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Black nightshade: what a plant looks like
Black nightshade can grow anywhere. He has no special predilections for his habitat. This poisonous plant is used as a medicine and is used in cooking.
What does black nightshade look like?
Nightshade is an annual plant. Lives in Russia, the Caucasus, Central Asia and other countries. It can grow in the garden and near the swamp, on arable land and near the river. As a wild plant of the middle lane, it is unpretentious and frost-resistant. Propagated by seeds.
Black nightshade is similar to black currant berries, collected in a brush
The nightshade is a plant with a slightly curling stem up to 1 m in height. It has white, star-shaped flowers, collected in drooping brushes. The fruit is black, round, the size of peas, and has a sweet taste. It blooms from July-August, the fruits ripen in August-October. Unripe fruits of the plant can cause severe poisoning, they contain the alkaloid solanine.
Despite the wide distribution of nightshade, it is eaten only in Russia, India and Ethiopia. Fully ripe berries lack solanine. In Russia, jam is made from delicious berries and eaten raw.
The use of black nightshade as a medicinal plant
This plant is used as a medicinal plant. All parts of the nightshade are used: leaves, grass and berries. In addition to solanine, nightshade contains organic acids, tannins, carotene and sugars. The grass must be harvested in July and August, and the berries must be harvested from August to October.
Berries are used as an antipyretic and choleretic agent. They are eaten with high blood pressure and atherosclerosis. They have a calming and analgesic effect. In addition to berries, they use:
- infusion and decoction of herbs;
- ointment from the leaves.
The infusion is used for headaches and joint pains, the broth is used for coughing, and the ointment is applied to inflamed areas and ulcers. Despite such widespread use, this plant should be treated with caution. Do not use this herb without consulting your doctor.
Unripe – poisonous nightshade berries are very bitter, so they are easy to distinguish from ripe fruits. When poisoning with berries, nausea, weakness, drowsiness and diarrhea occur. Often a person has a sore throat. If you don’t call an ambulance, your symptoms will get worse. Later, a cough will appear, there will be a violation of the heart rhythm and breathing, the person will lose consciousness.
The black berries of this plant are very attractive and tasty. They are rich in vitamins and have medicinal properties. However, it is dangerous to self-medicate. To prevent the benefits of nightshade from becoming harmful, consult your doctor before using it.