Pokeroot for Boils
Answered by: Susan Eagles
Question from: Juliya
Posted on: September 14, 2005

I was wondering if you could give me some more info about plant called pokeroot or Phytolacca americana. I was recommended to use it orally as a tea with red clover and some other teas to prevent a "boil" in my right breast. I did not started doing it yet because I’ve read something that make me worried about it. Could you please give me some more info about that?

Poke root (Phytolacca americana) is an excellent herb for stimulating circulation of the lymph to disperse swellings in glands. It is a very powerful herb, and must be used in very small doses. Large doses cause vomiting. It is most effective as a tincture because ts constituents are not all extractred by water in teas. Thomas Bartram in "Bartram’s Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicne (available at Richters) recommends 60 to 300 mg. of powdered root, simmered gently for 5 minutes. The tincture dose is 3 to 10 drops three times a day, not to exceed 8 ml (about 160 drops) in one week. Because it is a powerful, low dose herb, it should only be taken as recommended by a qualified natural health practitioner.

Back to Medicinal Herbs and Their Uses | Q & A Index

Copyright © 1997-2024 Otto Richter and Sons Limited. All rights reserved.