The nightshade or devil's tomatoSolanum nigrum L.) is a species of the nightshade family commonly known as nightshade. It is a subshrub native to Eurasia with white flowers with large yellow anthers and dark purple berries. It is an annual plant that inhabits disturbed places such as roadsides, vacant lots, or behaves as a weed in various crops.
Solanum nigrum it is part of a complex of species of about 5 taxa distributed between Africa, Europe and America. This complex has a wide genetic variability, including diploids and polyploids..
The species contains alkaloids from the solanine group that have both toxic and medicinal properties. Among its medicinal properties, it stands out that it alleviates the symptoms of the herpes zoster virus, which causes "shingles".
It is also an effective treatment against inflamed joints, gastric and ophthalmological problems, among other aspects. Some scientific studies indicate that it has beneficial properties against certain types of cancer and produces antioxidants.
Due to the presence of solanines, their raw consumption can cause poisoning that can lead to death. When this occurs, intravenous physostigmine or eserine can be used as an antidote..
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The species is characterized by being an annual or multiannual plant that blooms almost all year round. It is known by a great diversity of common names, such as devil's tomato, black tomato, being more frequently mentioned as nightshade.
Solanum nigrum it is a subshrub (woody base) 30 to 100 cm high, with erect or somewhat curved stems, pubescent and without thorns. With petiolate, broad-ovate leaves with acuminate apex, with entire edge or sparsely toothed towards the lower half.
The inflorescences are glomeruli (arranged very tightly in a globose shape) with three to twelve flowers. The flowers are small, with a peduncle and a calyx with five apple-green sepals..
The corolla is rotatable (wheel-shaped) with five white petals. The stamens have large, deep yellow anthers that are connivent (join together to form a prominent cone).
The gynoecium (female part) is formed by a super ovary with five carpels that present numerous ovules.
The fruits of Solanum nigrum They are small, spherical berries. These berries are initially green in color, but when ripe they turn dark purple or black..
The calyx persists at the base of the fruit, as occurs in many nightshades (example: tomato). The seeds are kidney-shaped (kidney-shaped) with a yellow-orange color..
In addition to its medicinal properties, Solanum nigrum It has multiple potentialities of use, among which the following stand out:
Although the solanine contained in the leaves and fruits is toxic to humans, cooking denatures it. Thus, in Africa it is used as food for humans and animals.
In the same way, the cooked ripe fruits are used for the preparation of jams..
Nightshade is a potential source for the genetic improvement of potato and eggplant. The genes that the species possesses have shown usefulness to grant resistance against Phytophtora infectns (pathogenic fungus).
The usefulness of alcoholic extracts from Solanun nigrum as an insecticide. This has been shown to be effective in the control of larvae of mosquitoes of the genus Culex and larvae of butterflies, agricultural pests..
The species belongs to the genus Solanum L. more than the Solanaceae family., With more than 1,400 species worldwide.
Solanum nigrum It was described by the Swedish botanist Carlos Linnaeus in 1753 in his famous work Species Plantarum. The epithet nigrum refers to the almost black color of its fruits.
For the species two subspecies are recognized that are Solanum nigrum subspecies nigrum and Solanum nigrum subspecies schultesii (Opiz) Wessely.
Nightshade is part of the Moreloid group made up of about 76 species within the Solanum section.
In the Solanum section the complex “Solanum nigrum“, That species are very similar to each other, so it is difficult to distinguish them.
For a long time, the species Solanum americanum Mill. And Solanum nigrum they were considered the same species within the complex.
However, various studies have shown that they are two different species, differing in the number of chromosomes, chemical composition and molecular sequences..
Thus, Solanum americanum is a diploid species with 24 chromosomes, while Solanum nigrum is of polyploid origin with 72 chromosomes.
It is considered that probably Solanum nigrum is a hybrid between different unidentified Solanum species.
Complex molecular and chemical studies indicate that Solanum nigrum is more related to Solanum scabrum and Solanum villosum, than to Solanum americanum.
Nightshade is a plant native to Eurasia that has spread to Africa, Australia, and North America. It is distributed from sea level to 3,048 meters high.
Its natural habitat is not known, since it is a plant adapted to live in environments intervened by humans..
Currently, it is common to find it as a weed in crops, along roads or in vacant lots.
S. nigrum It is widely used in traditional medicine in various parts of the world, especially India, China, and Africa. The parts of the plant most used for medicinal purposes are the leaves and fruits.
Due to its use in folk medicine, various scientific investigations have been carried out to verify its therapeutic effects. Among some pathologies for which it has shown positive effects, we have:
In traditional medicine, extracts of the fruits and leaves of nightshade are used to alleviate the symptoms of the disease known as "shingles" or herpes zoster.
This is the same virus that causes chickenpox and affects nerve cells causing hypersensitivity in the affected area..
The sheets of Solanum nigrum They are used as a poultice for their anti-inflammatory properties. For this reason, they have been used with positive results in the treatment of the symptoms of rheumatic diseases..
It has been proven in laboratory tests that the extracts obtained from the plant have positive effects in the treatment of kidney ailments. Its hemoprotective capacity was already recognized by traditional Chinese medicine.
In South India, the extract of Solanum nigrum It is used for the treatment of gastric ulcers, gastritis and other gastric problems.
In folk medicine, the decoction of berries and flowers is used as an effective cough syrup and expectorant. Another use of the plant is for the treatment of bronchitis and tuberculosis..
Scientific studies have shown that the ethanolic extracts of the dried fruit of nightshade have a significant bactericidal activity. Its effect on gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria has been proven.
Among the bacteria that have been shown to be susceptible to extracts of S. nigrum we have Xanthomonas campestris which is phytopathogenic and Aeromonas hydrophila.
Nightshade also has a bactericidal effect against the pathogenic bacteria Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Various investigations show an inhibitory effect of ethyl extracts of leaves and berries of Solanum nigrum in cancer cell growth.
Both the crude extracts and the isolated components of Solanum. nigrum they prevent the proliferation of cells in various lines of cancer. Specifically, the antineoplastic activity of these extracts has been proven against Sarcoma 180 in mice..
Similarly, extracts of nightshade have been effective against tumor cells in different types of cancer. Among these we have the liver (HepG2), colon (HT29 and HCT-116), breast (MCF-7) and cervical (U1424,25 and HeLa27).
The raw extract is usually prepared with dried berries, but it can also be prepared from the whole plant.
Studies carried out in India have shown the antidiabetic effect of ethanolic extracts of leaves of Solanun nigrum. Compounds found in nightshade are reported to have a significant anti-hyperglycemic effect.
Recent research has shown that the water extract of Solanum nigrum contains various polyphenolic compounds with in vitro antioxidant activity.
These compounds include gallic acid, catechin, caffeic acid, epicatechin, rutin, and naringenin..
Antioxidants prevent damage to DNA and cell membranes caused by free radicals generated by metabolism. The uncontrolled production of free radicals is one of the causes of various neurodegenerative diseases.
The usefulness of extract of leaves and fruits of Solanum nigrum for the treatment of ophthalmological problems. In the same way, in the face of diarrhea and dermatological problems.
Because it is a highly toxic plant, special care must be taken in its use as a medicinal plant. Raw extracts should not be administered orally, only cooked. Cooking denatures toxic alkaloids.
There may be cases of allergy to some of the compounds that the plant has when used in topical applications.
Solanum nigrum It has a high content of solanine, a glycoalkaloid, especially abundant in immature fruits. Due to this compound, the intake of raw parts of the plant is toxic.
This alkaloid produces an effect similar to atropine (atropine symptoms), a compound present in other nightshades such as belladonna. Additionally, nightshade also contains saponins that can cause hemolysis..
Mild poisoning with Solanum nigrum causes burning mouth, stomach pain, dizziness, vomiting and fever.
In severe cases, tachycardia, dry mouth, hallucinations, seizures and paralysis are observed, and death can be caused by cardiorespiratory arrest..
In case of poisoning, gastric lavage should be performed and activated charcoal administered. If atropinic symptoms appear, physostigmine or eserine is used as a specific antidote via the intravenous route..
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