no no no no, you take a berry a day working your way up to 8...Some people are much more sensitive to cyanide build up which is what makes it poisonous. The difference in poison and medicine is all in the dose. Dose yourself slowly, not rapidly. I personally am very sensitive to poke sallet. Tommie Bass, one of the best American Herbalist that revamp herbalism in the USA says(according to Darryl Patton who I studied with) that you are to take 3 berries 3 times a week. But build up to that please. Foxglove is a very strong medicine but it will kill you graveyard dead if you dont watch it. From foxglove is where we get the heart medicine "digoxin." It was discovered for the heart since he causes arrhythmia.
In 1973 my son was 1 1/2 years old. He had an terrible case of diaper rash. We used all the OTC items available at that time. We bathed him between diaper changes. It still lingered on so we carried him to the Doctor. The Doctor wrote a prescription for a cream and an Antibiotic. A week later there was no improvement. My wife went to visit her Grandmother and showed her this terrible rash. She got her walking stick and a bag and walked down a little dirt road on her property. She came back with a sack full of polk berries. She made in her words a poltice. It took he about an hour and other than the polk berries we don't know what she put in it. But it was a thick deep purple salve. She rubbed it on my son and we put it on him 3 times a day in 48 hours the rash was 90 percent gone the next day he was clear of that rash, and it never came back again. The sad part of the story is this. At the time my wife and I were 17 years old and we were not smart enough to have wrote down at least some of the things that that old woman knew. She passed away in 1984 at 104 years old.
My grandmother was cheerokee indian she use to make a jam with polk seed for arthritis shed put a little on the corner of a peice of toast every day and never had joint problems she passed away at the age 96 not from eating polk seed jam she crossed the hwy to check the mailbox and 3 young boys hit her with their car at 90 miles per hour. I sure miss her she was a really sweet woman.
@@McGieHomesteadAdventures I grew up on poke salat, lambs quarter, sumac tea. Hell I even eat a lil poison ivy to make my allergy to it go away. It's our separation from our relationship with nature that is killing us man.
@@barrymills387 same for me!!! I’m 34 but my middle finger had been feeling crazy stiff- took the 8 berries for 3 days- it’s day five and I had to remind myself that was the initial problem lol
Hello my dad back in the 70's started using this his limit was 8 also he had bursitis in his knees and after 1 week he had no pain... so i tried it for my knee also(x horse jockey) many breaks and after 3 days my pain was gone so i grow them in 5 gallon buckets and when my berries get ripe i gather and freeze then and after take them like pills i am a small man 150lbs and my magic dose is 4 berries. That is how i use them. This is the very short story. Thanks for this video glad someone else knows about this.
@@denisebrubaker8084 I could send you one! They grow all along my fence line. Just know if you have 1, you'll have a million in no time! Honestly, I pull them out or cut them down because they grow with stems as big a tree trunks in the east. Google poke week for an image.
I'm pushing 80 y.o., been eating Poke Sallet leaves and stalks since I was a child: actually you don't need to boil the leaves 3 times..I always boil them once, then drain off the green water, and then boil them a second time and they are ready to eat (they go great in scrambled eggs for breakfast, or by their self as a green...either way they are delicious and very nutritious). For the stems I strip off the red skin (easy), cut them into one inch chunks, give them a quick boil, drain them, roll them in corn meal , and then fry them...great: they are like fried okra. The doctors in southern states used to tell mothers to feed their children Poke Sallet in the spring. Ever hear the song 'Poe Sallet Annie'? Greatest thing about Poke is it is free, one of God's gifts. My wife freezes them to use during the winter months. My grandmother used the berries to make jam and to treat her arthritis: she was half Cherokee Indian and her mother was a medicine woman and taught her many things about natural medicines and edible plants...Poke Sallet barely scratches the surface of what she knew.
Thank you for this explanation I have one growing wild and will try the leaves and stems along with trying to make a salve for my arthritis in my hands
I stopped mowing and these plants sprung up al over my yard. Growing up citified had no o idea what to do with them so I asked God yesterday to let me know what to do with them and no lie this some video popped up today
I've had arthritis / rheumatism in my legs since I had Covid in Jan. 2021. Been tested by 3 doctors, no clue what was wrong. I ate 3 poke berries morning and evening for 5 days. The third day, I was out of pain for the first time in 20 months. I can do steps, jog, get up from the floor, like I could 5 years ago. 66 years old and feel good again.
My neighbor started taking 8 per day, his arthritis is 60-80% improved, his psoriasis is ever starting to clear up. Have you heard that from anyone else ?@@McGieHomesteadAdventures
Wish we had poke berries in Ohio I am sitting on the chair in extreme pain from arthritus nothing helps doctor said I have it in 70 per cent of my body I am wondering if I could buy some plants and grow them her in Northeast Ohio I am will to try any thing I can barely walk today...
I had a quick onset of debilitating pain in my lower back and hips. In a desperate need for relief, I tried the berries for the first time. Day one -let one dissolve on my tongue, followed by a swig of water (no chewing). Day2, two. Day3, three. Significant improvement, no side effects, followed by 2 days no berries. Next two days, 3 berries each day. Pain disappeared completely. It's been over a month and no sign of pain at all. I'll try making jelly next season. It was so worth it for me!
that is anecdotal. because all the science that has gone into it yielded absolutely no results. if you can go right to WebMD and look up pokeweed berries. there is absolutely no scientific evidence that it does anything. It contain cyanide and so what you're doing is slowly dosing yourself with cyanide you might have some swelling go down. and when you do that you're building a tolerance but you're beating the heck out of your liver I would not even venture down that path unless I knew of a study that day showed long-term effects
Ok Tim I’m gonna have to give you the boot here in a bit. If you’ve lived here long at all you should have figured out that doctors don’t have your best interest in mind whatsoever! Dude listen, doctors…. The FDA …. Or big pharmaceutical companies can’t make money from the use of poke or any other natural remedy. Dude! Pull your head out your hind end just long enough to realize, ibuprofen, is harder on the liver than poke…… Ok you can put it back in now. I’m monitoring your activity in the comments and you are nuts……. And when I called you out on a crazy one you said that you didn’t say any of it!😂😂😂😂😂
@@McGieHomesteadAdventures don’t forget Tylenol. It’s terrible for your liver and the absolute worst thing to give a child with a fever after a vaccine which is what drs tell you to do. Crazy. BUT if I tell my adult kids I’m gonna eat these “toxic” berries that they’ve watched me try to get rid of for 2 years now, to see if my arthritis pain goes away, because some guy on YT told me it’s safe, they are going to think I’m nuts.
My wife has arthritis and a lady told my about poke berries and she eats every weeks since then and she doesn't have any more pain. She used to be fine and in 5 minutes letter crying with pain she can't even move her arm. Now she is great. It's work for my wife 100% we keep it frozen. Thanks.
@@McGieHomesteadAdventures No problem, thanks to you for your work. I watched your channel yesterday and I love it I subscribed to it. Thanks and may God bless you. God bless USA 🇺🇸
My grandfather kept a jug of poke berry wine beside his bed and sipped on it for his arthritis. He would take an extra sip before preaching a sermon at his church. It made for an interesting message lol!
I watched your video last summer , while scouting for Deer season my knees And hips had so much pain I knew I was through Deer hunting, the pain was more than I could stand! I decided to try the berries , I ate 3 the first day, wasn't sick for 3 days, took 6 More on day 3 , I've taken as many as 10 berries a day on a regular basis! I can and have walked 4 miles in the woods lately and have very little pain! It's gave me my life back!
It has been a longtime belief that for every ailment in this world the good Lord left a remedy in nature. So much natural medicinal knowledge has been lost due to the greed for profit and monetary gain. Thank you for sharing your time.
So true, God has given us natural remedies to use, but as you say, a lot has been lost, when I am gone Home, there will be one less to teach this generation.
This is what I have been saying for years. I am so thankful to have grown up with a heritage that encouraged natural treatments and a mom who shared her passed down knowledge of wild medicinal and edible plants. I also feel lucky to live in an area extremely rich in those natural resources, Southeastern U.S.A. I am 68 years old, and I take no Rx meds for anything. Every chemical drug on the market was created by trying to copy some natural medicine. Why not use the original, and without the modern side effects?
My grandmother squeezed the juice from the berries and sipped it for arthritis. In the late 1800s through the 1940s she was considered a homeopathic healer in her small community.
OMGosh, I watched your video earlier today because I have been researching information about poke berries. So after I finished watching it, I went and harvested some that we have growing on our land. I ate a couple of the berries as I was picking them, then when I got them washed, ate a couple more. Within twenty minutes I could feel the arthritic pain leaving my hands. So I made a post about it on my Facebook page because I was all excited, and about 10 of my friends immediately started freaking out saying they were poisonous, so I just deleted the post. I called one of them and he said, "Don't eat those: you'll die!" I tried to tell him I had been researching it, but I couldn't convince him. It's been several hours and I'm not dead yet, lol, AND my pain level is down. So I am taking 5 more tomorrow, then maybe 8 on the last day. That will be three days of taking them. The only side effect I really had was it did give me gas. But that was a plus too, because my stomach feels a lot less bloated. Matter of fact, that part felt better too (my intestinal tract) because the bloating I constantly have, went away! I am very pleased with the results, and so glad I found your video. Also, I subscribed. Thanks again! 😊
Girl you had me cracking up people always talking about poke salat will kill you oh please and when I make the leaves I just wash once and cook them been dot it for years and the juice is delicious and I cook the stalk to may try the berries next
Don’t dare eat it without cooking it and draining off the water a couple times…… you might get away with it after easing your digestive system into it….. but definitely not the first time!
Like any other "medicinal" plant, the threshold between poisonous and safe is based on the individual. Also the poisonous effects of pokeberries can go far beyond just diarrhea and can include heart damage and even death. Yes the berries can be eaten, with caution. The young leaves can be eaten, again with caution and careful preparation. The roots can be used externally, with considerable caution. Even deadly plants like foxglove, deadly nightshade and dogbane can be used medicinally in the right dosage. Elderberries, which many people vaunt for their health benefits, are poisonous before becoming completely ripe and can cause problems for some people even when completely ripe. Never, and I do mean NEVER!! start off at a higher dosage. IF you want to try pokeberries for arthritis relief, start at one berry a day for three to four days then take a break for 3-4 days. Then you can move to 2 berries a day for 3-4 days and take another break. Alternatively, you have one berry 3 times a week, then 2 berries three times a week, then maybe 3 berries a day three times a week. DO not take 8 berries a day.
Spot on and Great advice. Digitalis for heart disease comes from the Foxglove plant which is both deadly and beneficial if you know what you are doing. Always take guidance from a knowledgeable herbalist and homeopathic healer.
I'm 76 and as a young child helped my grandma pick poke then mixit with mustard greens for supper. People get busy with life and forget a lot of these things. Thanks for bringing back some fond memories.
My Grandpa, used them for arthristis and Rheumatiz I have seen him eat a handfull at a time and never hurt him and he lived to be 99, they work for sure..
Thankyou for this video and also for the older gentleman who was 80 who commented. People who learn from older generation and the older people themselves are the ones i like to hear.
I’ve had arthritis in my neck and lower back for around 10 years now that has slowly gotten worse. This year I had to start taking an over the counter nsaid which I am not a fan of. Even my Dr. says that I can’t take the nsaid for long periods of time because they can cause stomach bleeding. Oh joy! Knowing that God put many plants down here for medicinal purposes I thought that I’d dig a little deeper. That’s when I came across the other video you mentioned that you made. Knowing that apple seeds contain cyanid and yet we eat apples and the fact that sooooo many people have videos on here about the benefits of this berry I decided to give them a try. I ate 8 of them careful to not chew the seeds three days ago and for the first time this year I didn’t take the nsaid before bed. There wasn’t any flip-flopping that night due to pain. Today is my third day of eating 8 berries and I’ve got more mobility in my neck than I have had in 10 years. In fact the shooting electrical pain/sensation I was getting down my left arm is gone! The sound of rice crispies when I roll my head...gone! There is still some pain in my lower back but it’s nowhere near as bad. Will it get better completely and how long will this relief last? Only time will tell but I can tell you that I’ve clipped every tag available in our yard and will store them in my freezer just in case. Who would have thought that a berry we played with as kid driving our mother crazy would have medical use? Though we were familiar with poke “salet” mom never took chances with our health so we didn’t eat it. I’m no longer viewing these plants as weeds and will be making some jelly next season.
❤ thanks for sharing! This is very powerful. I have a few elderly family members that are suffering from severe arthritis pain and my mission is to help them as much as possible.
I have great respect for people who study and know the uses of plants in their area. A few generations ago communities did not have a drug store on every corner. People relied upon locally known home remedies. The way things are going in the world today it may do everyone well to be familiar with traditional home remedies. I appreciate this information Micah. Keep up the good work.
Growing up in Florida we always referred to this weed as Polk Salad and no we didn't eat it. Believe me, I'm the oldest of seven kids and I remember dad telling mom his new job as a laundryman was going to up his weekly pay to $45.00 (before taxes). We never had much and I remember many nights of sitting at the dinner table with all my family eating our bowl of cornbread with a half a cup of milk from a dairy two miles down the road. My job was to walk to the dairy and purchase two gallons of milk that cost a whopping $1.45. By the time I got back dad would have two pones of cornbread ready for the milk. We eat, worked and prayed every night at the dinner table. Turned out I learned valuable things that I wasn't aware of at the time. Did I get picked at in school by other kids that had it better, hell yes, all of us did. But dad always taught us to respect other people and I grew up knowing who Jesus was and I speak to Him daily as He is my Lord and Savior. I can't wait to get to Heaven so I can really thank my dad for what he did to keep a family of nine going until we all grew up. We are aging now but all are doing fine. I guess Jesus wanted me to speak of him and share His gospel, He is alive and will be coming back real soon. Please enjoy your life, you will with God. Thank you for reading this I didn't know I was going to get here from Polk Salad/ Poke Sallet. 🙏🙏🙏
I’m a firm believer that kids should be raised with the proper amount of being deprived in order to succeed in life! Look at the people that were raised with everything they wanted!
@@McGieHomesteadAdventures ...... this is absolutely true, children raised without humility, respect, learning patience and care for others and given everything they want when they want it does not have these traits. They never have to face real life experience's, they don't have the tools to struggle a little and work for what you get. It's the parents fault if they have busy lives and make good money they usually don't have the time or patience to deal with their kids so give them what they want and send them down the road. Now this is not necessarily the case with all kids but definitely the higher percentage. I live a very meager life and enjoy my solitude but when I'm out I love to talk and share things with folks of all ages. I'm pretty sure this problem our country is in now and the direction it's traveling is testament to this. Man is born with sin in his veins, as you know you don't have to teach a child to say no, to hit or bite other little kids around them. You don't have to teach them to steal other's belongings or lie to your face, these things come naturally due to our sin nature, the falling away from God. Without God you will never have it here or in Heaven. Your soul which never dies has a choice where it goes after this body wears out and perishes. You will have a choice of one of two places, your choice. Sorry I'm so long winded, may our God bless all who reads this and thinks about it. Call on Jesus He IS the only way.
My grandfather never ate the berries but he loved the young plant steams. We would boil and dump the water just once and never had any issues. I had an aunt who lived to be 102 who swore by the health benefits of this plant. She has passed now but who can argue with someone who lived to 102? Anyways we recently moved and have alot of property and there are pokeberry bushes all over the place here.
I live in Michigan on 10 acres and never saw Poke (weed?) until 2 years ago. I have it now. This video is great to tell me I have something useful in Poke. And your comment verifies. Thank you.
Mr.you are an intelligent human being. ..we have many things around us to make us feel better..my great grandmother full Osage indian helped us children get through sickness you are bringing back memories of 50 years ago..
First time seeing your channel. Just this morning I had 10-12 berries right off the plant. Yes, absolutely it helps with arthritis. I have been eating the berries for 50 plus years and only once did I have any noticeable stomach upset. That was because I ate two or three full clusters at one sitting. I was out hiking, came across a beautiful stand of Poke Sallet and since I was hungry, I ate a lot of them. About an hour later, they removed themselves from my intestinal tract and I was good to go again. I eat 8-12 berries every day they are edible each year to absolutely wonderful relief from joint pain. One must use caution and common sense with the Poke plant. I love the stalk pickled and the leaves mixed in with turnip greens
So glad this came across my feed. I have a huge plant that is covered in ripe berries. I had a great aunt that lived to be 101. She LOVED the leaves. I don’t care for them. I haven’t taken the bush down because I’ve been trying to learn about herbal medicine and just couldn’t bear to take it down even though I have only heard the berries were poisonous. I think God led me to you video. I’m going to pick the berries today and make a tincture. Thank you!!
I boil it a few times and then fry eggs in it just like spinach and eggs. Can’t tell much difference. My city raised wife likes it now. Been eating it all my life like this.
Your interest in the plant lead you to this video not God. Your definition of using God in that way is your mind and your heart this God you speak of I would like to know your true definition because you're using it wrong.
@stephanharris7771 God uses natural means to lead us because we’re natural creatures. He’s used some mighty coincidental circumstances to save my life several times!
If you never had poke berries, don’t start with a high dosage. Start with one the first day, then two the second day and keep increasing until your body says “no”. You’ll know your dosage this way. Same with the tincture: one drop the first day, two drops the second and so on. It supposed to clear the lymph system and I assume this is the reason why it fixes so many problems, including tumors.
Absolutely a tincture of this is generational medicine, only takes a few drops, the dangerous with this is if you have any underlying mental issues, cause this stuff works on central nervous system and can cause excitability, 1 drop or 1 berry a day is how powerful this stuff is, it flushes out the lymphatic system, and is why it works so well with respiratory virus, pneumonia, etc, powerful stuff, I have some one hand it will last a lifetime
Make a tincture by soaking in alcohol, like vodka. Go easy since you don't know the strength, be careful. I'm told the new leaves of short plants are safe without boiling, again proceed with caution.
I have rheumatoid arthritis in my neck and hands. After seeing your video I saw some in my yard a few days earlier and went and picked them and placed them in my freezer. I have taken 4 a day to start to see how my body reacts to them. So far no issues at all and if anything its helping . Thanks for your video and your channel... Traci
@@McGieHomesteadAdventures at times I've had to take so much ibuprofen because that arthritis causes migraine headaches and I'm looking for a homeopathic remedy as I just retired from my job because of the stress
My grandparents ate 2 poke berries everyday. They lived to ripe old ages and were healthy and active the whole way. Of course they also drank a cup of fresh sassafrass tea everyday too!
My dad showed me alot about poke salad and sassafras teas, watercress, wild turnip greens, I love nature plants and GOD gave us everything we need to live healthy but man has sprayed pesticide harmful sprays on the weeds and plants and flowers all the pollution in the air from diesel fuel jet fuel toxins everywhere even the air we all breathe in even at home .roundup to the soap and shampoo we use is toxin my GOD JEHOVAH help us in this fallen sinful cruel world everything is about money today... I would love to live back in the old days with horse and buggy , fire place , Wood stove solar power for a few hours , or for the night , even Teepee or tent , old log cabin homes farm animals with a creek and some land that I would love to live off the land, eat fresh vegetables , fresh meat and fruits goats milk soap and lotions etc...etc ..I could go on and on..lol.. peace (John 3:16).LOVE GOD
I don't usually like these types of interviews with little awkward kids, but this one is hilarious. When he said "astringent" I laughed. When he said, "If you need a laxative, this might be your ticket" I died laughing.
thank you for the video. I have a huge pokeweed in my yard. I want to try using it for my back pain. LOL God sure was looking out for us when he made every plant.
and here I have been pulling the seedlings out of my garden beds! Just on the other side of the fence there is a water reservoir that has a huge and healthy looking poke plant growing. The doves LOVE the berries, I see purple spots all over where they poop them out. I guess a lot have gotten into my garden beds because they are popping up everywhere. I'm going to start transplanting them out to different spots in the yard now. This big plant on the other side of the chainlink fence is also growing well oven onto my side, with lots of purple berries right now. I've been having pain and swelling in one of my knees. I never considered it might be arthritis, but whatever it is, maybe the berries will help. I'm going to find out :) Thanks for the information, and thanks to all the commenters who have taken the time to write their experiences and stories from their elders. Crowdsourcing at it's best! I might try some of the leaves and stalks based on the recipes of commenters... if they are suitable for harvesting right now.
It was good to come across your video today. Folks think I'm crazy for the natural remedies that I use. But I do have arthritis and I take one poke berry a day to keep it under control. If I have a day that I'm feeling it, I up it to three berries. I don't freeze them, but I do dehydrate them. As a matter of fact, I have some in the dehydrator right now. Once dried, I just put them into an airtight container and keep them in with my vitamins. Thanks for the video!
@@markm8188 I swallow it whole, like a pill. I don't chew, because the seed is the part that you don't want to penetrate. The seed itself will pass right on through your system.
I am 60 years old and have always loved poke salad and eggs cooked together. I've eaten it cooked with onions. An older gentleman told my Dad about the berries and they work on the arthritis pain. We froze them and had them all year.
I have to say that i stumbled on this video and I am southern born and raised. I was always under the impression that poke berries are poison........Guess i learned something today. in fact i have a couple bushes in my yard i keep cutting back I will let them grow and do more home work thanks for the lesson I do have arthritis in my feet hope it wont make me sick.
Yes I know a few people who take them for arthritis and they are off all of their prescription drugs for arthritis now . I have personally taken them and they do exactly like he said
My dad was born in Alabama in 1938 half Indian so his dad couldn't find a job. They buried they food in the winter and foraged and in the summer every meal had poke salad. They survived and were healthy from it. His mom had one hand and arthritis and took the berries every day. It's amazing how much we have lost in the last few generations that we need to learn again. I'm 43 now but when I was a kid he always let 1 plant grow just so he could look at it and remember those days so even though he is gone I let 1 plant grow to remember him and it's a beautiful plant.
@@McGieHomesteadAdventures thank you. He passed on many stories about growing up in a family of 13 in a one room cabin on cheehaw mountain. His mom was born with one hand and had 11 kids. His dad was Indian and in those days well... Indians or Even " half breeds" weren't seen as people. So his dad made moonshine. He told me a story about how they made fireworks by hollowing out a log to make a bowl shape, putting hot coals in there and one person poured a little water on the. While the other person hit it with the back of a. Ax. Instant fireworks. I love how people had to be creative to do things. And he raised me to think that way. Being female isn't an excuse for not being able to do anything a man can do, maybe just do it a little different to get the result. I can change my oil, do most repairs, plumbing, roofing, use any saw and build anything I need myself. It is nice to have a husband to help though lol.
@@jeaniedeveau Absolutely! My grandmother was a very strong independent woman who taught me a lot about loving work! I’ve got a friend in Alabama who has Indian in his blood and he was explaining why there is a high population of Native American people in Alabama……. Very interesting and sad
@@McGieHomesteadAdventures I agree. My dad decided he wanted better for his mom and siblings when his dad died. He is the middle child and had the guts to hitchhike South alone at 17 yeara old to find a new place with better opportunities for his family. He landed in Orlando Florida. Got a job at a boat manufacturers place and lived in cardboard boxes on the streets for a year to save every penny. He found a house bought that and moved all his siblings and mother here. I now own that house that's 110 years old and appreciate everything he gave me more than anyone can know. My granny helped raise me living in that house we were all crammed in. She taught me to garden as soon as I could walk and gave me my own bed when I was 3 . She would help but not do. I appreciate her for the fact i grow as much food as I can organically and am healthier than the average person with lupus.
Interestingly. He was a boxer then a street racer and that landed him in the chain gang the last year they had it here. He worked hard and created his own septic business and that was my first job. I was the gopher, then the line dragger, digger, then the stirrer. That pump truck was what I learned to drive in when I was 14. He wanted me to be able to drive anything if I needed to ( so scary) It was a kinda gross job but I learned so much. Those lessons taught me to work hard. I had 3 jobs and built my first house I owned and closed on before I turned 19. Hard work is not taught anymore and it's sad.
I made a 10" high raised bed this summer with trellis for my squash. Somehow, two poke plants started growing in it about two feet apart. I saw two more poke plants growing near my fence, so I pulled the two in the raised bed by the roots this fall to make a tincture, and will now put the berries in the freezer. So very cool!
I had one start in my back garden. I didn't know what it was. Someone told me it was a poke plant, and it was very toxic. I tried to cut it down, but it kept coming back. Pulling it out by the roots didn't work because I couldn't get it all out. Took 5 years to get rid of it, next thing I knew it came up in my neighbor's flowerbed. Now I wish I would have kept it. Thanks for the video and all the great comments.
Poke berries grow wild around my yard every year. I did not know you could eat them, but I went and harvested several and took five if they do everything everybody says they do I’ll be eating poke berries for the rest of my life. Thank you.
The little man is being taught absolutely beautiful by his folks.blessings in abundance.id be a volunteer, but I'm not sure there's pokeberry bushes around my neck of the woods.
I've eaten poke salat since a child. We just boiled it like any greens and ate it. My whole life I never heard anyone say to boil it more than once until the last ten years. We never boiled it and never threw the water out like you said. It never gave anyone diarrhea. It was just the most delicious greens. Harlan Kentucky has a Poke Salat Festival every spriing.
We never boiled it. We would wash it and cut it up, stalks and all, in a bowl, and add a heaping tablespoon or so of flour and a tablespoon or cornmeal some salt and stir. Not all the leaves would get coated but thats ok. Put it in a skillet and fry it on medium heat turning often until the stalks were soft and put in strainer drain then enjoy. Best part of spring except Hickory chickens (Morels)
It does work in my opinion. Been taking them for years, as for as I know it hasn't killed me, but the instruction I have is to start with one a day and work up to three , this from an old Cherokee . I pick and freeze them for the winter to keep my supply till the next spring. Just keep in mind at some level everything can be toxic. Good luck 👍
Hi all, a year later I am happy to report that I had one plant. I hope it will multiply next year. I did get enough seeds to freeze so I can have a few every day until next summer. I wonder if poke-weed does not like it so much in the coastal areas of Maine? I have similar issues with my nettles; a few years ago , I got a root to grow and spread a but not even close to the abundance it does in Germany. There they grow even in cities, anywhere, patches often so bi that we can roll in it (arthritis). My one pokeweed plant was only about 30 " tall in sun. I hope you all had a good harvest season, my most abundant crop was plantain, which I treasure greatly,
I asked a botanist from NYC and he said yes, pokeweed grows there, too. I don't know about Maine.....this summer I have fireweed coming up because of some of the nice stands of it I saw in fields up in Maine. I didn't use any ashes, either. It's starting to have flower shoots coming up, so I'll see what it does for the rest of the season.
There was an old lady who lived by my family when I was a kid, and she would grate the root, boil it, and use the poke root stock to treat poison ivy. I think it was best when the plant was flowering out. Rub it on the poison ivy rash and the rash would dry up in a couple of days. It stung pretty bad, but that meant it was working. Better than anything else I’ve run across.
Oh my lord. I live in texas. My mom's family is in Floyd County Kentucky, grandmother Irish, grandfather Cherokee. Here in texas in the spring after the rains, poke salad is everywhere. I have had Polk greens for my entire life and I am 63. The only deadly about them are the snakes hiding under them. My grandfather died of a heart attack brought on by black lung. He was a coal miner. He left my grandmother 11 kids to raise and if it was edible it was eaten. My great aunt was a mountain witch, a healer with wild herbs and poultices.when they were young there were no Dr's up Spewing Camp Holler. ANY person that thinks this man is crazy don't know their butt from a hole in the ground
I asked my husband the other day "do you think any of these Dr's or nurses would even know how to heal if not for technology and the long arm of the pharmaceutical companies? " . I would think not.
I put it to the test. My knees were killing me so I eat 8 berries per day for 3 days. My knees eased of for about 2 weeks. I plan to repeat the process and then start taking 1 berry per day. Hopefully that will help long term.
@yuiopoli9601 what I’ve learned is that for some people it doesn’t take as many as for others. I had a man tell me today that 3 berries per day for 3 days really helped him with his debilitating pain! I suggest everyone take a slow approach to making sure they are not allergic and go from there!
Great video! We have these all.over our garden and at first we thought they were elderberries. When we found out they were pokeberries...and heard they were poisonous, we were so disappointed. Now we know we csn use them! Awesome! Thank.you!
A few yrs back I was eating poke berry's. A few a couple times a week, off and on while in season. At the end of the season, I told someone I felt younger and more energetic. He ask if I was sure It wasn't Elderberry. I stopped eating them as often ; but this year I'll open back up for more consumption like I was before. Thanks so much for the post!!! 😃
For those who don't have a taste for poke sallet, try mixing a little in with turnip greens, mustard greens, etc. After parbiling the poke first, of course.
I don't know about arthritis but staying with my grandparents on the rez us kids ate the berries a lot. We also painted our faces with them (war paint lol) which made my grandmother fuss at me. I'm 70 now and except for my time in the military I've eaten poke salet seasoned with wild onions and a ham hock every spring of my life.
I've got pokeberry growing on the old farm i am living how on at the moment. The thing with eastern Europe is that the old farms don't have decorative plants, what's growing here has a use. I have made poke berry jelly, added some ginger and cloves. I'd read that they were poisonous but also that it's the seeds that are the problem, I don't eat the leaves, I have nettles for my iron intake, anyway, I've eaten poke berry jelly, I don't have arthritis but I have a swollen finger after breaking it, and it's helped for that.
And Juniper berries are supposed to help with Arthritis pain too. Juniper berries are a key ingredient of Gin. I've read of folk remedies where you eat several Gin-soaked raisins each day (can't remember how many) and it eases Arthritis pain.
For year round use and space conservation in the freezer .... I steam the berries, then press them in a fruit / sausage press to release the juice. Do not run them thru a regular juicer, as that could crush the seeds. I then put the juice in 1L (16.9 oz) water bottles and store in the freezer. Easy to transfer one into the refrigerator every week or two and I will consume as much as a whole ounce in one day ... on the days I remember, maybe 3-4 days a week. That's what I do - You do you. 60+ years old here, no commercial or pharmaceutical meds.
As a young boy I found a plant with large leaves and took one back to Grandma's house. She said if I would pick some leaves sand some watercress that grew in her spring she would make us a good salad. She added bacon too. It was good. As I recall she boiled the leaves, poured off the water and then boiled them again to cook them. She was born in Texas in 1887 and died about a month short of 94 years old. It wasn't the two eggs and two strips of bacon with real butter on the toast and grape jam that killed her or eating Poke.
Thank you for this wonderful information, i didn't know about being able to eat the berries, i was always told they were poisonous, until i learned different today, thank you so much! May God continue to bless you and you're wonderful family my brother in Christ Jesus.
My grandmother would pick the pods of berries when they were ripe. Then she would hang them up to dry. When dried she would remove the seeds from the number of berries she needed at that time. She would boil the berries with a small amount of sugar until it was semi thick. This was used for cough syrup and also the croop or other cold or flu symptoms
Great video!!! As a kid I was always told you can eat the leaves fresh in the early spring a lot of people would get the stock and and battered and fried almost like a piece of fish. Has the plant starts to age then you have to boil the leaves but at its early stage it's okay to eat fresh. Always learned that the berries were at, just to stay away from the seeds. But it makes sense to not chew them up and just swallow them... There's a lot of good medicinal things out, FDA say it's bad for your liver this or that but what they don't tell you is... Yes some of the wild plants can be hard on but that's if you consume a lot everything is good in moderation.
Just as marijuana was deemed a dangerous drug at the rise of the pharmaceutical industry, so too was Poke berries. They were used to make a spring health tonic by our "granny doctors" of the past. My grandfather always ate poke salad every year.
We gathered them in the spring just after they started coming up, 4 to about 8 inches tall. My mother boiled them, stims and all, Then fried them in bacon grease for a few minutes then scrambled an egg up in them. One of my favorite springtime dishes.
I just sat in a chair for a hour and half today to get infusions for my arthritis . Those infusions have pretty bad stuff in them like chemo I really need to try this to see if this helps. I never did it last year . Thanks for sharing !
I love poke salad you have to wash the leaves real good then boil them 3 times each time poring off the water to leach out the poison part, poke salad is wonderful with bacon drippings and scrambled eggs
Very cool. So I went out and picked some very small pokeweed leaves and cooked them up. You know, they were really good, just a little garlic and salt. MMM And to think everyone thinks they are poison... I feel great, go figure :) Thanks for the video!
I have TONS of poke berry plants growing in my yard. I have eaten the leaves and the berries RAW many times .. never bothered me at all. And the birds love the berries too. : )
@@McGieHomesteadAdventures .. Yes, I have seen many people write that they grew up eating poke berries all the time, and nobody in their family ever got cancer. : )
i commented on your last video, i tried this and it does work, you dont notice it working, until its time to eat them again. its not a overnight change, uy a gentle, gradual affect
Made jam with the whole berry, seed and all? Amazing I’m learning how to make jelly and jam. I have a pokeweed 8ft tall right next to a few black berry bushes that grow in my back yard this year. God is good 😊
It sounds wonderful! I must warn you not to chew the seeds on the poke berries. You can swallow them, but do not crack them with your teeth. Just pay attention to how you feel when you eat them. But at least you won’t have arthritis!
I just tried one. It is such a beautiful plant too - I love using them in my own flower arrangements which I got as an idea from a beautiful homesteader. And the birds love them! And they aren’t dead! 😂 I love the pink color that comes from the berry. I made an ink for my niece and she painted with it! (Just squished a bunch of the berries and added some rubbing alcohol to it). She loved it!
Some people just refuse to not see things any way but there own! Don’t let that bother you mr Micah enjoying the videos as always learn something new every time!
For sure don't worry about it! I just subscribed with both my RUclips accounts. So you lose some you gain some. So...back to like berries! Being where we are, I've heard about poke salad. I let the plants grow along the fence for the birds and pollinators. I have multiple forms of arthritis and now thinking I got to check this out! Thanks for the info! Keep being different 💯
I was taught the exact same thing about poke berries as medicine except we was told 10 berries. I grew up eating pome salad. We boiled it and drained it, then we fried it in a little bacon grease then we put it in a baking dish or left it in the cast iron skillet and baked it with boiled eggs sliced on top. Ate that many a time in my life.
Good afternoon Micah ! Polk Sallat is good as long as you don't pick them once they have any purple on them and you prepare them correctly. I watched Caleb showing us how to prepare Polk Sallat ! Awesome job and he's so precious ! You can also make a medicinal tincture with the roots. Which is used for Mastitis and other things. Thank you for sharing Micah and Caleb. Stay happy, healthy, hydrated and safe. May God continue to bless you and your family.
With all of the research I have been doing and getting advice from old timers on this plant, I have discovered that that isn’t quite true. Eating them at any stage is the same as eating them when they first sprout. I have been told to not eat the large stalks, because they are kinda woody and too fibrous, but other than that cooking the larger leaves at least 2x (regardless of whether or not the plant has berries on them) is perfectly fine. This plant has developed a serious bad reputation and I’m on a mission to uncover the truth. This will be my first year incorporating the plant into my life. I’m really excited to share this wealth of knowledge with my family and friends.
@@McGieHomesteadAdventures Thank you 😊. If you have anymore knowledge on this plant please share with us!!! Maybe interviewing your friend that taught you about the berries…? That’s would be nice. Thanks for all that you do!
@@TriggaTreDay The plant is used in medicine and has a scientific sounding name assigned to it. In herbology, it is an antitumor, anticancer, lymphatic healing herb. Now do you know why it has a bad rap? It is propaganda. With that said, since it is powerful, it should be consumed in respect to its power. I ate leaves like spinach 2 times this year, once with sauteed onions. There was no effect. I have prepared tinctures. I take a pokeweed tincture. It has helped with candida.
@@JustMe-gx4xt I just chopped up the poke root into a quart jar then filled with vodka. It cured for a minimum of 60 days. Then strain. However the poke root should only be harvested in late fall.
Many, many years ago when I was a teenager I had an old man neighbor tell me to swallow 3 whole berries a day for 7 days as soon as the berries ripen to cleanse your blood. Then in the spring to eat poke salad to cleanse your blood until the berries ripen. I've done this for years. I never knew about it being helpful for arthritis. I'll have to try the 8 berries a day for 3 days this year. Plus I'll be freezing them too and making sure to clearly lable them so no one mistakes them for blueberries. Much Love ❤
@@McGieHomesteadAdventures At times I have flares. I use different herbs, nutrients, and homeopathic combinations for it. I also avoid nightshades as much as possible. But it's hard giving up potatoes, tomatoes and sweet peppers this time of year. Hot peppers don't seem to bother me though. The worst foods seem to be strawberries and raw spinach so I only eat cooked spinach and an occasional strawberry. The weather affects my arth. the most but if I stick to my diet and take the proper precautions I can get through it with minimal flares. I have RA, OA and psoriatic arth. MRM's Joint Synergy straightened my finger joints after about a year of taking it and I no longer have to use a cane to walk. I've used it for over 20 years.Thank You for asking. Much Love ❤
Bitter fruits are one big thing missing from the modern diet, many people think that if it is not sweet it is not good for you when the fact is just the opposite.
My mom grew them along our fence. She cooked them once in a while but our chickens loved the berries. They were healthy and lived longer than average. Our eggs were dark orange yoked and whites whipped up very quickly to stiff peaks. I just remember them fried with vinegar and Tabasco. 💞
@@lionolee5480 yes... but beware where you step. Their poo will be purple and if you track it inside...it stains. Otherwise they love them and know to only eat the ripe ones. 👍
We have them all over our property! Along with stinging nettle! I used to hate them 11 yrs ago when we bought this place! 🤣 Now I harvest a bounty of each every year! I dehydrate the nettle for tea and freeze the poke berries for winter! Blessings on blessings on blessings! ❤
My kid ate a handful of pokeberries when I wasn't looking yesterday. I prayed to God that he will live multiple times. I was so worried he was going to die then I came across this video. Thank you for making this video. Thank you Jesus for keeping my son alive and thank you for making this wonderful plant to help humans.
@McGieHomesteadAdventures The funny thing is I thought I knew all about it. I have been reading online paper after paper about it for a month or so now and everything says the whole plant is poisonous you will die if you eat any part of it. 😆Roots are most poisonous, then the stem, then the leaves, then the green berries, then the purple berries are least poisonous. I am also glad you mentioned the seeds in the video and all we have to do is take them out to get the same healing effect right?
My mom (RIP) use to make home made wine every fall out of the berries. We ate the green leaves in the spring but we never ate them when the leaves looked a certain way.
When I was a youngster, my Uncle Ralph called these Rheumatiz berries. They were plentiful in the fall when we were out rabbit hunting. I don't know anyone who ever tried them, but my uncle got that name from somewhere and for some reason. Apparently people used them for rheumatism (achy joints)
My uncle and mawmaw use to cook and eat poke sallet. I have them growing wild on my land and one right out side my yard fence loaded with berries. They are so beautiful and my gut knew they had to be pretty for something. ☺️
Just found you looking for info on these in the uk 🇬🇧...thanks for sharing the knowledge 🎉🍇🫐🙏💚 subbed,liked and shared! Huge thanks from our wee community over the pond!...loving your vids & educating us with your generational knowledge 🎉😊🙏💚
Hey welcome aboard! You’re absolutely welcome and I’m pretty sure you are about to enter a place of discovery and imagination that will keep you coming back for more!!!
How providential, I knew about poke weed, never saw it in the high northeast. A week ago Ifound some in a friend's garden. She wanted it out, I planted it at home. I have been eating 4 berries since every day and ate them. I did get a few good bowel movements and feel strangely well, lost a few pounds. Since the frost and snow are coming soon I froze what I could for the winter. Unfortunately, I love the taste, I could eat them by the bushelful. I am amazed how tall your plants are. Mine is relatively small, I hope it comes back next year. I will try to plant some from seeds and hope they'll grow. (Besides, I think they are gorgeous. I do have arthritis, I am an old woman, but I don't take any medication, not even a tylenol. My mother in Germany also lived heavily off nature and made it to a strong 100. I will let ya'll know if it helps the arthritis. Oh, Mr. McGie, I wish I had a lot of that truly holy plant to make jelly with it. I would make it the same way as elderberry jelly. I pray that it will come back next spring for the greens. Thank you for this inspiring video.
Plant some close to your home's foundation where the soil won't get as cold in the winter and that might work. Make sure you water your Pokeweed because the pokeweed grows like crazy on my property and they like water for sure.
@@ModernNeandertal Thanks so much. Unfortunately the little plant I had disappeared again. I am hunting for more. If I ever find one again I'll follow your good advice. (Like your name!)
Poke berries are very common and poke Sallet grows around here in North Carolina all over the place the squirrels nest with it and eat the berries so it can't be too poisonous i've heard about making greens with it for a long time never really tried it although I might sometime try we have Mulberry trees that grow around here and they have some similar properties that the poke berries have but they're very delicious to eat the Purple Mulberries and I eat a bunch of them every summer in fact they're coming in right around June 15th is when I start picking them off the trees and eating them right off the trees
I am going to try this! I have severe arthritis and am looking to get off conventional meds. I'll let you know if it works. I know right where to find these in S.E. Wisconsin.
Do you have an update for us? I just discovered one of these plants on my property today. My husband has issues with making t-cells and I have some pretty awful knee pain, so I am very interested seeing how it worked out long term for people.
Great video Micah. I've never tried it. A bit hesitant due to blood pressure issues (I'd read that's one area it can easily affect), but you're videos on it have made me look into it more. There's a lot out there provided to us but it's a matter of sorting through truth, facts, research, etc. which I think is an interesting journey. Anyway, thanks again for the video(s).
I got high blood pressure too. Doesn't cause me any troubles. Never heard of anybody having any kind of problems from the plant. Back when I was growing up people all over ate poke. It was available canned on the shelves at the grocery stores back in the day. Fact is back in those days there was far fewer people suffering from far less things than they do today. Cancer, high blood pressure and diabetes wasn't heard of all that often. Nothing like it is today. Never seem to see any studies or even questions about all that. Go figure.
If you will try the carnivore diet you'll see it on RUclips for about 1 month you will begin to see a change in your blood pressure you will probably be able to get off any medicine see what the doctor say on RUclips about blood pressure and about diabetes and prediabetes it's amazing I've been on the diet for a month and I feel great
@@davidhale8177 thanks. I actually was carnivore and keto successfully for 2 years and it didn’t change my BP. It helped me with a lot of other issues but not BP. My doctor was super supportive and informed too and he thought my BP issue may be more from other factors which we’ve been getting under better control. I investigated keto and carnivore way before it became the “thing” to do because I wanted to know the science behind it so I’m a firm believer in it.
no no no no, you take a berry a day working your way up to 8...Some people are much more sensitive to cyanide build up which is what makes it poisonous. The difference in poison and medicine is all in the dose. Dose yourself slowly, not rapidly. I personally am very sensitive to poke sallet. Tommie Bass, one of the best American Herbalist that revamp herbalism in the USA says(according to Darryl Patton who I studied with) that you are to take 3 berries 3 times a week. But build up to that please. Foxglove is a very strong medicine but it will kill you graveyard dead if you dont watch it. From foxglove is where we get the heart medicine "digoxin." It was discovered for the heart since he causes arrhythmia.
I really appreciate that information! I’ll pin it to the top!
Mr. Bass spoke to my boy scout troop back in the day. Grand parents also use to go see him and get natural medicine
Ooops. I did 8 a day for 3 days.
@@reavisstockard5339 how'd you do with it? Did it help any ailments?
@@NaturalLilly not that I could tell.
In 1973 my son was 1 1/2 years old. He had an terrible case of diaper rash. We used all the OTC items available at that time. We bathed him between diaper changes. It still lingered on so we carried him to the Doctor. The Doctor wrote a prescription for a cream and an Antibiotic. A week later there was no improvement. My wife went to visit her Grandmother and showed her this terrible rash. She got her walking stick and a bag and walked down a little dirt road on her property. She came back with a sack full of polk berries. She made in her words a poltice. It took he about an hour and other than the polk berries we don't know what she put in it. But it was a thick deep purple salve. She rubbed it on my son and we put it on him 3 times a day in 48 hours the rash was 90 percent gone the next day he was clear of that rash, and it never came back again. The sad part of the story is this. At the time my wife and I were 17 years old and we were not smart enough to have wrote down at least some of the things that that old woman knew. She passed away in 1984 at 104 years old.
Oh my goodness! What a wealth of knowledge that wonderful grandmother was!!! Wouldn’t we all be proud to know half of what she knew!!!
Great story! Reminded me of the woman who made a Poultice for "Josey Wales"!
They don't want us to know that we can Medicaid ourselves... Our land grows medicine
I’m having this problem with my kids and grandkids
Let me guess your still not smart enough !😡
I've taken 8 a day, third day my arthritis is gone! Headed out to get more today! Thank you!!!!
That is absolutely wonderful news!
My grandmother was cheerokee indian she use to make a jam with polk seed for arthritis shed put a little on the corner of a peice of toast every day and never had joint problems she passed away at the age 96 not from eating polk seed jam she crossed the hwy to check the mailbox and 3 young boys hit her with their car at 90 miles per hour. I sure miss her she was a really sweet woman.
I’m so sorry she died that way! The elders had wisdom that we can only wish we knew!
God Bless you- so sorry to hear that. She is in the gardens of heaven- young and alive.
😘
😢❤❤❤❤ thank you for sharing her wisdom. I know you miss her so much.
A'HO
They don't want you to heal without payment.
That’s the heart of the issue right there David!
@@McGieHomesteadAdventures I grew up on poke salat, lambs quarter, sumac tea. Hell I even eat a lil poison ivy to make my allergy to it go away. It's our separation from our relationship with nature that is killing us man.
That's absolutely true!@davidmarshall7887
I’m 58 and have arthritis in my right hand so I took your advice. Now my hand doesn’t hurt at all. Thanks.
That's great! Nothing makes me happier!
Wow!
@@barrymills387 same for me!!! I’m 34 but my middle finger had been feeling crazy stiff- took the 8 berries for 3 days- it’s day five and I had to remind myself that was the initial problem lol
I have the autoimmune arthritis and fibromyalgia so my joints hurt awful all over my body and going to try this for sure.
@nativemom4992 If it isn’t successful seriously consider going to an all beef diet for 6 months! I’m blown away by the healing power of beef!
Hello my dad back in the 70's started using this his limit was 8 also he had bursitis in his knees and after 1 week he had no pain... so i tried it for my knee also(x horse jockey) many breaks and after 3 days my pain was gone so i grow them in 5 gallon buckets and when my berries get ripe i gather and freeze then and after take them like pills i am a small man 150lbs and my magic dose is 4 berries. That is how i use them. This is the very short story. Thanks for this video glad someone else knows about this.
That is awesome! I’m glad y’all are finding relief!
I’m in northeast Ohio where do I find this plant? Picture please
@@denisebrubaker8084 I could send you one! They grow all along my fence line. Just know if you have 1, you'll have a million in no time! Honestly, I pull them out or cut them down because they grow with stems as big a tree trunks in the east. Google poke week for an image.
@@denisebrubaker8084they usually grow near fence rows or field edges but generally grow where the soil has been disturbed.
Just curious if you are swallowing the seed?
I'm pushing 80 y.o., been eating Poke Sallet leaves and stalks since I was a child: actually you don't need to boil the leaves 3 times..I always boil them once, then drain off the green water, and then boil them a second time and they are ready to eat (they go great in scrambled eggs for breakfast, or by their self as a green...either way they are delicious and very nutritious). For the stems I strip off the red skin (easy), cut them into one inch chunks, give them a quick boil, drain them, roll them in corn meal , and then fry them...great: they are like fried okra. The doctors in southern states used to tell mothers to feed their children Poke Sallet in the spring. Ever hear the song 'Poe Sallet Annie'? Greatest thing about Poke is it is
free, one of God's gifts. My wife freezes them to use during the winter months. My grandmother used the berries to make jam and to treat her arthritis: she was half Cherokee Indian and her mother was a medicine woman and taught her many things about natural medicines and edible plants...Poke Sallet barely scratches the surface of what she knew.
Oh my! I’d love to know half of what she knew!!!
WOW! thats amazing
Thank you for this explanation I have one growing wild and will try the leaves and stems along with trying to make a salve for my arthritis in my hands
If you can make jelly THEY ARE SAFE!!!
Hello i would learn to make jelly or jam for my arthritis are you able to share recipes?
I stopped mowing and these plants sprung up al over my yard. Growing up citified had no o idea what to do with them so I asked God yesterday to let me know what to do with them and no lie this some video popped up today
There ya go!
Amen!! Thank you Jesus!
Yes HE loves us. Be sure to thank JESUS for your answer.
SAME!!! I asked God yesterday and found this video today.
Praise God🙏
I've had arthritis / rheumatism in my legs since I had Covid in Jan. 2021. Been tested by 3 doctors, no clue what was wrong. I ate 3 poke berries morning and evening for 5 days. The third day, I was out of pain for the first time in 20 months. I can do steps, jog, get up from the floor, like I could 5 years ago. 66 years old and feel good again.
Oh my goodness that’s amazing! I’m so happy!!!!❤️❤️❤️
My neighbor started taking 8 per day, his arthritis is 60-80% improved, his psoriasis is ever starting to clear up. Have you heard that from anyone else ?@@McGieHomesteadAdventures
I have arthritis in my shoulder one time can't get rid of and it got rid of it in my shoulder
Wish we had poke berries in Ohio I am sitting on the chair in extreme pain from arthritus nothing helps doctor said I have it in 70 per cent of my body I am wondering if I could buy some plants and grow them her in Northeast Ohio I am will to try any thing I can barely walk today...
@@Troubles0125 You can find them on walking trails in Ohio!
I had a quick onset of debilitating pain in my lower back and hips. In a desperate need for relief, I tried the berries for the first time. Day one -let one dissolve on my tongue, followed by a swig of water (no chewing). Day2, two. Day3, three. Significant improvement, no side effects, followed by 2 days no berries. Next two days, 3 berries each day. Pain disappeared completely. It's been over a month and no sign of pain at all. I'll try making jelly next season. It was so worth it for me!
That’s absolutely amazing! I’m more and more convinced that this is the real deal!
@@McGieHomesteadAdventures me too
that is anecdotal. because all the science that has gone into it yielded absolutely no results. if you can go right to WebMD and look up pokeweed berries. there is absolutely no scientific evidence that it does anything. It contain cyanide and so what you're doing is slowly dosing yourself with cyanide you might have some swelling go down. and when you do that you're building a tolerance but you're beating the heck out of your liver I would not even venture down that path unless I knew of a study that day showed long-term effects
Ok Tim I’m gonna have to give you the boot here in a bit. If you’ve lived here long at all you should have figured out that doctors don’t have your best interest in mind whatsoever! Dude listen, doctors…. The FDA …. Or big pharmaceutical companies can’t make money from the use of poke or any other natural remedy. Dude! Pull your head out your hind end just long enough to realize, ibuprofen, is harder on the liver than poke…… Ok you can put it back in now. I’m monitoring your activity in the comments and you are nuts……. And when I called you out on a crazy one you said that you didn’t say any of it!😂😂😂😂😂
@@McGieHomesteadAdventures don’t forget Tylenol. It’s terrible for your liver and the absolute worst thing to give a child with a fever after a vaccine which is what drs tell you to do. Crazy.
BUT if I tell my adult kids I’m gonna eat these “toxic” berries that they’ve watched me try to get rid of for 2 years now, to see if my arthritis pain goes away, because some guy on YT told me it’s safe, they are going to think I’m nuts.
My wife has arthritis and a lady told my about poke berries and she eats every weeks since then and she doesn't have any more pain. She used to be fine and in 5 minutes letter crying with pain she can't even move her arm. Now she is great. It's work for my wife 100% we keep it frozen. Thanks.
That is so encouraging! Keep up the good work!!!
@@McGieHomesteadAdventures
No problem, thanks to you for your work.
I watched your channel yesterday and I love it I subscribed to it. Thanks and may God bless you.
God bless USA 🇺🇸
Hi did she eat the berries raw or cook?
My grandfather kept a jug of poke berry wine beside his bed and sipped on it for his arthritis. He would take an extra sip before preaching a sermon at his church. It made for an interesting message lol!
I can definitely imagine!!!😂😂😂
One can never take chances of having a arthritis attack while preaching!!!
Need more info
@@McGieHomesteadAdventures Too funny.
Holy water 😂❤
Greetings: do you know how to make the wine as well?
I watched your video last summer , while scouting for Deer season my knees And hips had so much pain I knew I was through Deer hunting, the pain was more than I could stand! I decided to try the berries , I ate 3 the first day, wasn't sick for 3 days, took 6 More on day 3 , I've taken as many as 10 berries a day on a regular basis! I can and have walked 4 miles in the woods lately and have very little pain! It's gave me my life back!
Awesome!!! This is why I make these videos!!!
It has been a longtime belief that for every ailment in this world the good Lord left a remedy in nature.
So much natural medicinal knowledge has been lost due to the greed for profit and monetary gain.
Thank you for sharing your time.
You’re welcome!
So true, God has given us natural remedies to use, but as you say, a lot has been lost, when I am gone Home, there will be one less to teach this generation.
This is what I have been saying for years. I am so thankful to have grown up with a heritage that encouraged natural treatments and a mom who shared her passed down knowledge of wild medicinal and edible plants. I also feel lucky to live in an area extremely rich in those natural resources, Southeastern U.S.A.
I am 68 years old, and I take no Rx meds for anything. Every chemical drug on the market was created by trying to copy some natural medicine. Why not use the original, and without the modern side effects?
@@nanasamg Absolutely agreed!
That is so true Amen
My grandmother squeezed the juice from the berries and sipped it for arthritis.
In the late 1800s through the 1940s she was considered a homeopathic healer in her small community.
She knew her business!!
Homeopathic? So she diluted stuff to make it stronger?
@@stephenbrand5661 he says she squeezed the berries and drank the juice.
I don't think if you dilute anything,it makes it stronger
@@jeanhill2706 That's NOT homeopathy.
@@stephenbrand5661 SO WHAT? She did homeopathy AND drank the juice straight. open your mind! :D
OMGosh, I watched your video earlier today because I have been researching information about poke berries. So after I finished watching it, I went and harvested some that we have growing on our land. I ate a couple of the berries as I was picking them, then when I got them washed, ate a couple more. Within twenty minutes I could feel the arthritic pain leaving my hands. So I made a post about it on my Facebook page because I was all excited, and about 10 of my friends immediately started freaking out saying they were poisonous, so I just deleted the post. I called one of them and he said, "Don't eat those: you'll die!" I tried to tell him I had been researching it, but I couldn't convince him. It's been several hours and I'm not dead yet, lol, AND my pain level is down. So I am taking 5 more tomorrow, then maybe 8 on the last day. That will be three days of taking them. The only side effect I really had was it did give me gas. But that was a plus too, because my stomach feels a lot less bloated. Matter of fact, that part felt better too (my intestinal tract) because the bloating I constantly have, went away! I am very pleased with the results, and so glad I found your video. Also, I subscribed. Thanks again! 😊
That absolutely awesome my friend! Your results are quick and right on point! I love being able to help people so much!!!
Girl you had me cracking up people always talking about poke salat will kill you oh please and when I make the leaves I just wash once and cook them been dot it for years and the juice is delicious and I cook the stalk to may try the berries next
@@italisy So you wash them and cook them? No parboiling at all? I’m new to cooking it and wanted to know.
Don’t dare eat it without cooking it and draining off the water a couple times…… you might get away with it after easing your digestive system into it….. but definitely not the first time!
@@McGieHomesteadAdventures thank you
Like any other "medicinal" plant, the threshold between poisonous and safe is based on the individual. Also the poisonous effects of pokeberries can go far beyond just diarrhea and can include heart damage and even death. Yes the berries can be eaten, with caution. The young leaves can be eaten, again with caution and careful preparation. The roots can be used externally, with considerable caution. Even deadly plants like foxglove, deadly nightshade and dogbane can be used medicinally in the right dosage. Elderberries, which many people vaunt for their health benefits, are poisonous before becoming completely ripe and can cause problems for some people even when completely ripe. Never, and I do mean NEVER!! start off at a higher dosage. IF you want to try pokeberries for arthritis relief, start at one berry a day for three to four days then take a break for 3-4 days. Then you can move to 2 berries a day for 3-4 days and take another break. Alternatively, you have one berry 3 times a week, then 2 berries three times a week, then maybe 3 berries a day three times a week. DO not take 8 berries a day.
Spot on and Great advice. Digitalis for heart disease comes from the Foxglove plant which is both deadly and beneficial if you know what you are doing. Always take guidance from a knowledgeable herbalist and homeopathic healer.
I'm 76 and as a young child helped my grandma pick poke then mixit with mustard greens for supper. People get busy with life and forget a lot of these things. Thanks for bringing back some fond memories.
You’re very welcome!
My Grandpa, used them for arthristis and Rheumatiz I have seen him eat a handfull at a time and never hurt him and he lived to be 99, they work for sure..
Absolutely I’m more convinced now than ever!
I take them for arthritis as well
Thankyou for this video and also for the older gentleman who was 80 who commented. People who learn from older generation and the older people themselves are the ones i like to hear.
@@sarahcron71 Hi sarah, do you take the poke berries every day? If so, how many?
I’ve had arthritis in my neck and lower back for around 10 years now that has slowly gotten worse. This year I had to start taking an over the counter nsaid which I am not a fan of. Even my Dr. says that I can’t take the nsaid for long periods of time because they can cause stomach bleeding. Oh joy! Knowing that God put many plants down here for medicinal purposes I thought that I’d dig a little deeper. That’s when I came across the other video you mentioned that you made. Knowing that apple seeds contain cyanid and yet we eat apples and the fact that sooooo many people have videos on here about the benefits of this berry I decided to give them a try. I ate 8 of them careful to not chew the seeds three days ago and for the first time this year I didn’t take the nsaid before bed. There wasn’t any flip-flopping that night due to pain. Today is my third day of eating 8 berries and I’ve got more mobility in my neck than I have had in 10 years. In fact the shooting electrical pain/sensation I was getting down my left arm is gone! The sound of rice crispies when I roll my head...gone! There is still some pain in my lower back but it’s nowhere near as bad. Will it get better completely and how long will this relief last? Only time will tell but I can tell you that I’ve clipped every tag available in our yard and will store them in my freezer just in case. Who would have thought that a berry we played with as kid driving our mother crazy would have medical use? Though we were familiar with poke “salet” mom never took chances with our health so we didn’t eat it. I’m no longer viewing these plants as weeds and will be making some jelly next season.
Thanks so much for letting us know! That is exactly why I make these videos! I’m so happy to hear that you feel better!
So do you strain off the seeds if you make the jelly?
Yes absolutely!
❤ thanks for sharing! This is very powerful. I have a few elderly family members that are suffering from severe arthritis pain and my mission is to help them as much as possible.
I’ve got so many great testimonies from people that have been helped with this!
I have great respect for people who study and know the uses of plants in their area. A few generations ago communities did not have a drug store on every corner. People relied upon locally known home remedies. The way things are going in the world today it may do everyone well to be familiar with traditional home remedies. I appreciate this information Micah. Keep up the good work.
Thanks Joe……. It’s fun to learn these things!
VERY WELL SAID I COMPLETELY AGREE
Anyone can see that this guy has done some extensive study and is no fool!
That boy is so sweet!
I'm an old timer and still use natural remedies.
@@lewisdixon6203 That is very encouraging!
Growing up in Florida we always referred to this weed as Polk Salad and no we didn't eat it. Believe me, I'm the oldest of seven kids and I remember dad telling mom his new job as a laundryman was going to up his weekly pay to $45.00 (before taxes). We never had much and I remember many nights of sitting at the dinner table with all my family eating our bowl of cornbread with a half a cup of milk from a dairy two miles down the road. My job was to walk to the dairy and purchase two gallons of milk that cost a whopping $1.45. By the time I got back dad would have two pones of cornbread ready for the milk. We eat, worked and prayed every night at the dinner table. Turned out I learned valuable things that I wasn't aware of at the time. Did I get picked at in school by other kids that had it better, hell yes, all of us did. But dad always taught us to respect other people and I grew up knowing who Jesus was and I speak to Him daily as He is my Lord and Savior. I can't wait to get to Heaven so I can really thank my dad for what he did to keep a family of nine going until we all grew up. We are aging now but all are doing fine. I guess Jesus wanted me to speak of him and share His gospel, He is alive and will be coming back real soon. Please enjoy your life, you will with God. Thank you for reading this I didn't know I was going to get here from Polk Salad/ Poke Sallet. 🙏🙏🙏
I’m a firm believer that kids should be raised with the proper amount of being deprived in order to succeed in life! Look at the people that were raised with everything they wanted!
@@McGieHomesteadAdventures ...... this is absolutely true, children raised without humility, respect, learning patience and care for others and given everything they want when they want it does not have these traits. They never have to face real life experience's, they don't have the tools to struggle a little and work for what you get. It's the parents fault if they have busy lives and make good money they usually don't have the time or patience to deal with their kids so give them what they want and send them down the road. Now this is not necessarily the case with all kids but definitely the higher percentage. I live a very meager life and enjoy my solitude but when I'm out I love to talk and share things with folks of all ages.
I'm pretty sure this problem our country is in now and the direction it's traveling is testament to this. Man is born with sin in his veins, as you know you don't have to teach a child to say no, to hit or bite other little kids around them. You don't have to teach them to steal other's belongings or lie to your face, these things come naturally due to our sin nature, the falling away from God. Without God you will never have it here or in Heaven. Your soul which never dies has a choice where it goes after this body wears out and perishes. You will have a choice of one of two places, your choice. Sorry I'm so long winded, may our God bless all who reads this and thinks about it. Call on Jesus He IS the only way.
Amen Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords
Amen... Jesus is Lord 🎉❤
Thank you for your testimony, was a blessing for me..God bless 🙌
My grandfather never ate the berries but he loved the young plant steams. We would boil and dump the water just once and never had any issues. I had an aunt who lived to be 102 who swore by the health benefits of this plant. She has passed now but who can argue with someone who lived to 102? Anyways we recently moved and have alot of property and there are pokeberry bushes all over the place here.
That’s awesome! And I’m never going to second guess a 102 year old!!😂😂
I live in Michigan on 10 acres and never saw Poke (weed?) until 2 years ago. I have it now. This video is great to tell me I have something useful in Poke. And your comment verifies. Thank you.
Pls I need this where can I find it
It’s growing wild but only in warm weather, the berries are ripe in late summer
Mr.you are an intelligent human being. ..we have many things around us to make us feel better..my great grandmother full Osage indian helped us children get through sickness you are bringing back memories of 50 years ago..
I would really enjoy being taught the things she knew!
First time seeing your channel. Just this morning I had 10-12 berries right off the plant. Yes, absolutely it helps with arthritis. I have been eating the berries for 50 plus years and only once did I have any noticeable stomach upset. That was because I ate two or three full clusters at one sitting. I was out hiking, came across a beautiful stand of Poke Sallet and since I was hungry, I ate a lot of them. About an hour later, they removed themselves from my intestinal tract and I was good to go again. I eat 8-12 berries every day they are edible each year to absolutely wonderful relief from joint pain. One must use caution and common sense with the Poke plant. I love the stalk pickled and the leaves mixed in with turnip greens
Very good observation! I’m glad I’m not the only one!
BS
@@robertlangley258 , If you're going to call BS, explain why. Otherwise, you're just being a useless troll.
..........as one to another.....
Thank you. I’ve been trying to figure out what kind of dosing is safe and effective. Such an amazing herb.
So glad this came across my feed. I have a huge plant that is covered in ripe berries. I had a great aunt that lived to be 101. She LOVED the leaves. I don’t care for them. I haven’t taken the bush down because I’ve been trying to learn about herbal medicine and just couldn’t bear to take it down even though I have only heard the berries were poisonous. I think God led me to you video. I’m going to pick the berries today and make a tincture. Thank you!!
Awesome! Please let me know how it goes!!!
I boil it a few times and then fry eggs in it just like spinach and eggs. Can’t tell much difference. My city raised wife likes it now. Been eating it all my life like this.
Eaten the greens all my life, I'm 70. I boil once and rinse. Have eaten berries before, I spit out seeds, didn't hurt me.
Your interest in the plant lead you to this video not God. Your definition of using God in that way is your mind and your heart this God you speak of I would like to know your true definition because you're using it wrong.
@stephanharris7771 God uses natural means to lead us because we’re natural creatures. He’s used some mighty coincidental circumstances to save my life several times!
you DO NOT have to boil THREE times. two times at 10 minutes each time with fresh water each time has always been sufficient.
Ok thanks for the info!
If you never had poke berries, don’t start with a high dosage. Start with one the first day, then two the second day and keep increasing until your body says “no”. You’ll know your dosage this way. Same with the tincture: one drop the first day, two drops the second and so on. It supposed to clear the lymph system and I assume this is the reason why it fixes so many problems, including tumors.
I wanna make a tincture!
Absolutely a tincture of this is generational medicine, only takes a few drops, the dangerous with this is if you have any underlying mental issues, cause this stuff works on central nervous system and can cause excitability, 1 drop or 1 berry a day is how powerful this stuff is, it flushes out the lymphatic system, and is why it works so well with respiratory virus, pneumonia, etc, powerful stuff, I have some one hand it will last a lifetime
Do you think someone with one kidney could try this?
Make a tincture by soaking in alcohol, like vodka. Go easy since you don't know the strength, be careful. I'm told the new leaves of short plants are safe without boiling, again proceed with caution.
Question do you make a tincture with the berries in the traditional way of putting them in a jar covered with alcohol and let soak 4-6 weeks??
Pharmaceutical companies don't want to hear this..... You can grow your own medicine people
I have rheumatoid arthritis in my neck and hands. After seeing your video I saw some in my yard a few days earlier and went and picked them and placed them in my freezer. I have taken 4 a day to start to see how my body reacts to them. So far no issues at all and if anything its helping . Thanks for your video and your channel... Traci
Thanks traci! I really believe that in time you will have relief!
@@McGieHomesteadAdventures at times I've had to take so much ibuprofen because that arthritis causes migraine headaches and I'm looking for a homeopathic remedy as I just retired from my job because of the stress
@@Traci_S_Aaron I feel for people in pain! I hope you feel better soon!
@@McGieHomesteadAdventures Yes your a spiritual healer as well
@@Traci_S_Aaron Thank you Traci.
My grandparents ate 2 poke berries everyday. They lived to ripe old ages and were healthy and active the whole way. Of course they also drank a cup of fresh sassafrass tea everyday too!
That’s good clean livin’ right there!
My dad showed me alot about poke salad and sassafras teas, watercress, wild turnip greens, I love nature plants and GOD gave us everything we need to live healthy but man has sprayed pesticide harmful sprays on the weeds and plants and flowers all the pollution in the air from diesel fuel jet fuel toxins everywhere even the air we all breathe in even at home .roundup to the soap and shampoo we use is toxin my GOD JEHOVAH help us in this fallen sinful cruel world everything is about money today... I would love to live back in the old days with horse and buggy , fire place , Wood stove solar power for a few hours , or for the night , even Teepee or tent , old log cabin homes farm animals with a creek and some land that I would love to live off the land, eat fresh vegetables , fresh meat and fruits goats milk soap and lotions etc...etc ..I could go on and on..lol.. peace (John 3:16).LOVE GOD
What was the sassafras tea for?
It cleans the blood……. But it’s delicious
@@McGieHomesteadAdventures Oh, thanks!
I don't usually like these types of interviews with little awkward kids, but this one is hilarious. When he said "astringent" I laughed. When he said, "If you need a laxative, this might be your ticket" I died laughing.
😂😂😂😂😂
Usually stuff like this with kids is cringe. However, I was quite impressed. It was adorable.
thank you for the video. I have a huge pokeweed in my yard. I want to try using it for my back pain. LOL God sure was looking out for us when he made every plant.
Absolutely! He said they’re for healing and food!
and here I have been pulling the seedlings out of my garden beds! Just on the other side of the fence there is a water reservoir that has a huge and healthy looking poke plant growing. The doves LOVE the berries, I see purple spots all over where they poop them out. I guess a lot have gotten into my garden beds because they are popping up everywhere. I'm going to start transplanting them out to different spots in the yard now. This big plant on the other side of the chainlink fence is also growing well oven onto my side, with lots of purple berries right now. I've been having pain and swelling in one of my knees. I never considered it might be arthritis, but whatever it is, maybe the berries will help. I'm going to find out :)
Thanks for the information, and thanks to all the commenters who have taken the time to write their experiences and stories from their elders. Crowdsourcing at it's best! I might try some of the leaves and stalks based on the recipes of commenters... if they are suitable for harvesting right now.
That’s awesome! They are definitely ready for eating now!
It was good to come across your video today. Folks think I'm crazy for the natural remedies that I use. But I do have arthritis and I take one poke berry a day to keep it under control. If I have a day that I'm feeling it, I up it to three berries. I don't freeze them, but I do dehydrate them. As a matter of fact, I have some in the dehydrator right now. Once dried, I just put them into an airtight container and keep them in with my vitamins.
Thanks for the video!
Great information! So many people could benefit from this!
Do you swallow whole or chew the berries?
@@markm8188 I swallow it whole, like a pill. I don't chew, because the seed is the part that you don't want to penetrate. The seed itself will pass right on through your system.
Do the dehydrated berries work as well as the fresh or frozen?
@@cherrylhansen8045 Dehydrated is how I use them. Then take them whole. Do NOT chew.
I am 60 years old and have always loved poke salad and eggs cooked together. I've eaten it cooked with onions.
An older gentleman told my Dad about the berries and they work on the arthritis pain. We froze them and had them all year.
That’s awesome! It definitely works!
I have to say that i stumbled on this video and I am southern born and raised. I was always under the impression that poke berries are poison........Guess i learned something today. in fact i have a couple bushes in my yard i keep cutting back I will let them grow and do more home work thanks for the lesson I do have arthritis in my feet hope it wont make me sick.
It definitely won’t make you sick!
Did you ever try the poke berries for the arthritis in your feet?
Yes I know a few people who take them for arthritis and they are off all of their prescription drugs for arthritis now . I have personally taken them and they do exactly like he said
Absolutely amazing!
My dad was born in Alabama in 1938 half Indian so his dad couldn't find a job. They buried they food in the winter and foraged and in the summer every meal had poke salad. They survived and were healthy from it. His mom had one hand and arthritis and took the berries every day. It's amazing how much we have lost in the last few generations that we need to learn again. I'm 43 now but when I was a kid he always let 1 plant grow just so he could look at it and remember those days so even though he is gone I let 1 plant grow to remember him and it's a beautiful plant.
Oh my! That’s a truly amazing story! I’m honored that you have shared this!
@@McGieHomesteadAdventures thank you. He passed on many stories about growing up in a family of 13 in a one room cabin on cheehaw mountain. His mom was born with one hand and had 11 kids. His dad was Indian and in those days well... Indians or Even " half breeds" weren't seen as people. So his dad made moonshine. He told me a story about how they made fireworks by hollowing out a log to make a bowl shape, putting hot coals in there and one person poured a little water on the. While the other person hit it with the back of a. Ax. Instant fireworks. I love how people had to be creative to do things. And he raised me to think that way. Being female isn't an excuse for not being able to do anything a man can do, maybe just do it a little different to get the result. I can change my oil, do most repairs, plumbing, roofing, use any saw and build anything I need myself. It is nice to have a husband to help though lol.
@@jeaniedeveau Absolutely! My grandmother was a very strong independent woman who taught me a lot about loving work!
I’ve got a friend in Alabama who has Indian in his blood and he was explaining why there is a high population of Native American people in Alabama……. Very interesting and sad
@@McGieHomesteadAdventures I agree. My dad decided he wanted better for his mom and siblings when his dad died. He is the middle child and had the guts to hitchhike South alone at 17 yeara old to find a new place with better opportunities for his family. He landed in Orlando Florida. Got a job at a boat manufacturers place and lived in cardboard boxes on the streets for a year to save every penny. He found a house bought that and moved all his siblings and mother here. I now own that house that's 110 years old and appreciate everything he gave me more than anyone can know. My granny helped raise me living in that house we were all crammed in. She taught me to garden as soon as I could walk and gave me my own bed when I was 3 . She would help but not do. I appreciate her for the fact i grow as much food as I can organically and am healthier than the average person with lupus.
Interestingly. He was a boxer then a street racer and that landed him in the chain gang the last year they had it here. He worked hard and created his own septic business and that was my first job. I was the gopher, then the line dragger, digger, then the stirrer. That pump truck was what I learned to drive in when I was 14. He wanted me to be able to drive anything if I needed to ( so scary) It was a kinda gross job but I learned so much. Those lessons taught me to work hard. I had 3 jobs and built my first house I owned and closed on before I turned 19. Hard work is not taught anymore and it's sad.
I made a 10" high raised bed this summer with trellis for my squash. Somehow, two poke plants started growing in it about two feet apart. I saw two more poke plants growing near my fence, so I pulled the two in the raised bed by the roots this fall to make a tincture, and will now put the berries in the freezer. So very cool!
Awesome! It’s amazing how things work out!
Do you make the tincture with just the roots?
I had one start in my back garden. I didn't know what it was. Someone told me it was a poke plant, and it was very toxic. I tried to cut it down, but it kept coming back. Pulling it out by the roots didn't work because I couldn't get it all out. Took 5 years to get rid of it, next thing I knew it came up in my neighbor's flowerbed. Now I wish I would have kept it. Thanks for the video and all the great comments.
It's also great for any skin irritation, also poison oak,and poison ivy and siriosis
Great information!
The itching of poison oak & poison ivy is pretty bad so I guess being purple for awhile (tee hee, ha ha) is a good trade off
Might have lost that guy as a subscriber but you just gained me. I'm a big fan of the many uses of poke.
That’s awesome! Our poke berries are just starting to ripen here! I need to make another video telling of all the amazing reports!
Poke berries grow wild around my yard every year. I did not know you could eat them, but I went and harvested several and took five if they do everything everybody says they do I’ll be eating poke berries for the rest of my life. Thank you.
You’re welcome!
The little man is being taught absolutely beautiful by his folks.blessings in abundance.id be a volunteer, but I'm not sure there's pokeberry bushes around my neck of the woods.
Just look around grown up fence rows and old abandoned farms.
I've eaten poke salat since a child. We just boiled it like any greens and ate it. My whole life I never heard anyone say to boil it more than once until the last ten years. We never boiled it and never threw the water out like you said. It never gave anyone diarrhea. It was just the most delicious greens.
Harlan Kentucky has a Poke Salat Festival every spriing.
Awesome!
Hi I live in Indiana and my kids live in Kentucky but where is this festival at in Kentucky I’d love to go to it
Mooringsport, Louisiana has one, too - we marched (band) in it every spring!
We never boiled it. We would wash it and cut it up, stalks and all, in a bowl, and add a heaping tablespoon or so of flour and a tablespoon or cornmeal some salt and stir. Not all the leaves would get coated but thats ok. Put it in a skillet and fry it on medium heat turning often until the stalks were soft and put in strainer drain then enjoy. Best part of spring except Hickory chickens (Morels)
It does work in my opinion. Been taking them for years, as for as I know it hasn't killed me, but the instruction I have is to start with one a day and work up to three , this from an old Cherokee . I pick and freeze them for the winter to keep my supply till the next spring. Just keep in mind at some level everything can be toxic. Good luck 👍
Very good solid advice and I thank you!!!
You are wise.
Hi all, a year later I am happy to report that I had one plant. I hope it will multiply next year. I did get enough seeds to freeze so I can have a few every day until next summer. I wonder if poke-weed does not like it so much in the coastal areas of Maine? I have similar issues with my nettles; a few years ago , I got a root to grow and spread a but not even close to the abundance it does in Germany. There they grow even in cities, anywhere, patches often so bi that we can roll in it (arthritis). My one pokeweed plant was only about 30 " tall in sun. I hope you all had a good harvest season, my most abundant crop was plantain, which I treasure greatly,
Wow that’s remarkable that you got it to grow that far north! I’m very excited about that!!!
I asked a botanist from NYC and he said yes, pokeweed grows there, too. I don't know about Maine.....this summer I have fireweed coming up because of some of the nice stands of it I saw in fields up in Maine. I didn't use any ashes, either. It's starting to have flower shoots coming up, so I'll see what it does for the rest of the season.
There was an old lady who lived by my family when I was a kid, and she would grate the root, boil it, and use the poke root stock to treat poison ivy. I think it was best when the plant was flowering out. Rub it on the poison ivy rash and the rash would dry up in a couple of days. It stung pretty bad, but that meant it was working. Better than anything else I’ve run across.
Wow that is amazing!
I have a severe case of poison ivy right now but the pokeweed is not flowering. Berries are black and ready to fall soon. Any suggestions?
Thank you!
Oh my lord. I live in texas. My mom's family is in Floyd County Kentucky, grandmother Irish, grandfather Cherokee. Here in texas in the spring after the rains, poke salad is everywhere. I have had Polk greens for my entire life and I am 63. The only deadly about them are the snakes hiding under them. My grandfather died of a heart attack brought on by black lung. He was a coal miner. He left my grandmother 11 kids to raise and if it was edible it was eaten. My great aunt was a mountain witch, a healer with wild herbs and poultices.when they were young there were no Dr's up Spewing Camp Holler. ANY person that thinks this man is crazy don't know their butt from a hole in the ground
No matter what I say some people won’t believe…….. but those who have experience know. Only the ignorant can be sure I’m wrong 😂😂😂
I asked my husband the other day "do you think any of these Dr's or nurses would even know how to heal if not for technology and the long arm of the pharmaceutical companies? " . I would think not.
Exactly!!!
@@kvlocklear And sadly, they never actually "heal" anything.
I put it to the test. My knees were killing me so I eat 8 berries per day for 3 days. My knees eased of for about 2 weeks. I plan to repeat the process and then start taking 1 berry per day. Hopefully that will help long term.
That’s wonderful news!
Would love to have an update, thanks.
@@hectorbart worked great for me.
@@McGieHomesteadAdventures
Have you learned more Sir?
What about say chewing 4 for the same effect?
Also how many to induce diarrhea?
@yuiopoli9601 what I’ve learned is that for some people it doesn’t take as many as for others. I had a man tell me today that 3 berries per day for 3 days really helped him with his debilitating pain! I suggest everyone take a slow approach to making sure they are not allergic and go from there!
Great video! We have these all.over our garden and at first we thought they were elderberries. When we found out they were pokeberries...and heard they were poisonous, we were so disappointed. Now we know we csn use them! Awesome! Thank.you!
Absolutely! Just don’t overdo it…….. they can definitely screw with you if you overdose!😂
Ditto!
I needed to tell you that your son's poke video is the cutest thing I have ever seen. !!
I’m very excited that you enjoyed it!!! I’ll have to go back and watch it again! He’s growing up on me so fast!
A few yrs back I was eating poke berry's. A few a couple times a week, off and on while in season. At the end of the season, I told someone I felt younger and more energetic. He ask if I was sure It wasn't Elderberry. I stopped eating them as often ; but this year I'll open back up for more consumption like I was before. Thanks so much for the post!!!
😃
Awesome!!! You’re making me wish they were in season now!!!!! Maybe time for me to pull out my experimental tincture!!! I’ll make a video of it!
For those who don't have a taste for poke sallet, try mixing a little in with turnip greens, mustard greens, etc. After parbiling the poke first, of course.
Good idea!
Would you mind sharing the wine recipe? thanks
I don't know about arthritis but staying with my grandparents on the rez us kids ate the berries a lot. We also painted our faces with them (war paint lol) which made my grandmother fuss at me. I'm 70 now and except for my time in the military I've eaten poke salet seasoned with wild onions and a ham hock every spring of my life.
That’s a great meal!
Thank you for your military service to our country.
I've got pokeberry growing on the old farm i am living how on at the moment. The thing with eastern Europe is that the old farms don't have decorative plants, what's growing here has a use. I have made poke berry jelly, added some ginger and cloves.
I'd read that they were poisonous but also that it's the seeds that are the problem, I don't eat the leaves, I have nettles for my iron intake, anyway, I've eaten poke berry jelly, I don't have arthritis but I have a swollen finger after breaking it, and it's helped for that.
Sounds really good!!!
I've made poke berry wine for arthritis medicine, ate 4, or 5 poke berries as medicine, and cooked lots of poke sallet. Love it!
It’s really great stuff!!
How u make the poke berry wine?
And Juniper berries are supposed to help with Arthritis pain too. Juniper berries are a key ingredient of Gin. I've read of folk remedies where you eat several Gin-soaked raisins each day (can't remember how many) and it eases Arthritis pain.
McGie Homestead Adventures, I love what you are doing on this channel. God bless you!
Thanks, you too!
For year round use and space conservation in the freezer .... I steam the berries, then press them in a fruit / sausage press to release the juice. Do not run them thru a regular juicer, as that could crush the seeds. I then put the juice in 1L (16.9 oz) water bottles and store in the freezer. Easy to transfer one into the refrigerator every week or two and I will consume as much as a whole ounce in one day ... on the days I remember, maybe 3-4 days a week. That's what I do - You do you. 60+ years old here, no commercial or pharmaceutical meds.
I love that idea! Absolutely perfect!!!
As a young boy I found a plant with large leaves and took one back to Grandma's house. She said if I would pick some leaves sand some watercress that grew in her spring she would make us a good salad. She added bacon too. It was good. As I recall she boiled the leaves, poured off the water and then boiled them again to cook them. She was born in Texas in 1887 and died about a month short of 94 years old. It wasn't the two eggs and two strips of bacon with real butter on the toast and grape jam that killed her or eating Poke.
Absolutely true…. Food is not fatal….. despite what the FDA says!
@@McGieHomesteadAdventures
But fasting could be lethal ! 👍 😁
Duke University researchers found that the dye from berries doubles the efficiency in the fibers used in solar cells to absorb energy.
Wow that’s amazing!
Do you mean solar cells in body or in manufactured solar energy cells?
@@lt2339 I didn’t know the body had solar cells.
@@lt2339 It has to do with solar power panels.
@@ChrisPBacon-yz6nk Every cell is a solar cell in the body.
Thank you for this wonderful information, i didn't know about being able to eat the berries, i was always told they were poisonous, until i learned different today, thank you so much!
May God continue to bless you and you're wonderful family my brother in Christ Jesus.
You’re welcome! Always use with caution, but it works wonders!
My grandmother would pick the pods of berries when they were ripe. Then she would hang them up to dry. When dried she would remove the seeds from the number of berries she needed at that time. She would boil the berries with a small amount of sugar until it was semi thick. This was used for cough syrup and also the croop or other cold or flu symptoms
Wow that’s awesome!
Great video!!! As a kid I was always told you can eat the leaves fresh in the early spring a lot of people would get the stock and and battered and fried almost like a piece of fish. Has the plant starts to age then you have to boil the leaves but at its early stage it's okay to eat fresh. Always learned that the berries were at, just to stay away from the seeds. But it makes sense to not chew them up and just swallow them... There's a lot of good medicinal things out, FDA say it's bad for your liver this or that but what they don't tell you is... Yes some of the wild plants can be hard on but that's if you consume a lot everything is good in moderation.
Absolutely!! All medication has dosages! No different here!
Very good video friend
Straight to the point and informative
My great grandma would be proud
Thanks so much!
Just as marijuana was deemed a dangerous drug at the rise of the pharmaceutical industry, so too was Poke berries. They were used to make a spring health tonic by our "granny doctors" of the past. My grandfather always ate poke salad every year.
It’s really healthy
They lived to 100, we are living to 65. Western medicine is dead they just don't know it yet.
We gathered them in the spring just after they started coming up, 4 to about 8 inches tall. My mother boiled them, stims and all, Then fried them in bacon grease for a few minutes then scrambled an egg up in them. One of my favorite springtime dishes.
Absolutely!
I just sat in a chair for a hour and half today to get infusions for my arthritis . Those infusions have pretty bad stuff in them like chemo I really need to try this to see if this helps. I never did it last year . Thanks for sharing !
I would be extremely interested to see if these would help your case!
@@McGieHomesteadAdventures Yeah I need to see if there is any ripe around me .
That's what I wonder. If it works for all Arthritis? Like the ones caused by autoimmune disease?
I love poke salad you have to wash the leaves real good then boil them 3 times each time poring off the water to leach out the poison part, poke salad is wonderful with bacon drippings and scrambled eggs
Oh my yes!
That's how I've had them
Jenny,
Try Swiss Chard and scrambled Eggs 🥚, YUM!
I heard you can only eat them in the spring!!! Is that or can you eat them all summer???
Is that true, grrr, hate when my brain autofills!!!
I know that the Native Americans dried the berries and the dried berries were used to treat arthritis (including RA).
Yes that’s true! Works very well!
Very cool. So I went out and picked some very small pokeweed leaves and cooked them up. You know, they were really good, just a little garlic and salt. MMM And to think everyone thinks they are poison...
I feel great, go figure :) Thanks for the video!
That’s awesome!! They are loaded with iron and other great nutrients!!
I have TONS of poke berry plants growing in my yard. I have eaten the leaves and the berries RAW many times .. never bothered me at all. And the birds love the berries too. : )
That’s awesome! You’ll probably never get cancer !
@@McGieHomesteadAdventures .. Yes, I have seen many people write that they grew up eating poke berries all the time, and nobody in their family ever got cancer. : )
i commented on your last video, i tried this and it does work, you dont notice it working, until its time to eat them again. its not a overnight change, uy a gentle, gradual
affect
That’s interesting and informative! Thanks!
Thank you sir- many of us lost this knowledge
You’re absolutely welcome!
Made jam with the whole berry, seed and all? Amazing I’m learning how to make jelly and jam. I have a pokeweed 8ft tall right next to a few black berry bushes that grow in my back yard this year. God is good 😊
It sounds wonderful! I must warn you not to chew the seeds on the poke berries. You can swallow them, but do not crack them with your teeth. Just pay attention to how you feel when you eat them. But at least you won’t have arthritis!
Do you have a good recipe for the jam? Like how many berries? Would it be 2 cups berries maybe?
I just tried one. It is such a beautiful plant too - I love using them in my own flower arrangements which I got as an idea from a beautiful homesteader. And the birds love them! And they aren’t dead! 😂 I love the pink color that comes from the berry. I made an ink for my niece and she painted with it! (Just squished a bunch of the berries and added some rubbing alcohol to it). She loved it!
Awesome idea! A wonderful use!
When I was a kid I used the berries to stain some wood pallets and made a purple fort 😄. My grandma would make poke salad with the leaves.
Great memories!!
Some people just refuse to not see things any way but there own! Don’t let that bother you mr Micah enjoying the videos as always learn something new every time!
You definitely don’t bother me! It a pleasure to bring these videos and see your comments!
For sure don't worry about it! I just subscribed with both my RUclips accounts. So you lose some you gain some.
So...back to like berries! Being where we are, I've heard about poke salad. I let the plants grow along the fence for the birds and pollinators. I have multiple forms of arthritis and now thinking I got to check this out! Thanks for the info! Keep being different 💯
I resemble that remark! 🤔
I was taught the exact same thing about poke berries as medicine except we was told 10 berries. I grew up eating pome salad. We boiled it and drained it, then we fried it in a little bacon grease then we put it in a baking dish or left it in the cast iron skillet and baked it with boiled eggs sliced on top. Ate that many a time in my life.
That sounds amazing!!!
That's exactly how I prepare poke salad.
I grew up in a small town in Tennessee that has a yearly poke salad festival.
Good afternoon Micah !
Polk Sallat is good as long as you don't pick them once they have any purple on them and you prepare them correctly. I watched Caleb showing us how to prepare Polk Sallat ! Awesome job and he's so precious !
You can also make a medicinal tincture with the roots. Which is used for Mastitis and other things.
Thank you for sharing Micah and Caleb.
Stay happy, healthy, hydrated and safe. May God continue to bless you and your family.
Thanks Margie we really enjoyed it!
With all of the research I have been doing and getting advice from old timers on this plant, I have discovered that that isn’t quite true. Eating them at any stage is the same as eating them when they first sprout. I have been told to not eat the large stalks, because they are kinda woody and too fibrous, but other than that cooking the larger leaves at least 2x (regardless of whether or not the plant has berries on them) is perfectly fine. This plant has developed a serious bad reputation and I’m on a mission to uncover the truth. This will be my first year incorporating the plant into my life. I’m really excited to share this wealth of knowledge with my family and friends.
You’re on a very good mission my friend! I’m excited for you!
@@McGieHomesteadAdventures Thank you 😊. If you have anymore knowledge on this plant please share with us!!! Maybe interviewing your friend that taught you about the berries…? That’s would be nice. Thanks for all that you do!
@@TriggaTreDay The plant is used in medicine and has a scientific sounding name assigned to it. In herbology, it is an antitumor, anticancer, lymphatic healing herb. Now do you know why it has a bad rap? It is propaganda. With that said, since it is powerful, it should be consumed in respect to its power.
I ate leaves like spinach 2 times this year, once with sauteed onions. There was no effect. I have prepared tinctures. I take a pokeweed tincture. It has helped with candida.
I take 10 berries at a time for arthritis and back pain. I also made poke root tincture that I can take in winter instead of freezing the berries.
How much do you take?
@@McGieHomesteadAdventures I take 10 drops of the tincture
@@tamb8666 how did you make your tincture? Please share proportion of ingredients. How long did it take to make it?
@@JustMe-gx4xt I just chopped up the poke root into a quart jar then filled with vodka. It cured for a minimum of 60 days. Then strain. However the poke root should only be harvested in late fall.
@@JustMe-gx4xt You should wear gloves when handling the root also to avoid absorbing into skin.
Thank you so much. I have these growing in my back yard and never pulled them because they are so beautiful. I am going to start eating today!
Good luck!
Many, many years ago when I was a teenager I had an old man neighbor tell me to swallow 3 whole berries a day for 7 days as soon as the berries ripen to cleanse your blood. Then in the spring to eat poke salad to cleanse your blood until the berries ripen. I've done this for years. I never knew about it being helpful for arthritis. I'll have to try the 8 berries a day for 3 days this year. Plus I'll be freezing them too and making sure to clearly lable them so no one mistakes them for blueberries. Much Love ❤
Do you struggle with arthritis pain?
@@McGieHomesteadAdventures At times I have flares. I use different herbs, nutrients, and homeopathic combinations for it. I also avoid nightshades as much as possible. But it's hard giving up potatoes, tomatoes and sweet peppers this time of year. Hot peppers don't seem to bother me though. The worst foods seem to be strawberries and raw spinach so I only eat cooked spinach and an occasional strawberry. The weather affects my arth. the most but if I stick to my diet and take the proper precautions I can get through it with minimal flares. I have RA, OA and psoriatic arth. MRM's Joint Synergy straightened my finger joints after about a year of taking it and I no longer have to use a cane to walk. I've used it for over 20 years.Thank You for asking. Much Love ❤
Bitter fruits are one big thing missing from the modern diet, many people think that if it is not sweet it is not good for you when the fact is just the opposite.
That’s very true!
My mom grew them along our fence. She cooked them once in a while but our chickens loved the berries. They were healthy and lived longer than average.
Our eggs were dark orange yoked and whites whipped up very quickly to stiff peaks.
I just remember them fried with vinegar and Tabasco. 💞
Oh my that’s awesome!
Hi I have chickens and can they eat the berries raw?
@@lionolee5480 yes... but beware where you step. Their poo will be purple and if you track it inside...it stains. Otherwise they love them and know to only eat the ripe ones. 👍
We have them all over our property! Along with stinging nettle! I used to hate them 11 yrs ago when we bought this place! 🤣 Now I harvest a bounty of each every year! I dehydrate the nettle for tea and freeze the poke berries for winter! Blessings on blessings on blessings! ❤
That’s absolutely amazing!!! I’m glad you have it!
Erin, do you eat the frozen poke berries for arthritis?
My kid ate a handful of pokeberries when I wasn't looking yesterday. I prayed to God that he will live multiple times. I was so worried he was going to die then I came across this video. Thank you for making this video.
Thank you Jesus for keeping my son alive and thank you for making this wonderful plant to help humans.
That can be very scary when a kid eats something that you don’t know about! I’m very glad this video was able to help calm your fears!!!
@McGieHomesteadAdventures The funny thing is I thought I knew all about it. I have been reading online paper after paper about it for a month or so now and everything says the whole plant is poisonous you will die if you eat any part of it. 😆Roots are most poisonous, then the stem, then the leaves, then the green berries, then the purple berries are least poisonous.
I am also glad you mentioned the seeds in the video and all we have to do is take them out to get the same healing effect right?
Yes absolutely!
My mom (RIP) use to make home made wine every fall out of the berries. We ate the green leaves in the spring but we never ate them when the leaves looked a certain way.
Thanks for this comment! I would very much love to try it in wine!
When I was a youngster, my Uncle Ralph called these Rheumatiz berries. They were plentiful in the fall when we were out rabbit hunting. I don't know anyone who ever tried them, but my uncle got that name from somewhere and for some reason. Apparently people used them for rheumatism (achy joints)
Wow that’s awesome! I’m constantly amazed how much those old timers knew!!!
E
My uncle and mawmaw use to cook and eat poke sallet. I have them growing wild on my land and one right out side my yard fence loaded with berries. They are so beautiful and my gut knew they had to be pretty for something. ☺️
Absolutely! And great memories!
Just found you looking for info on these in the uk 🇬🇧...thanks for sharing the knowledge 🎉🍇🫐🙏💚 subbed,liked and shared! Huge thanks from our wee community over the pond!...loving your vids & educating us with your generational knowledge 🎉😊🙏💚
Hey welcome aboard! You’re absolutely welcome and I’m pretty sure you are about to enter a place of discovery and imagination that will keep you coming back for more!!!
This little boy is so precious!
Yes he is!
How providential, I knew about poke weed, never saw it in the high northeast. A week ago Ifound some in a friend's garden. She wanted it out, I planted it at home. I have been eating 4 berries since every day and ate them. I did get a few good bowel movements and feel strangely well, lost a few pounds. Since the frost and snow are coming soon I froze what I could for the winter. Unfortunately, I love the taste, I could eat them by the bushelful. I am amazed how tall your plants are. Mine is relatively small, I hope it comes back next year. I will try to plant some from seeds and hope they'll grow. (Besides, I think they are gorgeous. I do have arthritis, I am an old woman, but I don't take any medication, not even a tylenol. My mother in Germany also lived heavily off nature and made it to a strong 100. I will let ya'll know if it helps the arthritis. Oh, Mr. McGie, I wish I had a lot of that truly holy plant to make jelly with it. I would make it the same way as elderberry jelly. I pray that it will come back next spring for the greens. Thank you for this inspiring video.
I am very happy that it’s is something you can try! I’m satisfied that it will help you!
God bless you miss, Im glad you didn't fall for the big agro/ pharma scam.
Plant some close to your home's foundation where the soil won't get as cold in the winter and that might work. Make sure you water your Pokeweed because the pokeweed grows like crazy on my property and they like water for sure.
@@ModernNeandertal Thanks so much. Unfortunately the little plant I had disappeared again. I am hunting for more. If I ever find one again I'll follow your good advice. (Like your name!)
Poke berries are very common and poke Sallet grows around here in North Carolina all over the place the squirrels nest with it and eat the berries so it can't be too poisonous i've heard about making greens with it for a long time never really tried it although I might sometime try we have Mulberry trees that grow around here and they have some similar properties that the poke berries have but they're very delicious to eat the Purple Mulberries and I eat a bunch of them every summer in fact they're coming in right around June 15th is when I start picking them off the trees and eating them right off the trees
Not many people use the proper spelling for this “sallet” thank you for sharing!
Great information Micah. Hope you all are doing well and have a blessed rest of the week my friend.
Thanks Tony we’re doing good! God bless you!
I am going to try this! I have severe arthritis and am looking to get off conventional meds. I'll let you know if it works. I know right where to find these in S.E. Wisconsin.
Awesome! I’m getting lots of very encouraging comments on this video! It’s helping people!
Do you have an update for us?
I just discovered one of these plants on my property today.
My husband has issues with making t-cells and I have some pretty awful knee pain, so I am very interested seeing how it worked out long term for people.
My dad used a poke berry tincture for arthritis. Took 1/4 teaspoon a day. Great video! Can not convince some folks!
I’m a believer!
Great video Micah. I've never tried it. A bit hesitant due to blood pressure issues (I'd read that's one area it can easily affect), but you're videos on it have made me look into it more. There's a lot out there provided to us but it's a matter of sorting through truth, facts, research, etc. which I think is an interesting journey. Anyway, thanks again for the video(s).
Thanks brother! Everyone has to find their way through this life😉
I got high blood pressure too. Doesn't cause me any troubles. Never heard of anybody having any kind of problems from the plant. Back when I was growing up people all over ate poke. It was available canned on the shelves at the grocery stores back in the day. Fact is back in those days there was far fewer people suffering from far less things than they do today. Cancer, high blood pressure and diabetes wasn't heard of all that often. Nothing like it is today. Never seem to see any studies or even questions about all that. Go figure.
If you will try the carnivore diet you'll see it on RUclips for about 1 month you will begin to see a change in your blood pressure you will probably be able to get off any medicine see what the doctor say on RUclips about blood pressure and about diabetes and prediabetes it's amazing I've been on the diet for a month and I feel great
@@davidhale8177 thanks. I actually was carnivore and keto successfully for 2 years and it didn’t change my BP. It helped me with a lot of other issues but not BP. My doctor was super supportive and informed too and he thought my BP issue may be more from other factors which we’ve been getting under better control. I investigated keto and carnivore way before it became the “thing” to do because I wanted to know the science behind it so I’m a firm believer in it.
That’s definitely a diet that I could sink my teeth into!!😂❤️❤️❤️