Nightshade
StarSolanum dasyphyllum
Synonyms: Solanum macrocarpon var. hirsutum, Solanum dasyphyllum var. semiglabrum, Solanum duplo-sinuatum var. semiglabrum, Solanum afzelii, Solanum acanthoideum, Solanum eickii, Solanum crepidotrichum, Solanum duplo-sinuatum, Solanum macrocarpon subsp. dasyphyllum, Solanum sapinii, Solanum dasyphyllum var. transiens, Solanum dasyphyllum var. brevipedicellatum, Solanum dasyphyllum var. decaisneanum, Solanum dasyphyllum var. inerme, Solanum macrocarpon subsp. sapinii, Solanum dasyphyllum var. natalense
Western Herbalism Properties
Traditional Uses
Across Africa Solanum dasyphyllum has many folk uses: in Sierra Leone heated leaves are chewed for throat troubles, in Nigeria the fruits are taken as a laxative and the flowers and fruits chewed to clean the teeth, and in Kenya the juice of boiled roots is drunk to expel hookworms while crushed leaves are taken for stomach complaints; the leaf is also used against pain, fevers and inflammatory arthritis (Burkill, 2000; Bukenya-Ziraba, 2004). Species-specific pharmacology supports this: a leaf extract significantly reduced inflammation in the carrageenan-induced air-pouch model in rats by inhibiting cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase, justifying the anti-inflammatory property.
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Botanical Description
Solanum dasyphyllum, an African nightshade related to the cultivated gboma eggplant, is a robust erect herb or subshrub up to about 1 to 1.5 m tall, the wild forms typically armed with straight or slightly curved prickles on stems, leaf stalks and veins. The large, broadly ovate leaves are softly hairy, often lobed, and may bear scattered spines along the midrib. Star-shaped flowers, white to pale violet with five spreading lobes and a cone of bright yellow anthers, are borne in short lateral clusters. The fruit is a globular berry, green and mottled when young, ripening yellow to orange-brown, containing many flattened seeds. Widespread through the non-arid tropical parts of Africa, it grows in disturbed ground, fallow fields, village margins and bushland; cultivated leafy forms are eaten as a vegetable, while the wild plant, like many nightshades, contains potentially toxic steroidal alkaloids.
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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