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GlisGlis:
As far as I know berries are poisonus for all the mammals. Not for birds

USDA site reports:
"The entire plant is poisonous causing a variety of symptoms, including death in rare cases. The berries are especially poisonous. Young leaves and stems when properly cooked are edible and provide a good source of protein, fat and carbohydrate. Regional names for the plant include poke, poke sallet, poke salad, and pokeberry."


https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/phytolacca_americana.shtml

there are sites reporting the use as anti rheumatic in the past but the conclusion is:

"The entire plant is considered toxic and its ingestion produces burning sensations in the mouth and throat, salivation, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, drowsiness, tingling and tingling throughout the body, dizziness, spasms, convulsions, and coma."

staying in the bothanical field i'd try the stinging nettles propertis as anti rheumatic weel before fiddling with Phitolacca

Eric Krewson:
You can't believe everything you read because it leaves out proper handling.

My lunch yesterday, I have eaten the same thing hundreds of times, I know the proper way to turn the toxic leaves into food. It is a rare backwoods southerner who hasn't eaten poke salat, most of us for all of our lives.

Poke Salat sautéed with butter and onions with an egg thrown in just about the time it is done cooking.

Eric Krewson:
I pick it in the spring, lots of it, blanch the leaves properly and freeze it in single serve portions to enjoy all year.

GlisGlis:
My attention was on poke berries
I do believe they could have anti rheumatic properties but they could have also other consistent negative effects
I do not buy the theory of the ancient remedy they dont want you to know
If something really works the human kind use it. And it's even more true if this remedy is almost free.
if it is very seldom used usually it means it has some adverse side that make it not so desirable

As for the leaves do you boil and rinse them several times?
Never tried poke salad
may have a go at it if I find young enough plants

Eric Krewson:
As I understand it, the berries have a strong anti-inflammatory effect among other things.

I pick the new growth in the spring until the plant starts putting on small white berry clusters. I break off only the tops of the plant, after you pick the first time it will sprout new growth in multiple tops that are also good to pick and eat.

Boiling the leaves and dumping off the water three times will render the greens free of toxins and make them edible. I freeze my blanched poke unseasoned and season it when I cook it to eat it, it is very bland without some seasoning. I always use garlic salt and pepper as well as real butter for seasoning. The added egg is optional but the standard way most people cook poke. I may leave out the egg and add pieces of summer sausage or other meats.

Poke tastes a lot like cooked spinach. 

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