Do not take externally

[edr730]

It's not a big discovery that adult poke sallet is not safe. Everyone that eats it knows that. It's to be picked in the spring. But, I've cheated at times and picked small leaves in the summer with no ill effects. My aunt would pick adult stalks and piel and fry them. The entire plant is medicinal. Caution and following the advice of your elders is always sound advice.

[Rick]

Well, Batch, my bad and a good catch. It's oleanolic acid. It's getting so a guy can't even trust his memory any more.

[Batch]

Rick, the info on edible plants can some times be contradicting. You may have had some information I didn't.

Like toxic small amounts and large amounts. are we talking a portion a day, a week, or a mouthful, miligrams or what? With Poke I have gathered from all of my reading to eat none of the root at all and that chewing as few as 10 seeds can be toxic. Also, don't eat the parts of the plant that are red.

In Florida the plant is in season from January through March. I usually don't go to Dinner Island until the end of Spring Turkey. Which ends next weekend. Then we camp there off and on from April through September because the oak hammock that we camp in is the coolest temperature wise during that time of year.

I eat poke through most of that time. I can still find young plants and I have used small leaves off of the larger plants that do not have red to them yet.

[Rick]

Personally, I've never seen any amounts stated other that something vague like "in small amounts". I've seen symptoms stated from nausea to acidosis. I assume it would have to do with your size and the amount along with the age of the plant. But that's a guess on my part.

I gave up poke. We used to eat it when I was a kid but if it CAN poison you I don't need to take the chance when there is so much other good stuff to eat....like bacon.

[Batch]

Brucellois, Tularemia, and Trichinosis. But, bacon is worth the risk!

[Rick]

I'll let it go THIS time. Bad mouthing bacon can get you banned. If you hadn't added that last sentence you'd be history. Some things we just don't tolerate around these parts.

[Batch]

I know! That's why I added the line. LOL

[swenlet]

if you get the bacon well done, those diseases/ parasites are no threat, and just handling the raw pork is not going to give you a rash, etc. Plants are often "touchy", whereas freshwater fish and meats are not.