http://www.aces.edu/dept/extcomm/new...june21b02.html

The above site explains why it's probably not a good idea to eat poke salad,
even though thousands have done it and lived. It does appear that the
knowledgable people in the past at least understood that it was vital to eat
the shoots only when very young, and only when boiled thoroughly, the water
discarded and boiled some more. That being said, we consume a lot of plants
which have trace amounts of natural toxins - including peanuts and
potatoes - and in much larger quantities than most of us will ever consume
poke salad.