Along with loosing contact with nature in many other ways we have lost the knowledge about how to properly prepare pokeweed as a food source. For most people it is a noxious "weed", not something to eat. I doubt that your "old man" above really knew what he was talking about. Keep in mind that some folklore is based on fact while other folklore is simply myth.

kimmq is kimmsr

Thanks for replying, but my original post asked if anyone else ate poke, or ate it without boiling it.

Most if not all people that actually eat poke know it is supposed to be boiled. Like I stated above about the old man, he believed the toxicity was an exaggeration or falsehood. He ate poke without boiling it his whole life and never suffered from it that he could tell. It had nothing to do with lost knowledge.

I eat poke without boiling it a couple times a week during the warm seasons and havent suffered from it that I can tell. My not boiling it has nothing to do with lost knowledge, I dont believe it is as toxic as it is made out to be, at the least I believe the toxicity can be cooked out to a degree in ways other than boiling.