Nightshade black

Nightshade black is an annual herbaceous plant. Blooms in small white flowers in summer and autumn. He binds berries, which become black as they mature. It grows almost everywhere, except for the northernmost regions and deserts. Places prefer weeds: wastelands, roadsides, vegetable gardens, ravines. In another way, it is also called a pozadnik, because it ripens very late. A relative of tomatoes, peppers, aubergines and potatoes. The whole plant is poisonous. Only ripe berries are not poisonous. The juice of berries contains coloring matter, the spots from which it is difficult to remove.

Ripe berries are sweet, but even they need to be eaten with caution, you can get an upset stomach or even poisoning. The victim's pulse becomes frequent, dyspnea appears, the stomach hurts and vomiting and diarrhea appear . In such cases, you need to call an ambulance urgently.

The nightshade reproduces itself. The plant has medicinal properties and is harvested for this purpose. Practically the whole plant is used. The leaves are harvested from July to September, fruits - from August to October, roots - late autumn. All raw materials are dried in air and stored for 6 to 8 years.

Healing properties

What are the healing properties of nightshade black? The most valuable thing is that steroids - progesterone and cortisone - are obtained from it, which are therapeutic agents. Since the ancient times of nightshade, black is known for its medicinal properties.

Fruits are used as an analgesic, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, spasmodic. In addition, they have a calming effect on the nervous system and improve vision. The leaves also have anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties.

Accordingly, in medicine, drugs obtained from black nightshade are used with increased nervous excitability, neuroses, headaches with nervous irritation, with a tendency to convulsive seizures, pains in the joints. Berry juice is used externally for erysipelas, purulent wounds and sore throat. Poultices from the welded leaves of nightshade black will be used to get rid of boils. Decoctions and infusions from it are used for gastritis and colitis, rheumatic pain. Juice is also used for pain in the ears, dysentery. This is only a small part of the diseases in which nightshade black is used.

Relative from Madeira

The relative of the nightshade is black - the nightshade is pseudo-pinch - grows on the island of Madeira. It is an evergreen shrub that grows to a meter high. Blossoms with white flowers. But the fruits of it are very decorative. They are large, painted in orange. For the sake of these fruits and grown in the culture of the Gospel nightshade, care of which, in general, is simple. He needs a lot of light during the growing season and a fairly cool temperature in winter (14 - 16 ° C). To the humidity is undemanding. But if the house is very dry, then you can spray it. In summer, water is plentiful, in winter less often (but not dried!). The nightshade reproduces as seeds, that and cuttings. As a substrate, a mixture of turf and garden lands with peat and sand is used.