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The world is full of herbs that on one hand can be extremely dangerous but on the other can benefit our health immensely so long as proper care is taken. Poke root is one such herb.

1. Poker Benefits Your Health Savings Account
2. Poker Benefits Your Health Benefits
3. Poker Benefits Your Health Supplements
4. Poker Benefits Your Health Insurance

While all parts of the plant are considered toxic, it has been used traditionally for centuries to boost the immune system and improve lymphatic system health.

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Please be aware however that poke root is extremely powerful and should not be used unless under expert supervision.

What is Poke Root?

If you live in the USA, pretty much anywhere from Maine down to Texas, you might well be familiar with poke root.

It is regarded by most as a highly poisonous plant with berries that should never be consumed. The leaves are sometimes used in a dish called poke salad which was popularized in an Elvis song called ‘Polk Salad Annie’.

However before the leaves are eaten, or used internally by herbalists, they must be prepared properly.

Herbalists and locals boil the leaves three times in fresh water making sure they discard the old water between each boil. This is certainly a very potent plant so experimenting with it at home is definitely not a good idea.

Poke root belongs to the Phytolacca genus native to South America. North America and East Asia. Many members of this perennial plant genus have similar common names including pokeweed, pokebush and pokeberry. Other common names for members of the Phytolacca species include ombú and inkberry.

Many of these species including Phytolacca americana (native to the USA) contain toxic alkaloids called phytolaccigen and phytolaccatoxin which are toxic to mammals if they are not properly prepared. Humans should never eat these berries and children must be warned of their dangers.

Despite the potential dangers of using poke root internally, the plant has a long history of medicinal use both for topical and internal use. It is still used by herbalists and as a folk medicine today to deal with rheumatism, aches, and pains as well as immune and lymphatic system support.

Given that the plant is considered highly toxic, it is not surprising that we lack any scientific evidence into its benefits. There are no clinical trials to support its uses – instead, we have to rely on traditional use and anecdotal evidence as well as the experience of professional herbalists.

If you are interested in the potential health benefits of this plant, please read on but I must reiterate that it should never be used unless you are under expert supervision.

The Medicinal Uses of Poke Root

1) Lymphatic System Health

One of the most popular uses of pokeweed is to keep the lymphatic system working effectively. The importance of the lymphatic system is often overlooked when it comes to the value of certain herbs but it plays a crucial role in our health.

Your lymphatic system is primarily involved in protecting the body against external threats like bacteria, infections, and cancerous cells and also help keep the body’s fluid levels balanced.

According to herbalists and traditional use of pokeweed, the herb can do a great deal to benefit the lymph system. This can ensure your body is protected from various external threats and keeps the immune system strong and healthy.

2) Immune System Support

When used under expert supervision, pokeweed is known for boosting your immune system health. A healthy immune system is absolutely essential to overall good health and wellbeing. It can protect you from seasonal miseries like cold and flu and help you to recover faster from sickness.

The best way to improve the immune system is by eating a nutritious diet especially fresh fruit and veg full of vitamin C but certain herbs including poke root may give you the extra boost your body needs.

3) Endometriosis

Poke root is sometimes used to treat endometriosis. This is a painful condition in which the tissue that lines the uterus grows outside of the uterus. It most commonly affects the fallopian tubes, the ovaries, and the pelvic tissue. As many as 11% of women from the age of 15 to 44 suffer from the condition.

Experts believe that boosting the lymphatic system can help treat endometriosis because a strong lymphatic system can boost immune health. Endometriosis has been linked to a weakened immune system. Herbalists believe that by boosting immune health, poke root could help to fight endometriosis.

4) Rheumatism and Muscle Pain

Poke root can be used under expert supervision to relieve muscle soreness and pain. Once again, it is the herb’s effect on the lymphatic system that is significant as well as the herb’s anti-inflammatory actions.

When the lymphatic system is in the best working order, it can help eliminate toxins that reside in the body’s muscles. It can also help to treat painful and swollen joints caused by conditions like rheumatism, osteoarthritis, and gout.

5) Skin Health

One of the problems associated with poor lymphatic health is unhealthy looking skin and common skin conditions like acne. There are currently no research studies into the effects of poke root on the skin but there is a lot of anecdotal evidence to suggest it can improve your skin’s appearance and health.

6) Other Uses of Poke Root

Poke root has also been used to treat the following conditions:

• headaches
• swollen and tender breasts

How to Use Poke Root

Poke root is usually taken medicinally in the form of a tincture but can be applied topically in the form of a compress.

Because of its potential to cause harm, you should never simply experiment with poke root. Make sure that you only use this powerful herb under expert supervision. There are no fixed dosage guidelines and the amount prescribed can vary depending on the condition you are trying to treat as well as your personal details like weight and age.

Make sure that you purchase your poke root supplements from a reputable company. Do some real research online to make certain you are getting the best quality and safest product. Once you have your poke root tincture or supplement be careful to read the dosage instructions on the package and never take more than the recommended dose.

These are some recommended dosage guidelines for treating sore throats or breast infections. However, please speak to a doctor or expert before taking the herb internally.

On the first day, use between two and four drops stirred into a little water and drink it down. You can repeat the dose before bed. If your soreness or infection has not cleared up the following day, repeat the same doses in the morning and night. You should feel better within two days.

Do not use poke root for more than 5 days consecutively.

Side Effect and Precautions

• Poke root is considered unsafe for internal use. If you are considering using the herb, it is very important to consult an expert before going ahead with it. All parts of this plant are poisonous to humans especially its root.
• Severe bouts of poisoning have been reported from drinking a tea made from poke root leaves and root. The berries are also highly toxic and children must learn not to eat them.
• Some of the side effects of taking poke root include nausea, vomiting, stomach cramp and abdominal pain, reduced blood pressure, incontinence and great thirst.
• Because of its potential harm, pregnant women and nursing mothers must never use poke root.
• Never give children and supplement or product containing poke root.

Poker rooms slowly started to reopen at casinos in Pennsylvania nearly seven months after the casinos and subsequently poker games were shut down in March as a result of coronavirus.

Due to the social nature of the game, poker rooms were not permitted to welcome back players when casinos started reopening in June.

Five poker rooms reopened as of mid-November with Parx, the state’s largest, set to return in December. The city of Philadelphia added restrictions included another shutdown of Rivers Casino Philadelphia until at least Jan 1, taking away another option for live poker.

One poker room continues to remain conspicuously quiet – Wind Creek Casino.

Wins and losses for Wind Creek

Wind Creek is one of the larger poker rooms in Pennsylvania rooms with 26 tables. Located in Bethlehem, PA, it’s in a prime spot to attract visitors from New York City and northern New Jersey.

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A representative from Wind Creek told PlayPennsylvania they had no update on when the poker room would open. On Nov. 18, Wind Creek opened the Betfred sportsbook. The sportsbook is the first for Wind Creek in the United States and the third US retail location for Betfred Sports.

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Wind Creek claimed a number of honors from Casino Player Magazine in October including being named best:

• Overall Gaming Resort
• Table Games
• Poker Room

However, it hasn’t been all good news at Wind Creek Casino. Wind Creek announced layoffs on Sept. 24 that affected about 20% of its workforce. Total revenue in October was $33.1 million, a 16.41% decrease from October 2019.

Wind Creek provided the following statement to LehighValleyLive regarding recent layoffs:

“With recent business volumes significantly lower than we had hoped, we were forced to make this incredibly difficult decision. The hospitality and gaming industries have been crippled by the COVID-19 pandemic. We believe that our reduction in workforce will in the long term positively affect our future success.”

In addition, Wind Creek also announced the permanent closure of Emeril’s Fish House.

A Wind Creek employee provided an update on some of the happenings at Wind Creek including the poker room. The person agreed to share their insight based on the condition of anonymity.

“When Wind Creek shut down in mid-March, they could’ve easily had a mass layoff but they didn’t. They continued to pay all employees until May 31, 2020. Even those that work on tips got an average hourly wage and they continued to pay for benefits. Most casinos around the country just straight up laid off hundreds of dealers back in the spring.”

On June 1, the poker room employees were furloughed. They stopped getting paid but the full-time workers could keep their health benefits as long as bi-weekly premiums were paid. On Sept. 30, all poker room employees were laid off/terminated and the poker room was made into a high-limit slots parlor.

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“We were told it was being turned into a high-limit slots parlor for the time being. Obviously a casino makes way more money on slot machines than a poker room, so I believe they’re focusing on that right now.”

The employee said it is their belief along with other employees that the poker room is not closed permanently and will eventually reopen.

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“The plan is to reopen the poker room in the future. But who knows what the future entails considering what is looking like another round of closures. Wind Creek does see the value in the poker room but I think right now they’re trying to recover from the major financial hit they took during the 3.5 months we were closed up. The client base of the poker room really enjoyed playing at Wind Creek. I know some of them think it’s closed permanently but that isn’t likely the case.”

Poker pales in revenue comparison

In fiscal year 2019/2020, poker accounted for $37 million in total revenue across the state’s ten poker rooms. That number pales in comparison to the $607 million in total revenue by all other table games.

Casinos, trying to recover from an unprecedented financial hit as a result of COVID closures and operating at reduced capacity, are likely allocating resources to games that generate more revenue.

In late August, PlayPennsylvaniaexclusively reported that Harrah’s Philadelphia would not reopen their WSOP poker room.

Meanwhile, PokerStars PA remains the only online poker option in the state – for now.

Pennsylvania poker revenue by casino

As you can see from the table below, live poker is not the biggest revenue earner for PA casinos (though it can help drive other verticals).

2019/2020 Fiscal Year Poker Revenue in PA (figures from the PGCB):