We grow edible nightshade - black and yellow. Black nightshade photo, medicinal properties, application, treatment

Nightshade (Solanum) is a perennial houseplant from the Solanaceae family. Under natural conditions, it reaches a height of 1 meter or more, in a room the size of a bush does not exceed 30-50 cm. The homeland of nightshade is Brazil, Uruguay and Peru. The main decoration of the plant is round, brightly colored fruits.
On the plant, they keep up to six months. The most popular among florists are dwarf varieties of nightshade. Their neat, compact bushes, densely covered with orange or red berries, look very impressive.

Be sure to pay attention to the beautiful Brugmansia plant.

High growth rate. In one season, it can grow up to 60 cm in length.

The nightshade blooms in summer.

Easy to grow plant.

Perennial.

Contraindications

Nightshade is contraindicated in hypotension, diarrhea, severe diseases of the pancreas and liver. Preparations from nightshade are not prescribed for pregnant and lactating women, children.

In unripe berries and leaves of nightshade there is a poisonous substance - solanidin, which can cause severe poisoning. Poisonous solanidin is not destroyed even during heat treatment. Ripe fruits and nightshade grass should be used very carefully.

Often along roadsides, on wastelands or in the farthest corners of vegetable gardens, you can see a modest, unpretentious plant with black round fruits. This is a black nightshade. Some, not paying attention to him, pass by. Others grimace, warning children not to come close to the "wolf berries". Still others collect the fruits in a basket and carry them home, not at all afraid of poisoning. Which one is right? What is it, black nightshade, poisonous or not? Why is it dangerous and how can you use it? And is it necessary? Maybe it's better to get rid of him like weed? Let's figure it out.

Diseases and pests

If the growing conditions are not followed, a number of problems can arise.

• The leaves and fruits of the nightshade dry up. The problem most often arises from too high temperature and dry air. The pot with the plant must be rearranged to a cooler place and sprayed as often as possible.
• The fruits shrivel and the leaves fall off. Most likely, the plant suffers from a lack of moisture in the soil. It is necessary to strictly observe the watering regime, and not to allow the substrate to dry out.
• The nightshade leaves turn yellow. Yellowing of the leaves can be the result of over-watering or lack of lighting. It is necessary to strictly adhere to the recommendations for plant care. To prevent flooding, there must be drainage holes in the bottom of the pot.
• Fruits are not set after flowering. In most cases, the plant self-pollinates well. But sometimes pollination is done manually. To do this, do not shake the pot with the plant much or put it in a well-ventilated place.
• Nightshade grows slowly. Growth retardation is observed with a lack of lighting. The plant must be rearranged to the south side.
• Leaves are discolored. The problem arises when there is a lack of batteries. It is necessary to apply the recommended fertilizers in a timely manner.
• The nightshade leaves turn pale. Nightshade is deficient in potassium. To eliminate the problem, potash fertilizers are applied to the soil.
• The lower leaves of the nightshade are yellow with brown spots. The plant suffers from a lack of magnesium in the soil. Fertilizers with microelements are required.
• Yellow rings on nightshade leaves. The described signs are characteristic of viral diseases. There are no effective measures to combat them. Affected plants are destroyed.

Of the pests of nightshade, spider mites, aphids, whiteflies, and scale insects are most often affected. To combat them, systemic insecticides are used.

Botanical description

Causing so much controversy, the black nightshade plant is the closest relative of all of us known eggplants, potatoes, tomatoes. In its appearance, it even looks a little like tomatoes of some varieties, especially when its sprouts are just sprouting. And its flowers and green berries are similar to potatoes. Only it does not form tubers. In height, the plant stretches up to a meter, sometimes slightly higher, sometimes slightly lower. What does black nightshade look like? The description is as follows: its stem is herbaceous, erect, branched, but not curly and not creeping, like in bittersweet nightshade (red). Leaves without denticles, oval, but pointed at the end. Flowers like potatoes. Their petals are white or blue-violet. The seeds are also almost like tomato seeds, only smaller. The berries are about the size of a medium pea and turn black when ripe. Their taste is difficult to convey in words - slightly sweet, slightly sour, have a characteristic smell, not too juicy, but not porridge either. In short, peculiar. And absolutely harmless! You can be sure.

Main types

Indoor nightshade belongs to the Solanaceae family. Its most common types include the following.

Prickly nightshade

This variety is a weed that grows in height up to one and a half meters. The nightshade thorny has a straight and branched stem, dotted with yellowish thorns.

Thorny nightshade is not the most attractive plant

The leaves are oblong, pinnately dissected. The bush blooms with yellow flowers, which are mainly located in the upper part of the stem. Flowering occurs from June to early September. The nightshade plant begins to bear fruit in October. It is an annual and thermophilic crop that prefers loose soils. It is grown exclusively by seeds.

Nightshade yellow

Speaking about the varieties of culture, one cannot fail to mention the yellow nightshade. This bush grows on average up to half a meter, differs in spreading. The leaves of the variety are quite small, the flowers are white, they are formed in large quantities. The flowering period lasts almost throughout the summer. The fruits of the nightshade are quite small, sweet in taste, and yellow in color.

It looks like a yellow nightshade in nature

Other varieties

In addition to those listed, there are several types of nightshade, which are especially highly valued by flower growers. These include:

• a giant nightshade that grows up to six meters in height and blooms not with single flowers, but with panicles;
• a variety of jasmine nightshade, growing under favorable conditions up to four meters with white flowers that strongly resemble jasmine;
• the Wendland nightshade, also reaching four meters in the wild in its homeland in the mountains of Central America;
• Zeafort nightshade, which is an evergreen shrub that blooms almost from the very beginning of spring until late autumn.

For your information. When growing any variety of nightshade indoors, you should not expect the flower to grow to gigantic sizes.

Where and how it grows

Black nightshade can be found all over the world, even in Australia. The plant is surprisingly unpretentious. It grows equally well on fertile chernozems with regular watering and in arid steppes on sandstones and loams of little use for plant life. Its habitats are forest edges, ravines, wastelands, roadsides, gardens, vegetable gardens, river banks. This plant is an annual.Black nightshade blooms throughout its short life, as soon as it reaches the phase necessary for flowering. Accordingly, his fruits do not ripen at the same time. Sometimes on one bush you can see inflorescences, green berries, and black ones. Nightshade reproduces by self-seeding and with the help of birds eating berries.

Reproduction

In propagation of nightshade, two methods are applicable: by seeds and cuttings. By the way, the size of the fruit depends on the breeding method. Cuttings need time for rooting and adaptation, fruits appear on them after a long time and do not differ in large forms. Indoor nightshade from seeds gives strong bushes, and its fruits delight with bright color and decent size. Let's consider both methods in more detail.

Seeds

You can buy ready-made seeds or get them yourself from already mature plants that bear fruit. First, they need to be disinfected in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, dried and spread over the soil surface, sprinkled on top with a small amount of wet sand.

Cover the container with seeds with foil or glass. Before the sprouts appear, the greenhouse is periodically ventilated and the soil is moistened.

The emergence of seedlings should be expected in 2-3 weeks. As soon as the shoots have safely appeared, the shelter is removed, regular watering and loosening of the soil begin. After 2-3 strong and healthy leaves have formed on the sprouts, they can be planted in separate pots.

Cuttings

Choose healthy and strong branches. They are cut to a length of 10-15 cm and immediately planted in a pot. The soil should be composed of equal parts of sand and peat. Then the cuttings are covered with a glass jar and placed in a warm place.

The roots germinate in 2–3 weeks. It's time to transfer them to stationary pots with soil in the form of a mixture of sand, humus and peat. As soon as the young bushes are transplanted, they pinch the upper shoots.

What is poisonous at nightshade?

Despite the fact that you can overeat black nightshade berries (if you like it to taste), there is still poison in the plant. Moreover, in all its parts, only in different quantities. This is due to poisonous glycoalkaloids, such as dulcamarine, solacein, solanine, which are rich in black nightshade grass, flowers and green berries. Moreover, in the latter there are especially many of them. It is after eating unripe (not enough black or green) berries that you can get poisoned. By the way, solanine is found in green tomatoes and potatoes, especially in old ones that have sprouted and turned green in the sun. True, to get poisoned with it, you need to eat it in a bucket. And in order not to be poisoned by nightshade, you only need to eat fully ripe berries, in which solanine is scanty doses. Plants produce these poisons solely for their own defense. There is practically no solanine in ripe berries so that birds can eat them and thus spread the black nightshade over large areas.

Growing nightshade from seeds

Nightshade is very easy to propagate by seed. They are extracted from fully ripe, shriveled berries. Sowing starts in January. For this, a light substrate is prepared from a mixture of peat sand and vermiculite. Before sowing, the seeds are etched in a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes.

In the future, this will protect the seedlings from fungal diseases.

Seeds germinate unevenly. The first shoots appear in 2 weeks, the last in 2 months. At the age of one month, the seedlings dive into separate containers. Young plants bloom in 6-7 months.

Nightshade poisoning

This can happen if you eat a large amount of insufficient black nightshade berries or allow an overdose of the green mass of the plant, using it for medicinal purposes. However, overdoses of any means are dangerous to health, so when asked whether black nightshade is poisonous or not, the answer can be given as follows: not poisonous, if used wisely.

• nausea;
• pain in the abdomen;
• vomiting;
• diarrhea;
• general weakness;
• headaches;
• disorientation in space and time;
• temperature;
• dilated pupils.

In severe cases, there is loss of consciousness, seizures and coma.

Treatment - as soon as possible gastric lavage, laxatives, adsorbents.

Spread

Black nightshade, the photo of which you can see below, is common in our country. It grows everywhere, including the northern regions. The plant is found even in the southern regions of Siberia. It is a native of Europe and Asia, which was later introduced to North America. The plant adapts perfectly to temperate climates.

Black nightshade is considered a weed because of its unpretentiousness: it is undemanding to the composition of soils and moisture. It develops equally actively among garden plants and in ravines, gullies, along roadsides.

Nightshade in cooking

Remember: you can only eat black nightshade! Its fruit is not particularly sweet, but it is suitable for making jelly, jams, preserves. And also delicious pies with him. In some countries, such as India, nightshade berries are eaten raw with pleasure. They are also loved in many regions of Russia. Some people call the plant late or funnel. Here are a couple of recipes (the calculation is given for 0.5 kg of berries):

Jam

Rinse the nightshade (its black berries) well. Prepare syrup from 0.5 kg of sugar and a glass of water, pour over the berries (hot) and leave for 12 hours, then cook over low heat until tender.

Jam

Rinse the berries thoroughly, pour boiling water over and simmer over the fire until soft. Wipe clean. Add 0.5 kg of sugar. Let it stand. Cook until tender.

Propagation of nightshade by cuttings

At home, nightshade can be propagated by cuttings. They are rooted in a mixture of peat and sand at a temperature of 22-25 °. To create a greenhouse effect, the container is covered with foil. In conditions of high humidity, rooting takes place much faster.

As soon as the cuttings begin to grow, the film is removed. To form dense, fluffy bushes, the plants are pinched 3-4 times. All parts of the nightshade are poisonous, therefore, when working with it, you must use rubber gloves.

Medicinal properties, use of dry raw materials

Avicenna himself used the black nightshade for medicinal purposes. Now all parts of the plant, from the root to the "crown", are actively used by folk herbalists. It helps with:

• colds;
• sore throat;
• diphtheria;
• pains of a different nature (head, articular, rheumatic, gastrointestinal);
• hemorrhoids;
• helminthiasis;
• nervous disorders;
• epilepsy, nervous seizures;
• hypertension and other diseases.

It is difficult to list them all. Black nightshade is even used against cancer. The plant is harvested during its flowering. The green mass is cut and dried in the shade. If you wish, you can plant nightshade in the garden. To do this, you just need to knead a ripe berry and place it in the ground. Nightshade care is very minimal - watering and weed control.

Nightshade: home care. Briefly

Nightshade at home requires some care:

Temperature regime	In the summer period 18-20 °, in winter no more than + 15 °.
Air humidity	Needs daily spraying with soft water.
Lighting	A lot of bright, sunlight is needed.
Watering	Abundant, the soil should never dry out.
Soil for nightshade	Loose, moisture-consuming substrate, preferably peat-based.
Top dressing and fertilization	During the period of intensive growth, once every 2 weeks.
Transplant nightshade	Annual, in the spring.
Reproduction	Seeds or stem cuttings in the spring.
Growing features	Needs annual spring pruning.

Some recipes

Black nightshade is used for the manufacture of ointments, water infusions and decoctions.

• Preparation of the ointment
  : Grind the dried leaves of the plant into powder and mix with oil (olive, sunflower) in proportions 1: 4. It is used for injuries with skin damage, wounds, boils, ulcers.
• Preparation of the broth
  : With a glass (250 ml) of hot water, pour 1 teaspoon of dry raw materials, put in a water bath and simmer for 15 minutes over moderate heat. It is used for oral administration for gastrointestinal problems (colitis, gastritis, enterocolitis), asthma, cystitis, rheumatism, 1 teaspoon in the morning and evening. For rinsing with tonsillitis, stomatitis. Nasal instillation helps with rhinitis.
• Tincture
  : 1 teaspoon of dry raw materials is poured with a glass of boiling water, wrapped (you can in a thermos) and kept for up to 4 hours. It is used for oral administration, 1 teaspoon 2-3 times throughout the day with neuroses, rheumatism, headaches. In the form of lotions for lichen and furunculosis.
• Dry the nightshade root, burn, grind into powder, add sesame oil. Hemorrhoids are smeared with this remedy.

Healing properties

The beneficial properties of black nightshade are used by folk healers to get rid of many diseases. For healers and healers, the entire aboveground part of the plant is valuable. The selectivity of the action of nightshade is interesting in the manufacture of preparations in the same way. For example, the infusion of the plant is equally effective for both internal and external use.

Black nightshade has the following properties:

• choleretic;
• antispasmodic;
• laxative;
• diuretic;
• pain relievers;
• antiallergic;
• anticonvulsant;
• sedative.

Use of raw materials

• Black nightshade is used by healers and raw. Its ripe berries are used for hypertension, atherosclerosis. They just need to be eaten by a handful a day.
• Raw nightshade leaves, turned into gruel and mixed with oil (any) are applied to wounds and painful joints.
• Ripe black berry also helps in the treatment of sore throat and runny nose. Black nightshade, ending the growing season in September-October (just when the wet rainy weather begins), is literally strewn with ripe fruits. They need to be collected and juice made using a mixer. Next, take 50 ml of the product, fill it with water to make a glass of medicine, and rinse the throat or instill it in the nose.
• From fresh ripe berries, you can also make decoctions used for gout, colitis, rheumatism and other diseases. Preparation
  : 4 tbsp. pour tablespoons of berries with a glass of hot water and place in a water bath. Simmer for 15 minutes over low heat.
• 3 tbsp. tablespoons of berries are poured with a glass of water, allowed to boil and insisted for up to 2 hours. Take for rheumatism, hemorrhoids, constipation, a quarter of a glass of broth 3-4 times a day.
• Grind the green mass of nightshade (with unripe berries), measure out 1 tbsp. spoon. Add 1.5 cups of water to the raw material, let it boil for 10 minutes over low heat, cool, strain. For cancer, take 15 ml up to 4 times a day (Ignatenko's method).

Syn .: pozdnika, funnel, bzdnik.

A small annual herb with black berries. Refers to medicinal plants with a wide range of medicinal properties.

experts

Flower formula

Formula of black nightshade flower: ♀♂ * H (5) L (5) T (5) P (3).

In medicine

Black nightshade is practically not used in Russian scientific medicine, but it is officially used in France, and is also used by pharmacists in England, Turkey, Portugal, Venezuela and other countries. It has been found that preparations made from black nightshade herb lower blood pressure and dilate blood vessels, affect the nervous system, at first briefly stimulating, and then calming. There is evidence of the possible use of black nightshade for hemorrhoids, enterocolitis, intestinal spasm, nervous excitement, as well as for various inflammatory processes of the skin (boils, infiltrates), eczema, inflammation of the oral mucosa and sore throat.

Black nightshade has long been a part of the combined herbal preparation "LIV.52", used as a hepatoprotective, antitoxic, anti-inflammatory, choleretic, antioxidant agent for acute and chronic infectious, toxic and medicinal hepatitis, liver cirrhosis in adults, anorexia, fatty hepatosis, as well as the prevention of toxic liver damage (caused by antibiotics, anti-tuberculosis and antipyretic drugs).

Contraindications and side effects

When using black nightshade, care must be taken, as the plant is poisonous. With prolonged use in large doses, it can cause dizziness, heaviness in the head, blurred vision, vomiting, diarrhea, involuntary urination, convulsions. It is not recommended to take black nightshade preparations during pregnancy and lactation, children, as well as with hypersensitivity to its constituent components. Preparations from black nightshade should be consumed in accordance with the dosage and under the supervision of a physician.

In other areas

In some countries, especially India and Ethiopia, including Russia, ripe black nightshade berries are used for food. Fruits are eaten raw, they are used to make fillings for pies, jam, jam, jelly, etc. The juice from the fruit is used as a food coloring in confectionery.

From the fruit of the black nightshade, dyes of different shades (green, blue and blue) are obtained for fabrics.

Classification

Black nightshade (Latin Solanum nigrum) is a species of the genus Solanaceae of the Solanaceae family (Latin Solanaceae). The genus of nightshade is rather large, it includes 1500 species, which is more than half (2300) of the species of the entire family.

Botanical description

Black nightshade - annual, 10-50 cm in height. The stem is erect, branched, slightly pubescent. Leaves are simple, alternate, without stipules, broadly or elliptical-ovate, up to 13 cm long and up to 8 cm wide, entire, less often angular-notched. The flowers are bisexual, regular, white, small (6-8 mm in diameter), collected in drooping umbellate inflorescences. Perianth double, 5-membered. The calyx is multi-leaved, deeply divided, remaining with the fetus. Corolla with a short tube and 5-lobed limb. 5 stamens, upper ovary of 2 carpels. The formula of a black nightshade flower is ♀♂ * H (5) L (5) T (5) P (3). Fruits are black berries (8-9 mm in diameter). Blooms from May to September. The fruits ripen from August to October.

Spread

Black nightshade comes from Eurasia, introduced to America and Australia. It is found in the European part of Russia (more often in the non-chernozem zone), in the Caucasus and in the south of Siberia, as a weed extends quite far to the north. It grows almost everywhere along the banks of reservoirs, ravines, in thickets of bushes, in fields, dry meadows, weedy places, in gardens and vegetable gardens.

Regions of distribution on the map of Russia.

Procurement of raw materials

For medicinal purposes, the grass is harvested along with the leaves in July-September, and the fruits - in August-October. Air-dry in a well-ventilated area. Store raw materials in boxes for 6-8 years.

Chemical composition

Black nightshade contains tannins and dyes, carotene, vitamin C, sugars, bitter glycoside dulcamarine and glycoalkaloids: solanine, solacein, solanein. Poisonous glycosides and alkaloids, especially solanine, are much more in immature fruits, in mature fruits it is practically destroyed.

Pharmacological properties

Black nightshade and preparations based on it have an antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, diuretic, emollient effect in a number of diseases of the nervous system, gastrointestinal tract, etc. In addition, black nightshade preparations have hepatoprotective, antitoxic, choleretic and antioxidant properties.Fresh berries have a laxative and anthelmintic effect.

Application in traditional medicine

Black nightshade has long been used in folk medicine in many countries. Already in the Salerno Health Code, boiled nightshade is recommended as a poultice for headaches.

For medicinal purposes, almost the entire plant is used: infusions, decoctions, fresh berries and juice from ripe fruits, juice and ointment from leaves. For example, the brewed herb of young shoots and leaves of black nightshade in folk medicine is used as tea for spastic pains in the abdomen and stomach, colitis, bladder spasms, muscle and rheumatic pains, neuroses, epilepsy, dyspepsia, pyelitis, convulsions, eczema. An infusion of dry black nightshade herb is used as a laxative for gastrointestinal diseases, urinary and cholelithiasis, hemorrhoids, dropsy and edema, as a diuretic, antihelminthic and antiseptic. In addition, an infusion of black nightshade herb as a blood purifier is taken orally for lichens, exudative diathesis and boils. Black nightshade is valuable for patients with bronchial asthma and bronchitis. Black nightshade berries have many healing properties, for example, they have a beneficial effect on diseases such as atherosclerosis and hypertension (you need to eat 5-6 g of fresh ripe berries per day), diseases of the bladder and urinary tract, skin diseases, they are eaten to improve vision; alcohol tincture of berries is recommended as a sedative; an aqueous solution of juice from berries gargle with sore throat, mouth with stomatitis and pustular diseases of the gums, it is also washed with ulcers, wounds, abscesses and used for lotions for conjunctivitis, scrofula, lichen, in the form of drops - with a cold. Black nightshade preparations are also used for eczema and psoriasis. Fresh or soaked dry leaves of black nightshade are applied to wounds, abscesses, boils. Baths of black nightshade herb as an analgesic and sedative are used for rheumatic and gouty pains, radiculitis, sciatica and neuritis. In folk medicine, the infusion of black nightshade flowers is used as a diuretic and expectorant for various diseases. And finally, according to traditional healers, black nightshade helps with malignant blood diseases, including leukemia.

Historical reference

Although black nightshade is poisonous, it has long been used in European medicine. Even in ancient times, it was used as a narcotic drug before operations. For example, Hippocrates recommended black nightshade to prevent nocturnal emissions, and Dioscorides - for burns of the esophagus and stomach, Avicenna - as a local anesthetic for conjunctivitis, migraine. At the same time, black nightshade was considered not only a medicinal, but also a magical remedy. In Germany, he was placed in a cradle to protect the child from witchcraft; as a remedy for impotence, they carried a bag with peony root, nightshade and coral.

Literature

1. Gubanov, IA et al. Solanumnigrum L. - Black nightshade // Illustrated guide to plants of Central Russia. In 3 volumes. M .: T-in scientific. ed. KMK, Institute of technologist. Issled., 2004. T. 3. Angiosperms (dicotyledonous: dicotyledonous) .S. 169.

2. Wild edible plants / Ed. acad. V.A.Keller; Academy of Sciences of the USSR; Moscow nerd. garden and Ying t history mater. culture them. N. Ya. Marr. M .: b. i., 1941.S. 32.

3. Peshkova GI, Shreter AI Plants in home cosmetics and dermatology. M. Ed. House of SMEs, 2001.680 p.

4. Shantser I.A. plants of the middle zone of European Russia (Field Atlas). KMK. M. 2007.470 p.

Nightshade black

- an annual plant, a representative of the Solanaceae family. The homeland of the plant, scientists consider Australia, it is found in Europe, Asia, America.

Black nightshade is a single stem with purple branches, dark green lanceolate leaves and large purple flowers (see.Photo).

In Australia, the plant is called the "kangaroo apple".

Its fruits are not eaten by animals, only some birds, since the plant is poisonous.

Nightshade species

Known plant species are:

Growing: planting and care

You can grow black nightshade in your summer cottage. Often the plant is grown not for the sake of berries, but for decorative purposes. At home, they grow the so-called pepper nightshade, or, as it is called, "Cuban cherry". This plant was brought from Brazil. Its fruits really resemble cherries, but they are dangerous to use.

All types of ornamental plants of the Solanaceae family are distinguished by their large size and long flowering.

The easiest way to get a young plant is by planting seeds. For this, the seeds are planted in prepared soil in early spring. The crops are sprayed and covered with foil, the first shoots should appear in 10 days.
Plant care consists of regularly pruning fast growing shoots. Black nightshade must also be watered, the soil must always be moist, but without excessive moisture. The plant loves humid air, so it is recommended to carry out regular spraying, however, it is better to refuse spraying during the flowering period.

Nightshade belongs to light-loving plants, they need sun at any time of the year. It is better to put the pot with the plant in a sunny place, but avoid direct sunlight.

If necessary, nightshade is fed in order to get more abundant fruiting. It is suitable for feeding for tomatoes or for ornamental plants.

Collection and storage

Black nightshade berries are harvested in August, grass - during flowering. For medicinal purposes, fruits and herbs are harvested. Dry raw materials in the air in the shade. Store in wooden boxes for up to 6 years.

Beneficial features

The beneficial properties of black nightshade are due to its valuable composition. The plant contains vitamins, minerals, ascorbic acid, carotene. Green fruits contain a dangerous substance that almost completely disappears when ripe.

Hippocrates wrote about this plant in his writings.

Nightshade has a positive effect on the nervous system, helps with hypertension, atherosclerosis, rheumatism.

Our ancestors also used it for colds, ear pains, cystitis. Ripe fruits are recommended for use in case of atherosclerosis, hypertension, 6 pieces per day.

Nightshade has long been used to treat stomach problems, as a sedative, and make compresses for headaches. Black nightshade has diuretic, hemostatic, choleretic properties. In ancient times, it was used in operations as anesthesia. Ripe berries are recommended for sore throat, and the juice to bury with a chronic rhinitis.

The berries of the plant can be used to make a tincture. To do this, pour a handful of fruits with alcohol, insist for several days and take 20-30 drops with a glass of water. The berry tincture helps to strengthen the immune system, relieves the unpleasant symptoms of menopause, and soothes.

Cooking applications

In cooking, black nightshade is used as an ingredient in dishes. In the Caucasus, young leaves are eaten instead of salad. The fruits of the plant are eaten raw, they are also used to make fillings for pies, get jam, jelly.

The jam is made from ripe fruits: the berries are poured with syrup for 8 hours, brought to a boil, removed from heat, then left for 6 hours, and then boiled again until tender.

You can also make jelly: the fruits are rubbed through a sieve, the juice is drained. Pour the fruits with hot water, bring to a boil, filter, add starch, juice, boil for a minute.

Black nightshade benefits and treatment

The benefits of the plant are known to folk and official medicine. From it, drugs are obtained for the treatment of rheumatism, polyarthritis, leukemia, asthma, inflammatory processes, eczema. Nightshade drops help with ear pain.Freshly squeezed juice is used as a sleeping pill. Black nightshade is used for the resorption of tumors of the lining of the brain, ear, for this they make a bandage from a fresh crushed plant.

Despite the fact that all parts of the plant are considered poisonous, they are widely used to treat many diseases.

Nightshade is used to treat angina, flu, whooping cough, otitis media, pulmonary tuberculosis, fungal skin lesions, ascites, jaundice, and kidney diseases. Black nightshade is also effective for skin diseases such as eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis. Powder from the stems is recommended for the treatment of pancreatitis: the powder is taken 3 times a day 15 minutes before meals. In this case, it is important to analyze your feelings. If in the mouth immediately after taking a sensation of sweetness, it means that the inflammation is strong, but if sweetness appears after 15 minutes, then the disease is mild.

In folk medicine, nightshade is used for malignant blood diseases. With this disease, a decoction is prepared: 1 tsp. raw materials are poured with boiling water. The filtered broth is taken in 1 tsp. The drink is taken continuously for 4 weeks, then they do not drink for a couple of weeks, if necessary, the treatment is continued.

For asthma, chronic skin diseases, prepare a decoction: 1 tsp. the herbs are boiled for 10 minutes. Take 2 tsp. a day for 10 days, after which they take a break for 10 days.

Harm of black nightshade and contraindications

The plant can cause harm to the body with individual intolerance. Unripe fruits, as well as grass, are poisonous, they contain the dangerous alkaloid solanidine.

Before using nightshade as a medicine, you should consult your doctor.

It is contraindicated to use the plant during pregnancy, diseases of the cardiovascular system.

Signs of nightshade poisoning: rapid pulse, shortness of breath, severe stomach pains, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of consciousness.

If a person has individual symptoms of nightshade poisoning, it is necessary to urgently take him to the hospital. As a first aid, it is recommended to flush the sick stomach with a solution of potassium permanganate. If a person has lost consciousness, he must be put on his side.

Small black berries can be found throughout Russia

: on the edge of roads, gardens, river banks. People often collect these unpretentious plants with black rounded berries, not knowing for sure whether black nightshade is poisonous or not?

The benefits and harms of an edible but poisonous plant

The nightshade contains substances valuable to humans. It is they who endow the plant with useful medicinal properties:

1. Vitamin C - strengthens the immune system, has a wound-healing effect, restores liver cells, improves the functioning of the pancreas.
2. Calcium - strengthens bone tissue, blood vessels and heart, serves as an immunostimulant, improves metabolism, promotes the production of insulin, stabilizes the nervous system.
3. Magnesium - strengthens bones, blood vessels, capillaries, removes toxins, promotes the digestive system, prevents the occurrence of urolithiasis, soothes the nervous system.
4. Manganese - strengthens bones, improves insulin synthesis, assimilation of carbohydrates, promotes the thyroid gland.
5. Rutin - strengthens capillaries, lowers blood and eye pressure, relieves arrhythmias, normalizes the adrenal glands, relieves pain, relieves puffiness, reduces the manifestation of allergies.
6. Sugar - gives energy, normalizes the work of the whole organism.
7. Carotene - participates in the formation of bone tissue, inhibits the aging of the body, reduces the likelihood of developing cancer.
8. Alkaloids - suppress pain and spasms, improve blood clotting, reduce pressure, slow down the nervous system.
9. Glycosides - has a calming effect on the nervous system, dilates blood vessels, neutralizes microorganisms, and improves sputum discharge.
10. Organic acids - promote the process of hematopoiesis, strengthen the walls of blood vessels, lower cholesterol levels, normalize metabolism and the work of the gastrointestinal tract, remove toxins, improve the functions of the reproductive system.
11. Tannins - relieve inflammation, kill pathogens, improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

Branches covered with ripe black nightshade berries
The main contraindications to the use of black nightshade:

• chronic diseases of the liver and pancreas;
• hypotension;
• diarrhea;
• flatulence;
• childhood;
• allergy;
• pregnancy, lactation.

Even in the absence of contraindications, excessive consumption of black nightshade can cause poisoning.

Light intoxication is manifested:

• nausea;
• sore throat;
• strong salivation;
• frequent stools.

In case of severe poisoning, the following are added to the initial symptoms:

• diarrhea;
• nervous overexcitement;
• disorder of the speech apparatus;
• severe drowsiness;
• loss of consciousness;
• violation of the respiratory rhythm;
• cough with copious secretion of liquid sputum;
• increased frequency, and then a slowdown in heart rate;
• coma.

When the first signs of poisoning appear, the patient needs to rinse the stomach and seek medical help.

Refusal of medical care in case of poisoning can lead to serious illness and even death.

Nightshade berries taken close-up

Description

There are many varieties of nightshade. The shrub has about 1,500 varieties, including:

• Indoor nightshade. At home, pepper and pseudo-pepper are bred, which effectively help with diseases of ENT organs, perfectly heal cuts
  .
• Poisonous nightshade, which can provoke skin reactions when the juice comes into contact with the skin. Ripe berries are bright orange or red in color.
• Red nightshade is found in Siberia, Mongolia, has red fruits.
• Black nightshade is an edible variety of nightshade. Often used for medicinal and culinary purposes.
• Bittersweet nightshade is also called wolf berry. It is often grown as an ornamental plant. It can bloom with bright flowers. This instance is not edible.
• Nightshade Sunberry is a Canadian blueberry with large black berries that taste good.
• Papillary is a shrub with yellow fruits resembling a cow's udder. Does not require special care, very popular with gardeners.

The nightshade with black berries is an annual plant, reaching a length of up to 1 m. It has an erect stem, sharp leaves that can reach up to 13 cm in length and up to 8 cm in width, flowers of light color, collected in umbrellas. Its pea-sized berries are dark purple or black when ripe, and have a sweet and sour taste.

Fruits are most often black, but you can find white and greenish

... The plant blooms from early summer to early autumn. It does not require special growing conditions and special care, it usually reproduces by self-sowing, as well as with the help of birds.

Is nightshade edible? Not all types of shrubs are allowed. Most often, the berries of the black plant are used for food, and they are very rarely eaten fresh: they smell very unpleasant. Jam, jelly, sauces, and jam are often made from black nightshade. Ripe berries include many nutrients, vitamin C, sucrose. However, unripe fruits can be poisonous.

Description and features of black nightshade

Let's start by pointing out where the edible plant grows. In Russia, nightshade is found everywhere: in meadows, near water bodies, in gardens and vegetable gardens next to cultivated plants.

It has the following characteristics:

• average height - 0.7-1 m;
• stem erect, branched, cylindrical below, slightly flattened at the top;
• oval leaves with jagged edges, solid green;
• flowers are white, in the form of stars, collected in semi-umbrellas, double perianth;
• fruits - round, smooth black berries, up to 1 cm in diameter.

The taste of ripe fruits is sweet with a slight bitterness, unlike other berries.

The tops and unripe fruits of the plant are dangerous. They contain soladinine, a poisonous alkaloid, and are not edible.

They eat only ripe berries. They are eaten fresh, used for baking, stewed fruit, preserves.

Blossoming and berries of black nightshade

Useful qualities

The plant belongs to medicinal, is often used in the treatment of various diseases.

... The content of the shrub includes:

• organic acids;
• tannins;
• ascorbic acid;
• sucrose;
• beta carotene.

In addition to useful ones, the composition contains poisonous components and alkaloids:

• bitter glycoside;
• dulcarin;
• solanine, which is completely absent in ripe fruits.

Ripe berries taste very pleasant and are often used in cooking. They can be eaten both raw and thermally processed as part of various dishes. In some countries, the plant is used in pharmacology. Found the use of nightshade in cooking: the fruits are often used to make sweet desserts.

The shrub has been successfully used in alternative medicine. It is used to eliminate certain diseases:

• disorders of the nervous system;
• increased excitability;
• convulsive syndrome;
• epilepsy;
• abdominal pain;
• spasms in the urogenital tract;
• skin pathologies.

In addition, traditional herbalists recommend taking juice and tincture from the bush:

• to restore the menstrual cycle;
• to get rid of worms;
• with colds and sore throat;
• from hemorrhoids;
• with increased pressure;
• from diphtheria;
• with rheumatism;
• in the complex treatment of cancer.

Despite the fact that all parts of the plant contain poison, they are actively used by healers, harvesting nightshade when it blooms.

Fruits are able to reduce fever, have anti-inflammatory qualities, remove bile, promote expectoration, and also eliminate rheumatic pains.

Caring for nightshade

Decorative nightshade does not have specific requirements for the care. It grows well in any soil, as long as it is loose. Loves good lighting and high humidity.

Illumination

Home nightshade loves good lighting, but does not tolerate direct sunlight, it needs partial shading. If the plant does not have enough light, it will refuse to bloom and will devote all its strength to the growth of shoots.

That is why in winter it is better to keep a flowerpot with a flower on the south window, and on hot summer days it is taken out to a balcony or loggia.

Temperature

Starting from spring, nightshade needs a temperature around 20 ... 25 ° С. When the growing processes weaken, that is, from about mid-autumn, the indicator is lowered to 15 ° C. Daylight hours are also reduced.

Watering

During the stage of growth, flowering and fruit formation, water the nightshade abundantly. The soil should not be allowed to dry out. When the flower goes to rest (autumn-winter), it is rarely watered.

Top dressing

Since the cultivated nightshade actively bears fruit, it needs a thorough feeding. For replenishment, complex additives are used, intended for flowering plant species. They are brought in during the growing season with a frequency of 1 time in 2 weeks. In winter, when the bush is resting, fertilizers are usually not applied.
Attention! The fertilizer solution should be weak, with an increased concentration, the root system of the nightshade dies.

Pruning

The formation of a bush involves proper pruning. Nightshade tolerates the procedure calmly. Do it at the very beginning of spring or after the plant bears fruit.

How to prune nightshade correctly? The central and lateral shoots are cut off from the plant (you can pinch it), giving the bush a beautiful shape.

The procedure must be done several times a year, since nightshade grows actively and quickly. The first time it is pruned before flowering, in the fall, the shoots that have grown over the summer are cut off. Periodically pinch the tops of the shoots to maintain the shape of the bush.

Formation of a bonsai-shaped plant

Transfer

The nightshade needs to be transplanted annually, and it is carried out before the beginning of the growing season. The plant is transferred from the old to the new pot by the transfer method, that is, the nightshade root system is inserted into a new container along with an earthen lump. The remaining space is filled with a mixture of equal parts of soil and peat.

For a young bush, prepare a mixture of sand, peat and clay soil in a ratio of 1: 1: 3. Be sure to line the bottom of the pot with a layer of drainage.

More about transplanting nightshade:

Earth mixture

Mature plants require loose and nutritious soil. The following mixture is suitable for them: one part of peat and sand and 2 parts of humus. Expanded clay is used as a drainage layer.

Fruiting

For the cultivated nightshade to bear fruit successfully, it needs pollination. When kept outdoors, it occurs naturally: the wind carries the pollen.

If the flower is in the room, you will have to arm yourself with a soft brush and pollinate the flowers yourself.

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The shrub has a positive effect on humans. Ointment based on nightshade is used for various skin pathologies, long-term non-healing, festering wounds, lichen, boils. In addition, the berry is used for malignant diseases of the circulatory system, leukemia. Infusion of the stems is used to treat throat diseases, reduce inflammation in the mouth.

For medicinal purposes, herbs, berries, leaves, as well as ripe dark berries of the plant are used, which are dried indoors and stored for 6-8 years. Green berries cannot be used, as they contain solanine, which can cause severe intoxication.

Use in traditional medicine

Although medicine does not recognize the healing qualities of nightshade, it is widely used in unconventional treatments.

A medicine based on it is used to treat:

• diseases of the digestive system;
• rash, dermatitis, purulent wounds (external use).
• hypertension;
• headache;
• bronchial asthma;
• cough, whooping cough;
• inflammation of the bladder.
• rheumatism;
• respiratory organs;
• Bladder.

Due to the high content of the poisonous alkaloid soladinin, the use of black nightshade is strictly prohibited for women during pregnancy and lactation.

In the absence of an allergic reaction, pregnant women can use it as an external agent for the treatment of skin diseases.

Application

There are many recipes for making medicinal decoctions and infusions from the bush. For treatment, berry broth, juice from fruits and leaves, as well as an ointment made from leaves are used

.

Ointment

The leaves are dried, crushed into a powdery state, vegetable or olive oil is added in a ratio of 1 to 4. The resulting the ointment is applied to damaged skin 2-3 times a day

.

Decoction

The broth will help to establish the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, a decoction can be used to rinse the throat, treat the nose with rhinitis. 5 g of dry leaves are combined with 200 g of boiling water, placed in a water bath for a quarter of an hour. The resulting the infusion is filtered and applied in a teaspoon 2 times a day, in the morning and in the evening

.

Infusion

5 g of dried raw materials are poured with a glass of boiling water and kept for 4 hours. It is necessary to consume the infusion 5 g 3 times a day. The composition is effective for eliminating nervous breakdowns, headaches, and also as compresses for wounds

.

Tincture

The fruits are filled with 60% alcohol and aged for 7 days. The tincture should be taken during colds, flu, dermatological diseases, neuralgia, abdominal cramps, colitis, 10-15 drops daily.

The juice

Ripe berries are squeezed out and diluted with water in a ratio of 1 to 3. They are used in the form of rinsing, as well as during inflammatory processes of the mucous membranes of the mouth and sore throat. For the treatment of a runny nose, 2-3 drops of the solution should be instilled into the nose several times a day.

.

Caring for nightshade at home. In detail

Caring for nightshade at home is quite simple. When favorable conditions are created, plants at the age of 5-7 months begin to actively bloom and bear fruit.

Nightshade bloom

The nightshade blooms in the summer. Plants are abundantly covered with small, star-shaped flowers. A little later, berries begin to tie in place of flowers. At first they are green in color, but as they ripen, the fruits turn bright red or orange.
It takes several months to fully mature. The plant usually reaches its greatest decorativeness by the New Year.

Temperature regime

The nightshade plant at home develops best and blooms at moderate temperatures + 18-22 °. In the summer heat, it can even shed some of the flowers and leaves.

In winter, nightshade needs a temperature of + 15 °. Fruits on the plant in such conditions keep almost until spring.

Spraying

Indoor nightshade needs to be sprayed frequently. To do this, use pre-settled water at room temperature. Spraying is especially important when kept warm in winter. You can also place a small container of water next to the plant to increase the moisture level.

Lighting

For normal development, nightshade needs bright sunlight. Therefore, south-facing windows are best suited for its placement. On them, the plant feels as comfortable as possible.

When placed on the north side, the plant needs additional lighting, especially in winter. In order for the nightshade bush to develop evenly, it is periodically turned.

Watering nightshade

At home, nightshade is watered often and abundantly. In summer, especially during the flowering period, on average once every two days. The soil should never dry out, otherwise the flower may shed flowers and fruits. In winter, in cool conditions, one watering per week will be sufficient.
In this case, irrigation water must be soft and warm. The use of hard water leads to rapid soil salinization, which negatively affects the condition of the plant.

Nightshade pot

A plastic or ceramic pot is suitable for growing indoor nightshade, the main thing is that there are drainage holes in its bottom. Its size should be slightly larger than the root system of the plant. In a container that is too spacious, the soil can acidify, which will lead to the death of the plant.

Priming

The soil for growing nightshade should be sufficiently nutritious and loose. It is made up of equal parts of sod land, humus and sand. For cultivation, you can also use a universal substrate for industrial indoor plants.

At the bottom of the pot, a drainage layer of expanded clay or river pebbles must be arranged.

Top dressing and fertilization

During the period of intensive growth from March to August, nightshade is fed with full mineral fertilizer for indoor plants at a frequency of 2 times a month. When diluting, the recommended dosages should be strictly observed. Too concentrated fertilizer solution will burn the root system.

Transfer

The nightshade is transplanted in early spring. The plant is simply gently transferred into a slightly larger container. During transplantation, shoots are also shortened.
They are cut by about a third. Immediately after transplanting, the plant is watered abundantly and placed in a place with diffused lighting for 2-3 days.

Pruning

With a lack of lighting, nightshade shoots stretch out very quickly. In this case, they are shortened by about half. Immediately after pruning, nightshade is fed with fertilizer with a high nitrogen content. To form denser bushes, nightshade is pinched several times during the summer.

Dormant period

In winter, nightshade needs a rest period. For this, the pot with the plant is placed in a cool, well-lit place at the end of October. The optimum temperature for nightshade in winter is + 13-15 °. With a warmer content, the plant begins to suffer from spider mites and whiteflies.

Cooking applications

Desserts are prepared from ripe berries: jam and jam, dumplings and sauces are made, and jelly is also cooked

... In the Caucasus, bush leaves are used instead of lettuce.

Jam

To cook the jam, you need 0.5 kg of berries, 0.6 kg of sugar, a glass of water. The fruits are sorted out, placed in a container, poured with hot sugar syrup, stand for 12 hours, after which the composition must be digested until ready

.

Jam

For 1 kg of berries - 1 kg of sugar and 400 g of water. The berries are digested until tender. Next, they must be ground with sugar and kept on fire until half of the liquid has boiled away. The resulting jam is perfect as a filling for sweet pies.

.

Kissel

Ripe fruits are pounded through a sieve, squeezed out the juice. The remaining cake is poured with boiling water, boiled and filtered. Put starch and juice into the composition, wait for a boil and remove from heat

.

When is the use of the herb indicated?

Preparations from black nightshade herb are used in the following cases:

• with diseases of the stomach, intestines;
• with cholecystitis, pyelonephritis;
• with epilepsy, neuroses;
• with skin diseases.

Water extract from grass for lichen, furunculosis, allergies of an unknown nature purifies the blood. In addition, herbal infusions are an effective addition to medicinal baths. The nightshade herb is known for its expectorant and bronchodilatory properties, and therefore drugs based on it are used for colds, bronchitis, bronchial asthma, and tuberculosis.

Contraindications

Restrictions on use are:

• hypersensitivity to nightshades;
• time of bearing a child;
• childhood;
• lactation period.

Ripe fruits of the bush will not harm even a child's body

... Despite the fact that the fruits of the plant are edible, prolonged use of them in large quantities can lead to poisoning. That is why it is necessary to consult a doctor before herbal treatment.

Poisonous or not

Indoor nightshade is a poisonous plant. All parts of the bush are dangerous: berries, leaves and shoots.

Nightshade is not recommended for growing in apartments with small children. The bright colors of the berries can attract a child.

Can you eat berries?

Eating indoor nightshade berries can lead to a serious eating disorder. At high doses, a lethal outcome is possible.

However, there are certain types of nightshade, the ripe fruits of which can be used as a medicine. For these purposes, the fruits are dried, frozen or ground with sugar.

Unripe nightshade fruits are especially dangerous. These berries contain a lot of harmful substances - solanine.

Indoor nightshade is a beautiful and unpretentious houseplant that a novice florist can handle. Care must be taken to plant nightshade in a house with small children, as fruits and leaves contain toxic substances.

Read other interesting articles on the site, for example about: nertera, muhlenbeckia, irezine, heptapleurum and hypoestes.

Folk recipes with nightshade

1. To make a diuretic tincture from black nightshade, you need to pour two teaspoons of flowers with two glasses of boiling water and let it brew for two hours. Take this remedy half an hour before meals, a tablespoon.
2. With angina, the juice of their nightshade helps. To do this, ripe berries must be scrolled through a meat grinder and squeezed. Then 6 tbsp. Dissolve tablespoons of the resulting juice in a liter of warm water and leave to brew for half an hour. The resulting product should be gargled 3-5 times a day.
3. For purulent wounds, ulcers and eczema, lotions from the infusion of nightshade leaves will help. This requires 4 tbsp. Pour tablespoons of dry leaves with a liter of boiling water and stand for four hours. When the product is infused, you need to moisten a cotton pad in it and apply it to the sore spot for 10-15 minutes.
4. For diseases of the stomach and intestines, it is recommended to take 1 tbsp of nightshade leaves. spoon half an hour before meals. The infusion is prepared as follows: four teaspoons of the leaves are poured with three glasses of boiling water and insisted for two hours.
5. To prepare a medicinal drink from black nightshade, which helps to rejuvenate the body and protect against cancer, you will need 2.5 kg of nightshade berries, a liter of clean drinking water and 0.5 liters of liquid honey. Ripe pure nightshade fruits are passed through a meat grinder and squeezed out. Then honey and water are added to the resulting nightshade juice. The mixture is stirred well and poured into sterilized containers (glass jars, bottles). You need to store the product in a cool, dark place, take 1 tbsp in the morning. spoon on an empty stomach. Also, this drink can be used for viral infections.
6. Black nightshade can be used for a cold. To do this, you need to scroll the nightshade leaves through a meat grinder, squeeze out the juice and bury it in the nasal sinuses, two drops at a time.
7. When coughing, you need to pour 10 g of nightshade herb with two glasses of boiling water and leave for half an hour. The infusion should be taken warm twice a day for 1/2 cup, adding 1/2 teaspoon of honey.
8. To get rid of insomnia, you need to mix 4 tbsp. tablespoons of nightshade fruit juice and 2 tbsp. tablespoons of warm boiled water. You need to take such a remedy twice a day, two tablespoons.
9. If there are diseases of the nervous system, then nightshade is recommended to eat 5 ripe fresh berries daily.
10. With deprivation, you can make lotions from black nightshade grass. To do this, take four teaspoons of dry crushed raw materials and pour two glasses of boiling water. The tool is insisted for 5 hours, after which it must be filtered, moistened with white cotton cloth, gauze or cotton pad and treated several times a day the affected areas. Also, this infusion can be used for compresses.

Important: before using folk remedies, you must consult a doctor.

Harmful properties

As already mentioned, black nightshade can bring more than just benefits. It contains such hazardous substances as:

• solanine;
• solacein;
• solanein;
• bitter glycoside dulcamarine.

These substances can cause severe poisoning. Therefore, unripe nightshade berries should not be eaten. It is especially important to explain this to children, as the fruits attract their attention and they can eat them in large quantities. Considering that black nightshade grows freely almost everywhere, children can easily find it on their own.

Given the characteristics of this plant, it is best to avoid eating it during pregnancy and lactation. It is also not recommended for people with cardiovascular diseases. Finally, the individual intolerance of its constituent components is also an obstacle to its use.

Poisoning with this plant is expressed by the appearance of the following symptoms:

• nausea;
• vomiting;
• sharp pain in the stomach;
• diarrhea;
• dyspnea;
• heart palpitations;
• loss of consciousness.

If any of these signs appear, and even more so all together, you must immediately seek medical help. At the same time, it is imperative to point out that the likely cause of this condition may be the use of black nightshade.

First aid for poisoning

If a person is poisoned by this plant, he must be immediately taken to the hospital or an ambulance team must be called. Before the arrival of the doctor, it is necessary to provide the victim with first aid. The simplest and most indispensable actions that should be taken in this case:

• flush the stomach;
• induce vomiting;
• in case of loss of consciousness, put on its side.

To lavage the stomach and stimulate the vomiting spasm, you can use a proven remedy - a solution of potassium permanganate. It must be made not too strong, and most importantly, make sure that all the crystals of potassium permanganate are completely dissolved, otherwise a burn of the mucous membranes will also be added to the poisoning. To be sure, the solution can be filtered through triple gauze.

Nightshade ointment

The nightshade herb is used to treat many skin lesions: infectious, mechanical, allergic, trophic, autoimmune. To enhance the effect, the ointment is covered with a bandage. The procedure takes two to four hours. To prepare the ointment, dry nightshade herb is used. It should be ground into powder in a mortar or coffee grinder.

Mix a teaspoon of powder with four teaspoons of refined vegetable oil. The resulting drug is applied to the damaged skin three times a day.

The benefits of bzdnik for the human body

The benefits and harms of this herb have long been debated by scientists. Although nightshade has been recognized as a useful medicinal plant, nevertheless, it must be used very carefully.

In moderation, it has a beneficial effect on the body:

• lowers blood pressure;
• dilates blood vessels;
• removes inflammation;
• removes excess fluid;
• normalizes the functioning of the nervous system;
• improves vision;
• eliminates parasites;
• removes insomnia.

The late is also used externally to quickly eliminate itching, redness, purulent skin lesions.

Description of the plant

It is easy to find out a medicinal plant. The nightshade looks like a plant with a branchy and upward stem no more than a meter in height. The leaves of the nightshade are oblong in shape, their edges are slightly serrated, and the white flowers bloom in umbrella inflorescences.

As the name suggests, black nightshade fruits are black berries. Small and round in shape, they are covered with a smooth skin.

Attention! Nightshade is a dangerous plant. You can only eat fully ripe berries. Unripe fruits and tops of nightshade are poisonous.

Black nightshade. Botanical description. Distribution area

Black nightshade is an annual plant. It was bred at the beginning of the 20th century by the American breeder Luther Burbank, who crossed 2 types of plants - African and European types. In Russia, it is often found in the Caucasus, grows in Australia, USA, Japan. At the same time, the culture is so unpretentious that it can grow on wastelands, and near highways, near rivers and reservoirs.

photo of black nightshade

It is useful to know what black nightshade looks like. Plant height is 70-120 cm. It is characterized by a straight stem with a large number of branches on which elongated oval leaves grow. During the flowering period, which begins in the middle of summer, it is covered with white flowers, collected in umbellate inflorescences. In August, small black berries up to 1 cm in size appear on the bush.

Many people believe that all types of this culture have the same beneficial properties. However, for example, the nightshade prickly plant is a weed that tends to grow under any conditions, spread quickly.

It is quite difficult to deal with it, it is necessary to use modern powerful means to destroy weeds, not forgetting to observe strict rules of crop rotation in order to exclude the appearance of crops on the site.

nightshade contains a lot of substances useful for the body

Chemical composition and medicinal properties of black nightshade

You need to know how good nightshade is. A wide variety of medicinal properties is due to the chemical composition of the culture:

1. Carotene. The substance has an antioxidant, antitumor effect, reduces the rate of cell aging, strengthens bones, normalizes protein metabolism, and accelerates metabolic processes.
2. Glycosides and alkaloids. They have an analgesic, sedative, vasodilating effect.
3. Organic acids. They improve metabolism, stimulate the excretion of bile, and cleanse the body.
4. Tannins. They have a bactericidal, anti-inflammatory effect, promote faster wound healing.
5. Manganese. Helps stabilize the thyroid gland, takes part in the production of substances that convert lipids into energy.
6. Sugar compounds. Accelerate the metabolic process.
7. Ascorbic acid. It is a powerful natural antioxidant. Removes toxins, slows down the aging process.
8. Rutin. The substance strengthens blood vessels, which leads to the stabilization of blood pressure.
9. Magnesium salts. Strengthens bone and muscle tissue, accelerates the transmission of nerve impulses.
10. Calcium. It is one of the most important trace elements, which is involved in almost all metabolic processes.

The beneficial properties of black nightshade have made it a popular herb in folk medicine. Infusions and decoctions are used for colitis, pain in the gastrointestinal tract, atherosclerosis, neurosis, migraine and headache, gouty pain.

Ointments based on it help with lichen, all kinds of ulcers, relieve boils, various wounds, including purulent ones.

nightshade berries are harvested when they are fully ripe

Harvesting and storage of black nightshade

Almost all parts of the plant are used in therapy. However, for this it is important to correctly harvest and store nightshade.

The plant is harvested during the period of active flowering - June-July. Harvesting is carried out in several stages:

1. Cut off the top, retreating about 15-20 cm from the ground.
2. Rotten and spoiled plants are removed.
3. Dry in a ventilated place away from sunlight, turning regularly. Store raw materials in a tissue bag.

From mid-August, nightshade berries can be harvested:

1. The berries are plucked from the bushes along with the stalk, discarded blackened, dry, damaged by insects.
2. Washed to remove dust and small impurities, air dried.
3. Separate the stalk, spread it on a tray covered with paper, air dry so that the sun's rays do not fall on the berries.

In this form, raw materials can be stored for 5-8 years.

In addition, nightshade fruits can be frozen. To do this, they need to be washed, dried, laid out on a tray in one layer, placed in the freezer for 2-3 hours. Then the berries are poured into a bag and frozen again.

Freezing is one of the best storage methods, since in this case a maximum of useful substances are retained in the berries.

due to its rich chemical composition, the plant has a lot of positive effects on the human body

Berry juice

It is used for edema, ascites, hypertension, for external use in diseases of the mucous membranes and skin. Juicing is easy. To do this, you need to grind a glass of berries through a sieve or grind in a blender. The resulting mass must be squeezed through cheesecloth. A quarter of a glass of freshly squeezed juice is diluted with boiled water at room temperature to a full glass.

The resulting solution can be used to rinse the mouth, throat and wounds. When rhinitis, instill 2-3 drops of diluted juice in each nasal passage.With cystitis, hypertension, dropsy, take 30 drops of undiluted juice every day. It should be washed down with milk or clean water. A decoction of the herb is used as an antispasmodic, antitussive, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antiallergenic agent.

Pour a teaspoon (teaspoon) of chopped dry nightshade herb over a glass of boiling water. Heat the resulting mixture in a water bath for 15 minutes. When the composition has cooled, strain it. Take the remedy in a spoon (teaspoon) twice a day. A new portion is prepared every two days.

Tips: how to use nightshade medicinally

In modern herbal medicine, various traditions of using nightshade are combined. So, in Russian folk medicine, a decoction of the flowers of this plant is considered a good expectorant and diuretic. The decoction of fruits has the same properties, only it still gives a laxative effect. Prepare it like this - take 5 g of fresh fruits and 4 g of leaves in a glass of water, bring to a boil, keep on low heat for about 5 minutes, cool and filter. The resulting volume is divided into three doses.

In Indian medicine, the fruits of this plant are used for fevers of various origins and dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract. In this case, it is recommended to take fresh berries. Their juice is believed to help with liver diseases and dysentery.

In Bulgarian folk medicine, it is believed that it is best to use the young shoots of this plant. A decoction is prepared from them - 3 g of crushed plant materials are poured into 150 ml of water, brought to a boil and simmered for 10 minutes, then cooled and filtered before use. The resulting product is drunk three times a day, 1 tablespoon for gout, bronchial asthma, for pain in the gastrointestinal tract. Also, a gruel is made from the fruit, which is mixed with vegetable oil and applied to the wounds to speed up their healing.

For the treatment of spasmodic pain, herbalists advise drinking nightshade tincture - 20 g of fruits and chopped herbs are infused in 100 g of vodka for a week, then 10-15 drops are taken throughout the day.

Infusion

It is used to treat joint, stomach, headaches, and disorders of the nervous system. From a warm infusion, lotions are made for ulcers, boils, wounds.

Steam 5 grams of nightshade herb with a glass of boiling water. Let the composition brew for three hours. Then the composition can be filtered. Inside, the infusion is taken in a tablespoon up to four times a day.

Correct harvesting of black nightshade

It must be said right away that the beneficial properties of this plant are preserved for 8 years, if it is properly collected, prepared and provided with optimal storage conditions. Therefore, before you start collecting nightshade, you should study in detail how and when it can be done.

The ground green part of the plant, namely the stems and leaves, must be harvested during the period of their maximum development. Strong, juicy greens, in which a characteristic composition has formed, but at the same time it has not yet begun to fade - this is the most suitable raw material for harvesting. As a rule, nightshade reaches this state by the middle of summer. At this time, you can start collecting. By the beginning of autumn, the juice from the leaves begins to leave, it is no longer worth collecting them.

But the berries are just beginning to ripen at this time. Better to wait until September, or at least make sure the fruits are fully ripe. They should take on a deep black color. The approximate collection time is September and October. You can squeeze juice from fresh berries and use it for medicinal purposes, or cook jelly, jam and jam from them.

The bulk of the collected material will have to be prepared. To do this, it must be dried. Both berries and leaves of nightshade are dried in the open air, avoiding exposure to direct sunlight. It should dry out thoroughly so that moisture residues do not lead to decay of raw materials.After that, it is advisable to spread the dry leaves on a sheet of paper in a dark, cool place, where there is no dampness and condensation does not form. This can be an attic space, or at least a closet.

Dry berries can be poured into a canvas bag and stored in the same place as the dried herbs. As needed, you can take the right amount of berries or leaves and use it to prepare medicinal decoctions and infusions. As already mentioned, in this form, nightshade can retain its properties for several years. If there is no intolerance and contraindications to the use of nightshade, you should use this gift of nature to strengthen your health.

Procurement of raw materials

For medicinal purposes, you can use both young shoots of the plant, along with inflorescences and leaves, and fully ripe fruits. Harvesting black nightshade involves two stages.

With active flowering, nightshade grass is collected - its young shoots. They are harvested in three stages.

1. Cut off the top of the grass, retreating from the soil by 20 cm.
2. Sorting nightshade shoots for damaged leaves and rotten shoots.
3. Occurs in a shaded, well-ventilated area. The nightshade is regularly turned over until completely dry.

Starting in August, nightshade fruits are harvested. This requires five steps.

1. Black berries are picked together with the stalks.
2. The fruits are washed with cold water, completely dried from moisture in the open air. Separate the berries from the stalks.
3. Prepared nightshade fruits are laid out in one layer on a pallet lined with paper or cotton cloth. Dry when shaded, turning regularly.
4. Fresh prepared berries are laid out in one layer on a wide baking sheet. Place in the freezer for two hours, after which the nightshade is poured into a container or bag.
5. Fruits are covered with sugar, keeping a 1: 1 ratio. After a few hours, grind with a crusher in mashed potatoes or grind through a sieve.

You can prepare black nightshade by making jam from berries. To do this, the berries are boiled whole in sugar syrup or cooked puree is boiled. If you freeze black nightshade for the winter, you will be able to preserve its beneficial properties with minimal losses.

You can store frozen berries until the next harvest. The dried fruits and grass of the nightshade are stored entirely in boxes, the bottom of which is covered with paper. Shelf life with good ventilation and protection from sunlight can be up to eight years.

Safety regulations

Opening any guide to herbal treatment, you can see a photo of black nightshade. The benefits and harms of this plant are closely intertwined. We have already said that the green fruits of the plant are toxic, therefore, when preparing raw materials, you must be extremely careful. Only fully ripe fruits, evenly colored black, can be harvested.

Preparations based on black nightshade are contraindicated for children under three years old, pregnant women, as well as during lactation, people with individual intolerance to the substances that make up the plant. Side effects to look out for when taking drugs made from nightshade include:

• increased fatigue;
• dizziness;
• nervous irritability;
• diuresis;
• diarrhea.

According to reviews of people who took these funds, the negative effect of the plant is very rare and only if the dosage was exceeded. Its violation leads to intoxication of the body, which, in the absence of medical care, can be fatal, since the harm of nightshade is due to the content of potent substances in its composition. Traditional healers claim that the side effects of nightshade are effectively eliminated by natural bee honey.

Fruit use

Numerous patient reviews confirm the benefits of black nightshade fruits when using its fruits in different forms:

• Fresh berries.Fresh berries are useful for hypertensive patients, used as a preventive and therapeutic agent for atherosclerosis, infectious diseases, kidney diseases, and improving vision.

• Alcohol extractor. It has anticonvulsant, sedative, muscle relaxant properties. It is used in the treatment of neuroses, mild forms of neurasthenia.

• Berry juice. This nightshade remedy is used to treat inflammation of the oral cavity: periodontal disease, stomatitis, tonsillitis. Lotions from the juice help fight conjunctivitis and chronic rhinitis, when instilled into the nose. Berry juice has anti-inflammatory, astringent, healing, bactericidal properties. It is diluted and used in the form of compresses for the treatment of psoriasis, eczema, lichen.

Traditional healers believe that nightshade is able to heal from malignant tumors, including blood cancer. In oncology, extracts from flowering grass or fruits are taken. The plant cures hepatitis of any origin, cirrhosis of the liver. The hypoglycemic properties of this plant have a beneficial effect on blood sugar levels.

Beneficial features

The importance of this plant in medicine has been known since ancient times. For medicinal purposes, not only nightshade was used, but also its leaves and stems. Experts collect the green part of the plant from mid-summer to autumn, while the fruits - only after they are fully ripe. Usually, the time for picking berries falls on the end of summer - beginning of autumn.

You should not rush with this, since unripe fruits contain toxic substances that are destroyed only when the berry is fully ripe. In general, the Solanaceae family is characterized by this quality. Many of its representatives have poisonous fruits. However, the use of poisons in medicine is an even older tradition. Nightshade is quite safe if you know how to handle it. It can be used like:

• expectorant for coughing;
• febrifuge;
• anti-inflammatory medicine;
• choleretic agent;
• medicine for diseases of the genitourinary system;
• pain reliever;
• normalizing pressure;
• sedative;
• remedy for skin diseases.

Various medicinal compositions are made on the basis of black nightshade, but this is not the only way to use it. Some have mastered the berries of this plant as a base for making sauces, filling for pies, jams, and the leaves are used in addition to main dishes.

The nightshade is valued for the beneficial substances it contains, including:

• organic acids;
• tannins;
• carotene.

The harmful substances contained in it become harmless after the berries are fully ripe. To prepare medicinal compositions and dishes from it, you should use proven recipes.

Growing black nightshade: planting and care

On your backyard, you can easily grow nightshade in temperate climates. Pepper nightshade (Cuban cherry) is usually grown as decoration. Berries of this variety are not consumed. Outwardly, the plant resembles a cherry. The homeland of this species is Brazil.

For the simplest cultivation, seeds are used. In early spring, seeds are sown in the soil. From above, the soil is moistened and covered with plastic wrap. After 2 weeks, the first shoots should appear. The soil must be constantly kept moist. The plant requires constant pruning of the shoots. On hot days, the plant should be sprayed regularly. During the spraying period, spray it carefully so that water does not fall on the flowers.

Choose a bright, well-lit place for planting, but, if possible, hide from drafts and strong winds. At lunchtime, it is necessary to shade from the direct rays of the sun, otherwise burns will appear on the surface of the leaves. In the spring for abundant fruiting, the plant needs additional fertilization for ornamental plants or tomatoes.

Family species

The nightshade is impressive in its variety: there are more than 1500 species of them. They are classified in different ways, for example, by the type of crops:

• agricultural;
• medicinal;
• decorative;
• room, etc.

Among this family are shrubs, trees, herbaceous plants. They can also be divided into:

• poisonous and non-poisonous;
• edible and inedible.

Of the wild in Russia, there are two types:

1. Nightshade red (sweet - bitter) - perennial. Very high from 4 to 7 meters. The flowers are purple, the leaves are oval elongated. All parts of it are poisonous, but there are also medicinal properties. It is used for treatment as a diuretic, wound healing, analgesic and anthelmintic.
2. Black nightshade.

Vegetable species of nightshade include:

• tomato;
• eggplant;
• physalis;
• melon pear;
• potatoes.

Medicinal species of this family:

• belladonna;
• henbane is black;
• dope ordinary;
• mandrake;
• tobacco.

Some types are used only in traditional medicine. There are also those that are part of the drugs of official pharmacology.

Decorative varieties delight with flowering. This type includes:

• petunia hybrid;
• fragrant tobacco;
• nightshade is sweet and bitter;
• jasmine and others.

Chemical composition and calorie content

The nightshade fruit has one unique characteristic. Berries have zero calories - they do not contain any proteins or fats, there are practically no even carbohydrates. But at the same time, the vitamin and mineral benefits are very high. The pulp contains elements such as:

• ascorbic acid in large quantities;
• calcium and manganese;
• magnesium and rutin;
• sugar and carotene;
• mass of tannins and organic acids;
• glycosides and alkaloids.