Herba Solani Nigri
Black Nightshade Herb

Source:
The whole herb of Solanum nigrum L. (Fam. Solanaceae).

Distribution:
In most regions of China, including Hong Kong.

Harvest & Processing:
Harvest whole herbs in summer and autumn; use while fresh or dry under the sun.

Description:
Stem cylindrical, ramose (with many branches); outer surface yellowish-green, marked with longitudinal wrinkles; hard and brittle; broken surface yellowish-white, hollowed. Leaves shrivelled or in fragments; when intact, blades ovate (egg-shaped) or elliptical. Apex acute or obtuse; margin entire (continuous and even), or with irregular undulate (wavy) teeth. Leaves dull green; both sides glabrous (without hairs) or sparsely pubescent (covered with short, soft hairs). Flowers and fruits rarely attached. Cyme scorpioid (shaped like a scorpion's tail), extra-axillary (outside of but close to the axil); with 4-6 florets; calyx reddishbrown; corolla brownish-yellow. Berries spherical, green and shrivelled. Seeds numerous, brown. Odour: faint; taste: mild.

Indications:
1. Sores and boils, carbuncle, erysipelas
2. Trauma
3. Chronic bronchitis
4. Nephritic oedema

Chemical Composition:
Solasonine exists in the upper portion.