Synonyms/Common Names/Related Substances:

• American nightshade, American spinach, bear's grape, branching phytolacca, cancer jalap, chongras, coakum, coakum-chorngras, cokan, crowberry, endod, fitolaca, garget, hierba carmine, inkberry, jalap, kermesbeere, mitogenic lectins, monodesmosidic serjanic acid saponin, monodesmosidic spergulagenic acid saponin, PAP, phytolacain (G, R), Phytolacca acinosa, Phytolacca acinosa Esculenta, Phytolacca americana, phytolacca berry, Phytolacca decandra, Phytolacca dioica, Phytolacca dodecandra (Endod), Phytolacca icosandra, Phytolacca octandra, Phytolacca rigida, Phytolaccaceae (family), phytolaccagenin, phytolaccatoxin, phytolaccosides, pigeonberry, PL-A, PL-B, PL-C, Po-2, Po-3, pocan, poke, poke root, poke salad, pokeberry, pokeweed antiviral protein (PAP), pokeweed berry, proteinaceous mitogens, raisin d'amérique, red-ink plant, red plant, red weed, resin, saponin glycosides, scoke, skoke, tannin, teinturiére, TXU-PAP, Virginian poke.
• Note: Avoid confusion with jalap (Ipomoea orizabensis). Pokeweed refers to plants of the genus Phytolacca. Studies cited within this monograph concern a number of species of Phytolacca.

Clinical Bottom Line/Effectiveness

Brief Background:

• Pokeweeds comprise a genus of perennial plants (Phytolacca) indigenous to a number of regions across the world including the Americas, East Asia, and New Zealand. In folk medicine, pokeweed leaves have been used for rheumatism, arthritis, emesis and purging. Unsubstantiated reports describe the toxicity of pokeweed root and berries, which may be due to the saponin content of the plant. Aside from control of schistosomiasis (1), a tropical disease, human trials of pokeweed are lacking in the currently available literature, and ingestion of pokeweed is not recommended.
• One derivative of pokeweed, pokeweed antiviral protein (PAP) from the spring leaves of Phytolacca americana, however, shows promising therapeutic effects. PAP is a naturally occurring RNA-depurinating enzyme with a broad-spectrum of antiviral activity. Interest in PAP is growing due to its use as a potential anti-HIV agent. However, the clinical use of native PAP is limited due to inherent difficulties in obtaining sufficient quantities of homogeneously pure active PAP without batch-to-batch variation from its natural resource (2).
• The United Kingdom allows pokeweed in medicinal products where toxic constituents are absent and the product adheres to mandated limits. Ongoing research is investigating the use of pokeweed in flu, HSV-1, and polio (3).

Dosing/Toxicology

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Precautions/Contraindications

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Interactions

Most herbs and supplements have not been thoroughly tested for interactions with other herbs, supplements, drugs, or foods. The interactions listed below are based on reports in scientific publications, laboratory experiments, or traditional use. You should always read product labels. If you have a medical condition, or are taking other drugs, herbs, or supplements, you should speak with a qualified healthcare provider before starting a new therapy.

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Mechanism of Action

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History

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Evidence Table

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Evidence Discussion

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Products Studied

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Author Information

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References

Natural Standard developed the above evidence-based information based on a thorough systematic review of the available scientific articles. For comprehensive information about alternative and complementary therapies on the professional level, go to www.naturalstandard.com. Selected references are listed below.

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