Flora Palaestina Ethnobotany

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Hairy Nightshade, Red Nightshade, Woolly Nightshade

Family

Solanaceae

Synonym(s)

English name(s)

Hairy Nightshade
Red Nightshade
Woolly Nightshade

Hebrew Name(s)

solanum sa'ir

סוֹלָנוּם שָׂעִיר

Arabic Name(s)

samweh سموة

Life Form

Hemicryptophyte

Habitat

Nutrient-rich soils
ruderal

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Medicinal Complaints / Uses

Solanum villosum Mill.

System/State	Traditional Complaint/Use	Activity / Interpretation	Traditional Preparation/ Administration	Parts Used	Source
Child Health	Abdominal pain, especially in babies	Carminative	Cook aerial parts & fruit + "yansun" (Pimpinella anisum) + "raziana" (Foeniculum sp.) (See NOTES) + sugar & drink. (TOXIC See CAUTIONS.)	Aerial parts, Fruit	Z
Gastrointestinal	Jaundice	Hepatic	Drink juice of fruit. (TOXIC See CAUTIONS.)	Fruit	Z
Opthalmic	Eye heat & swelling	Anti-inflammatory	Mash fresh plant, apply to eye & tie in place with bandage. (TOXIC See CAUTIONS.)	Aerial parts	Z
Wound Healing	Antiseptic for skin/wounds/ swollen purulent lesions	Anti-Infective, Anti-septic	1. Use fresh Aerial parts or juice or powdered dried plant alone or + olive oil & apply to wound x 2/day. 2. For swollen purulent lesion: make an oil based decoction of mashed leaves & fruits & apply as compress.	Aerial parts, Fruit, Leaf	Z
Wound Healing	Form crust over wound & prevent infection	Anti-septic Vulnerary	Cook mashed aerial parts in cow's butter & spread over wound. (TOXIC See CAUTIONS.)	Aerial parts	Z

Notes

In the recipe for abdominal pain in babies Z mentions that "raziana" is Foeniculum. (fennel). This is a Persian & also another Arabic name for this species.

Cautions

The Solanum genus has species which are toxic containing the glycosidic steroidal alkaloid, solanine, most concentrated in unripe green berries & immature fruit & leaves. Poisoning usually occurs 6-12 hrs after ingestion causing abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, sweating, confusion, drowsiness. Eating large amounts can cause death from cardiac arrhythmias & respiratory failure. Livestock poisoning from nitrate toxicity is caused by grazing on leaves of this species. (See also Solanum nigrum)

The authors of FLORAPALE, (Flora Palaestina Ethnobotanical) web site do not take responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of the plants described here. Always seek advice from a health professional before using a plant medicinally or for other purposes. See DISCLAIMER.