Fascinating. I've never seen poke weed before in either Australia or Asia, so perhaps hasn't spread quite everywhere yet. 😉 I think @nateonsteemit might have posted about it last year, I seem to recall vaguely.
All that boiling to remove toxins makes me wonder about how much of the nutrients and goodness and medicine is also removed.
Do you know how the pokeweed was prepared as a medicine? Tinctured? Ingested in tiny amounts WITH the toxins to encourage the purgative effect?
A really interesting post.
Everyone is too scared to list a dosage, because every one has a different tolerance to it.
That being said, I've swallowed up to 3 frozen berries whole with no issues. It's assumed 10 or more berries will cause gastrointestinal distress.
For purgative effects 1 gram dried root will do. It can be used through a tea, tincture and eaten to get the same effects.
As for the seeds, they are what's use as a poltice to treat external parasites and it would require playing with the dosage to see what you could tolerate. This is pretty much the same for all parts of the plant.
To clarify on its edibility and boiling out the benefits; it really isn't for eating unless in a pinch.
In a survival situation it may come down to life or death and calories are just as important as the vitamins and minerals. The key is knowing how to make it edible.