Cav.
Family: Solanaceae.
Habitat: Native to tropical America; naturalized in India as a weed (met with in cultivated fields and gardens in Coimbatore).
English: White Horse-Nettle.
Action: Plant—used as a poultice for sores and ulcers. The plant is a rich source of the steroidal alkaloid, solasodine. The fruit and leaves contain 3-4% (solasodine 3.2%) and 0.18% total alkaloids. Fruits also contain 0.55% diosgenin.
A related species S. khasianum (Assam, Sikkim, West Bengal, Orissa and the Nilgiris, ascending to an altitude of 1,600 m) is also a good source of solaso- dine. The fruits collected from Nilgiris contain 5.4% solasodine on dry weight basis.
Linn.Solanum aviculare Forst. f.
Family: Solanaceae.
Habitat: Introduced to Kashmir for experimental cultivation.
Ayurvedic: Kantakaari (related species).
Action: An important source of solasodine, a nitrogen analogue of diosgenin and one of the starting materials for the synthesis of corticosteroids and other steroidal hormones.
See S. xanthocarpum. The leaves, stems, flowers and green fruits contain the glycoalkaloid, solaso- nine, of which solasodine is the agly- cone. Besides solasonine, the plant
Family: Solanaceae.
Habitat: The temperate Himalayas from Kashmir to Sikkim at altitudes of 1,200-2,400 m.
English: Woody Night Shade, Bittersweet, Bitter Nightshade, Felonwort.
Ayurvedic: Kaakamaachi-vishesha, Valli-kantakaarikaa.
Unani: Mako (red var.).
Action: Twigs and root bark— stimulating, expectorant, hepatic, astringent, antirheumatic, alterative, antifungal. Dried branches— sedative and analgesic. Used for chronic bronchitis, chronic eczema and rheumatism.
Key application: As a supportive therapy for chronic eczema. (German Commission E.)The plant is rich in alkaloidal glyco- sides. Alpha-, beta-, gamma-solamari- ne were isolated from the fruits. Toma- tidenol I existed in the plant as alpha- and beta-solamarine. Solasodine was obtained in traces as secondary alkaloid; it existed as solasonine and sola- margine. Aerial parts gave alpha-and beta-soladulcine, the glycoalkaloids. The sterols were present in free form and as esters, glucosides and palmitic esters of glucosides.Beta-solamarine shows significant tumour-inhibiting activity. Steroidal saponins are antifungal; alkaloids are anticholinergic; solasodine exhibit antiphlogistic activity.... solanum dulcamara
S. & W.
Synonym: S. surattense Burm.f. S. virginianum Linn. S. maccanni Sant.
Family: Solanaceae.
Habitat: Throughout India.
English: Wild Eggplant, Yellow- Berried Nightshade.
Ayurvedic: Kantakaari, Kan- takaarikaa, Vyaaghri, Nidigdhikaa, Nidigdhaa, Duhsparshaa, Dhaa- vani, Kshudraa, Keteri (Smallar var.), Bhatakataiyaa. Used as Lakshmanaa.
Unani: Kataai Khurd, Hadaq.
Action: Stimulant, expectorant, diuretic, laxative, febrifuge. Used in the treatment of cough, bronchitis, asthma, for dislodging tenacious phlegm; also used against rheumatism, enlargement of liver and spleen, vomiting, difficult urination, bladder stones, skin diseases. Fruit—used as an adjuvant for promoting conception.
Fruits gave solasonine, solamargine, beta-solamargine and solasodine; petals yielded apigenin; stamens gave quercetin diglycoside and sitosterol. The glycoalkaloid content of fruits collected from Jammu and Kashmir is reported to be 3.5% (total alkaloids, 1.1%). The presence of diosgenin in the plant has been reported.Both glycoalkaloid and fatty acid fractions of the plants extracts cause liberation of histamine from chopped lung tissue. The beneficial effect of the drug on bronchial asthma may be attributed to the depletion of histamine from bronchial and lung tissue.
Dosage: Whole plant—20-30 g for decoction. (API, Vol. I.)... solanum xanthocarpum
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