🌿Pokeweed Magical Properties & Folklore🌿 (Patreon)

So I’ve noticed that there’s a plant outside of the condo and it has berries on it! I don’t know about you but I’m not really a green witch (although I’d really like to be! I just don’t have a green thumb no matter how hard I try). However, I’ve been enjoying my plant identification app called Picture This! So I whipped out the app and figured

out

they’re pokeberries.

I did some research on ways you can incorporate these berries into your craft. Very carefully though! They are poisonous. I did some research and this is what I found. These articles are from Marble Crow Blog, Patti Wigington of Learn Religions and Witchipedia. Are these berries native to your area and do you use them in your craft?

Pokeweed is a native American perennial that produces terminal clusters of fragrant white flowers in the mid to late summer followed by attractive purple berries that taste pretty awful to humans but are enjoyed by a variety of birds. The plant can grow to a height of 10 feet. The reddish stem deepens in color as the plant matures.

Pokeweed can be found along roadsides, in ditches and fields and its favorite spot, the sunny edges of forests. 

Pokeweed Magical Uses and Folklore

Pokeweed has a long history of use as a medicinal herb by people indigenous to its native range. That said, the effective dose is extremely small and the line between “medicine” and “poison” is thin. Isolated compounds in the plant — like Pokeweed Antiviral Protein — show a lot of promise as antiviral, anti-HIV, and even anti-cancer agents, but that’s another story.

The United States Declaration of Independence was written in ink made of pokeberries. Soldiers during the American Revolution frequently wrote letters in pokeberry juice, since it grew pretty much everywhere and made a very useful ink.

Pokeweed is variously associated with Mars or Uranus.

The Mars association makes sense, as various parts of the pokeweed (especially the dried berries) are used in spells for courage.

On the other hand, the Uranus association makes just as much sense. One of pokeweed’s medicinal properties is as a purgative (and oh, what a purgative). Shamans relied on this purging power as a kind of sympathetic magic, to expel evil spirits from afflicted people. It’s also used to break hexes and exorcise spirits/demons from a space. In other words, pokeweed purges evil or unwanted influences.

Using Pokeweed

Crushing the berries creates a very powerful magical ink. Some people ferment them, others add vinegar, salt, or other natural preservatives and use it as-is. This ink is often used for hex breaking, and can also serve as a substitute for blood in a pinch (depending on the spell, of course).

You can also add the dried berries to sachets or spell jars for bravery or hex-breaking. I would avoid adding them to baths or incense, just in case, and definitely never add them to salves or teas. The juice of the plants can be absorbed through the skin, causing issues similar to poison ivy. It also contains compounds that can trigger mutations, so that’s neat.

Pokeweed is a striking-looking plant. The bright magenta stems, vibrant green leaves, and shiny clusters of dark berries are stunning. Like many poisonous plants, it holds a lot of power within it — but that power demands respect. Pokeweed has the ability to feed, heal, and harm, all depending on how it’s used.

Pokeweed in the Kitchen

Although all parts of the mature plant are toxic and can cause violent vomiting, diarrhea, and death, the young leaves are said to be quite delicious. They must be harvested just as they emerge from the ground and if there is any red in them they are too old! They need to be boiled in three changes of water for 20 minutes each to ensure that all the toxicity has been leached out.

The berries are apparently edible, provided the toxic seeds are removed without crushing them, but I get conflicting reports on this. I feel like the risk isn’t worth it.

Pokeweed Toxicity

Although poke is enthusiastically eaten by some, it is quite toxic and can cause paralysis of the respiratory system and death, although violent vomiting and diarrhea are the most common symptoms. It is especially dangerous to children who can be killed by eating just a few berries.

The berries are the least toxic part and the roots are the most toxic part.

How to Make Pokeberry Ink

Pokeweed is a purplish-red berry found in many parts of North America. In the Midwest and most northern states, it blooms in early fall, typically around mid-September — just in time for Mabon. The poisonous red berries can be used to provide ink for writing - legend has it that the Declaration of Independence may have been drafted in pokeweed ink, although the final version that sits in the National Archives was done in iron-gall ink. Many letters written by soldiers during the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, because it was something that was readily availably -- pokeweed grows over many parts of the country. According to the Ohio State University, pokeweed berries get their name from a Native American word for blood, owing to the color of the juice. Legend holds that tribal shamans used pokeweed berries to rid the body of evil spirits - probably because ingestion led to copious vomiting and diarrhea.

With a little bit of work, you can make your own pokeweed ink to use in magical workings, particularly those used in banishing spells. The ink seems to be sensitive to sunlight and browns when exposed to UV rays, so if you're going to store it, use a dark-colored bottle or store it in a cabinet out of the light.

Warning: the entire plant is toxic to humans, so don't try to eat them!

Making the Ink

You’ll need:

• 2 Cups pokeweed berries
• 1 tsp vinegar
• A glass jar or bottle

Mash the berries into a pulp in a small strainer over your jar. This will allow the juice to seep into the jar while the skins and seeds of the berries remain behind. Crush the berries as much as you can.

Finishing it Off

Once you have the juice in the jar, add the vinegar and mix thoroughly. This will help thin the ink enough to use it in a fountain pen, as well as preventing spoilage.

Use Your Ink in Spell Work

Use a quill or calligraphy pen to write or inscribe spells and incantations during magical workings. The ink really does have the bright pinkish-purple shade that you see in the photos! Be sure to cap the jar when not in use.

*Note: Some people recommend adding a dash of salt to the ink, or boiling the juice, but so far I’ve not found either of these steps necessary. Experiment a little and see what you can do!

Sources:

Wigington, Patti. "How to Make Pokeberry Ink." Learn Religions, Aug. 26, 2020, learnreligions.com/how-to-make-pokeberry-ink-2562272.

https://witchipedia.com/book-of-shadows/herblore/pokeweed/

https://marblecrowblog.com/2020/09/10/pokeweed-folklore-and-magical-properties/