The pain-relieving properties of the plant can vary from one to the next, and your preparation methods can also affect how well it works. . Applying wild lettuce directly to the skin can . However, there is a poisonous look-alike. The pokeweed plant (Phytolacca americana) has some of the juiciest and most appetizing looking berries of late summer and early fall. Horse nettle (Solanum carolinense) plants are dead and dry during the winter, but their fruits can remain plump and juicy.