with people who need deep cleansing support, however, this is a herb that must be used with great care. Too much of it can do harm but the more common mistake to make with Poke Root is to use it before the body is ready for the kind of cleansing it can produce. I would emphatically recommend that anyone who is not trained in herbal medicine not go anywhere near it! By the time you are taking enough Poke Root for it to do its healing and cleansing thing, there is a narrow threshold before it starts acting as a poison.

The first rule is; primum non nocere, ‘firstly do no harm’.

Poke Root combines perfectly with Calendula and Cleavers to help achieve deep and lasting cleansing for chronic stuck conditions.

It also works exceptionally well with Devil's Claw for arthritis and with Red Clover for subborn skin problems.

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Excerpt from Felter & Lloyd's Kings Dispensatory from 1898

Physiologically, Poke Root acts upon the skin, the glandular structures, especially those of the buccal cavity, throat, sexual system, and very markedly upon the mammary glands. It further acts upon the fibrous and serous tissues, and mucous membranes of the digestive and urinary tracts. In certain conditions of the system which might come under the head of dycrasia (bad blood), it proves a most valuable alterative. Scrofulous, syphilitic, and rheumatic conditions are invariably benefited by it. It is best suited to chronic rheumatism, and syphilitic and rheumatic joint affections.

The condition which calls for it is one of indolent action of the skin, It is often indicated in chronic eczema, syphilitic eruptions, psoriasis, tinea capitis, favus, and varicose and other ulcers of the leg. . In diseases of the mouth and throat it is highly esteemed. It is useful in acute and chronic mucous affections, as in tracheitis, laryngitis, influenza, catarrh, and especially in those affections where there is a tendency to the formation of catarrh and phlegm.

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