- Botanical Name
- Phytolacca americana
Pokeweed
Details
American pokeweed, also called poke or inkberry, is a large herbaceous perennial with a white taproot and berries that ripen from red to purple-black. Wikipedia says it is native to eastern North America and is poisonous to humans, dogs and livestock. Cunningham marks it Poison and calls it masculine, with Mars and fire, and the powers of courage and breaking hexes. He has an infusion made at the new Moon and sprinkled around the home to break hexes and curses, poke carried for courage, and the crushed berries used as magical ink. Kynes names the Algonquian word pocan as the source of the name, says hoodoo uses the seeds and roots for breaking jinxes and curses, and hangs a cluster of berries where a negative spirit is felt. Both authors warn of its toxicity, set out in the safety notes.
Caution
Cunningham marks poke Poison and says not to drink the infusion. Kynes says pokeweed is highly toxic if ingested and can be fatal, and that the toxins can be absorbed through the skin. Wikipedia says the plant is poisonous to humans, that the berries are poisonous, and that shoots and leaves become poisonous later in the summer. The American Herbal Products Association says poke is not for use except under the supervision of an expert qualified in its use, that it is contraindicated in pregnancy, and that poisonings with gastroenteritis, severe abdominal cramping, repeated vomiting and frothy diarrhoea have been reported after ingestion of fresh, dried or cooked root, leaf or stem.
Correspondences
- Elements
- Fire
- Celestial Bodies
- Mars, Uranus
- Zodiac Signs
- No zodiac signs recorded.
- Colours
- No colours recorded.
- Deities
- No deities recorded.
Folk Names
- American Nightshade
- Coakum
- Cocan
- Crowberry
- Garget
- Ink Plant
- Inkberry
- Pigeon Berry
- Pocan
- Poke Root
- Pokeberry Root
- Polk Root
- Scoke
- Virginian Poke
Categories
- Courage
- Hex-Breaking
- Negativity
- Spirit Work
Substitutes
No substitutes recorded.
Forms
Berry Toxic
Root Toxic
Kynes sells cut, dried root and has a small pouch of it carried to bolster courage. Cunningham has it used at the new Moon to break hexes. The American Herbal Products Association lists the root as its part and records poisonings from it.
Caution
The American Herbal Products Association says poke root is not for use except under the supervision of an expert qualified in its use, and that poisonings have been reported after ingestion of fresh, dried or cooked root.
Seed Toxic
Kynes sells the seeds and says hoodoo uses seeds and roots for breaking jinxes and curses.
Caution
Kynes says pokeweed is highly toxic if ingested and can be fatal.
References
References
Notes
- Cunningham, Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical, under "Poke".
- Gardner and McGuffin, American Herbal Products Association's, pp. 650-651.
- Kynes, Witches' Encyclopedia of Magical, under "Poke".
- Wikipedia, under "Phytolacca americana."
- Cunningham, Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical, under "Poke".
- Kynes, Witches' Encyclopedia of Magical, under "Poke".
- Wikipedia, under "Phytolacca americana."
- Cunningham, Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical, under "Poke".
- Gardner and McGuffin, American Herbal Products Association's, pp. 650-651.
- Kynes, Witches' Encyclopedia of Magical, under "Poke".
- Kynes, Witches' Encyclopedia of Magical, under "Poke".
Bibliography
- Cunningham, Scott. Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs. 2nd ed. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 2012. (EPUB.)
1 5 8 - Gardner, Zoë, and Michael McGuffin, eds. American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook. 2nd ed. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2013. (PDF.)
2 9 - Kynes, Sandra. The Witches' Encyclopedia of Magical Plants: History, Folklore, Correspondences, and Spells. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 2024. (EPUB.)
3 6 10 11 - Wikipedia, under "Phytolacca americana." Accessed October 23, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Phytolacca_americana&oldid=1381448264. Open the Source (opens in a new tab)
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