Nightshade bittersweet. Legends, myths, symbolism, description, cultivation, methods of application

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Nightshade bittersweet. Legends, myths, symbolism, description, cultivation, methods of application

cultivated and wild plants. Legends, myths, symbolism, description, cultivation, methods of application

Content

Photos, basic scientific information, legends, myths, symbolism
Basic scientific information, legends, myths, symbolism
Botanical description, reference data, useful information, illustrations
Recipes for use in traditional medicine and cosmetology
Tips for growing, harvesting and storing

Bittersweet nightshade, Solanum dulcamara. Photos of the plant, basic scientific information, legends, myths, symbolism

Bittersweet nightshade

Basic scientific information, legends, myths, symbolism

Sort by: solanum

Family: Solanaceae (Solanaceae)

Origin: Europe, Asia, North America

Area: The plant is distributed throughout the world in temperate and subtropical climates.

Chemical composition: Bittersweet nightshade contains solasodine and solanine, and the presence of the cardiotoxin alkaloid can be dangerous to human health.

Economic value: Bittersweet nightshade is used in medicine as an analgesic and diuretic, as well as in cosmetology and in the manufacture of soap. However, in large doses, the plant is poisonous and can cause poisoning.

Legends, myths, symbolism: The symbolic meaning of nightshade is associated with its dual properties. It is a combination of bitterness and sweetness, which is why it is often associated with the idea of compromise or mixing of opposites. Bittersweet nightshade has had different symbolic meanings in different cultures. For example, in ancient Greece, this flower was associated with love and desires, and in Celtic mythology, it was considered a symbol of change and changeability. In Chinese medicine, bittersweet nightshade was used to balance the energies of yin and yang, and in the Christian tradition it is associated with the idea of repentance and atonement for sins.

Bittersweet nightshade, Solanum dulcamara. Description, illustrations of the plant

Bittersweet nightshade, Solanum dulcamara. Botanical description of the plant, areas of growth and ecology, economic importance, applications

Bittersweet nightshade

Shrub with a curly branched stem up to 3,5 m high of the nightshade family. Blooms in May - August. The fruits are ovoid or oval red berries, ripen in August - September.

All plant organs contain glycoalkaloids; fruits - tannins, dyes, choline, carbohydrates. The plant is poisonous.

Included in the pharmacopoeias of Germany and France. For medicinal purposes, young shoots and leaves are used.

The plant is used in homeopathy. In the old days, it was used for edema, gout, jaundice, bronchitis, bronchial asthma, whooping cough, chronic skin diseases due to metabolic disorders (eczema, allergies, rashes), as an astringent.

In folk medicine of various countries, it was used for mumps, respiratory tract diseases, as an expectorant, for skin and venereal diseases, rheumatism, neuralgia, erysipelas, heart diseases, as an antihelminthic, diaphoretic, diuretic, for inflammation of the bladder and urinary tract, to reduce sexual excitability, with toothache.

Due to the toxicity of the plant, its use requires caution, strict dosage and mandatory medical supervision.

Authors: Dudnichenko L.G., Krivenko V.V.

Bittersweet nightshade, Solanum dulcamara. Botanical description of the plant, area, methods of application, cultivation

Bittersweet nightshade

The specific name of the plant is associated with the taste of its berries: if you bite into them, you first feel a sweet, and then a bitter taste (however, its berries are poisonous!).

Perennial liana-like shrub 30-180 cm high with a creeping woody tuberculate rhizome. The stems are long, sinuous, angular, branched, climbing, woody in the lower part, herbaceous in the upper part, glabrous or slightly pubescent.

The leaves are alternate (2,5-12,0 cm long and 0,6-1,0 cm wide), oblong-ovate, pointed, often heart-shaped at the base or have two small oblong lobes. The upper leaves are often tripartite or dissected. Fresh leaves emit an unpleasant odor.

Inflorescences cymose paniculate, forked at the base, on long peduncles. Flowers bisexual, regular, with double perianth. Calyx five-toothed, small, saucer-shaped. Corolla interpetalous, lilac, rarely white or pink, wheel-shaped, with a folded five-dissected limb (12-18 mm in diameter). Stamens five, anthers narrow, fused into a cone-shaped tube around the style. Pistil one, ovary superior, style one with capitate stigma. Blooms in May-August.

The fruits are shiny ovoid or ellipsoid berries, up to 1 cm long, green at first, then yellow, and become bright red as they ripen. Berries are poisonous.

Distributed throughout almost the entire temperate and subtropical zone of Eurasia (although the range is not continuous), introduced to North America. Grows in the European part of Russia, Western and Eastern Siberia, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Central Asia.

Grows in damp bushes and floodplain meadows, willows, along rivers and ponds, near lakes and swamps, damp garbage places. A typical representative of swampy alder forests, often found in poplar-willow forests, in thickets of shrubs, on steppe slopes, clearings of birch forests, along hedges near dwellings.

Steroids and alkaloids were found in the roots. The aerial part of the plant contains tigonenine, alkaloids. Steroids found in the stems - cholesterol, sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol, brassicasterol, isofucosterol. Leaves contain triterpenoids, steroids, alkaloids, phenolcarboxylic acids, flavonoids, higher aliphatic hydrocarbons, higher fatty acids; flowers are steroids.

Carotenoids (phytufluin, beta-carotene, carotene, zeacarotene, lycopene, cryptoxanthin), steroids (sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol, brassicasterol, isofucosterol) were found in the fruits. The seeds contain triterpenoids, steroids, alkaloids, fatty oil, higher fatty acids (lauric, myristic, palmitic), phospholipids (0,12%).

Steroid compounds of bittersweet nightshade and black nightshade (with black berries) were previously used in scientific medicine in many countries for the synthesis of hormones such as prednisolone, cortisone, etc. Now these drugs are produced exclusively artificially. Nightshade can act both as a hormone and as an antagonist. The body itself decides what type of substances it needs to synthesize at a given moment. The plant only provides raw materials, and the missing links of biochemical transformation occur in the human endocrine glands.

The antitumor effect of the alcohol extract of bittersweet nightshade has received scientific confirmation. The reason for this is probably the alkaloids isolated from all parts of the plant.

Bittersweet nightshade

In folk medicine, for therapeutic purposes, young herbaceous shoots with leaves are used for skin diseases, especially itchy eczema and inflammation, for bronchial asthma, colds, inflammation of the bladder, diarrhea, irregular menstruation, as a wound healing and anthelmintic agent. Leaves are also used for dropsy, jaundice, whooping cough; externally - with scrofula and rheumatism; berries - for venereal diseases, epilepsy, migraine attacks, a decoction of flowers - for pulmonary diseases and catarrhs of the respiratory tract.

In homeopathy, the essence of fresh young shoots is used for influenza, urticaria, rheumatism, and convulsions.

As a raw material, spring (before leaves bloom) and autumn (after leaves fall) shoots are harvested from nightshade, as well as leafy young stems, flowers and, finally, berries. The raw materials are dried in the shade. Stored in boxes lined with paper, separately, like a poisonous plant.

The leaves and berries of bittersweet nightshade are poisonous, they should be treated only under the supervision of a doctor. They contain glycoalkaloid solanine, dulcamarin glucoside, starch, resin, protein substances. Dulcamarine is similar in action to atropine. Cases of poisoning of animals and birds are known. Poisoning them disrupts the coordination of movements in cattle, causes diarrhea, palpitations.

Brilliant and seemingly beautiful and appetizing fruits of nightshade are poisonous, like all of its above-ground organs. Poisoning causes solanine, the same that is contained in the tops and fruits ("berries") of potatoes. In fully ripened fruits, however, the solanine disappears and they become harmless.

The stems and leaves have an insecticidal effect, a decoction of them (5-6 kg of fresh stems per bucket of water) is used for spraying against caterpillars and larvae of various insect species. Stems and leaves contain tannins (about 11%) suitable for tanning skins.

The plant is ornamental both during the period of flowering and during the period of fruit ripening, suitable for vertical gardening in wet places.

From the shoots, young stems, flowers and berries of nightshade, effective drugs and forms are made that are used in the treatment of many diseases.

Bittersweet nightshade, Solanum dulcamara. Recipes for use in traditional medicine and cosmetology

cultivated and wild plants. Legends, myths, symbolism, description, cultivation, methods of application

Ethnoscience:

Cold treatment: infuse 2 tablespoons of crushed bittersweet nightshade leaves in 1 liter of boiling water for 30 minutes. Take 1 glass of infusion 2-3 times a day. This recipe helps relieve cold symptoms such as runny nose and cough.
Treatment of arthritis and rheumatism: crush fresh bittersweet nightshade leaves and mix them with vegetable oil. Use the resulting mass to massage sore joints.
Treatment of eczema and psoriasis: crush fresh bittersweet nightshade leaves and apply to the affected areas of the skin. Leave on for 20 minutes, then rinse with warm water. This recipe helps reduce inflammation and itching on the skin.
Treatment of diseases of the bladder: infuse 2 tablespoons of crushed bittersweet nightshade leaves in 1 liter of boiling water for 30 minutes. Take 1 glass of infusion every day before meals.
Treatment of gastritis and stomach ulcers: soak 2 tablespoons of crushed bittersweet nightshade roots in 1 liter of boiling water for 30 minutes. Take 1 glass of infusion after meals 3 times a day.
Bronchitis treatment: infuse 2 tablespoons of crushed bittersweet nightshade fruits in 1 liter of boiling water for 30 minutes. Take 1 glass of infusion 2 times a day. This recipe helps to reduce cough and improve sputum discharge in bronchitis.
Treatment of dermatitis: soak 2 tablespoons of crushed bittersweet nightshade roots in 1 liter of boiling water for 30 minutes. Wipe the resulting decoction over the affected areas of the skin with a cotton swab. This recipe helps reduce inflammation and itching in dermatitis.
Treatment for diarrhea: infuse 2 tablespoons of crushed bittersweet nightshade leaves in 1 liter of boiling water for 30 minutes. Take 1 glass of infusion 2 times a day until symptoms stop.
Obesity treatment: soak 2 tablespoons of crushed bittersweet nightshade roots in 1 liter of boiling water for 30 minutes. Take 1 glass of infusion before meals 2 times a day. This recipe helps reduce appetite and promotes weight loss.

Cosmetology:

Face mask for wrinkles: crush fresh bittersweet nightshade leaves and mix them with honey. Apply the mixture on your face for 20 minutes, then rinse with warm water. This mask helps reduce wrinkles and improve skin tone.
Hair strengthener: infuse 2 tablespoons of crushed bittersweet nightshade leaves in 1 liter of boiling water for 30 minutes. Refrigerate the infusion and use it as a hair rinse after washing. This remedy helps to strengthen the hair and make it more shiny.
Face tonic: infuse 1 tablespoon of crushed bittersweet nightshade leaves in 1 cup boiling water for 15-20 minutes. Cool the infusion and use it as a facial tonic. This tonic helps improve skin condition and reduce inflammation.
Acne Facial Lotion: soak 1 tablespoon of crushed bittersweet nightshade fruit in 1 cup boiling water for 15-20 minutes. Cool the infusion and use it as a facial lotion. This lotion helps reduce the number and inflammation of blackheads on the skin.
Face cream: Grind fresh bittersweet nightshade leaves and add them to your face cream. This cream helps to improve the condition of the skin, reduce wrinkles and make it more elastic.

Attention! Before use, consult with a specialist!

Bittersweet nightshade, Solanum dulcamara. Tips for growing, harvesting and storing

cultivated and wild plants. Legends, myths, symbolism, description, cultivation, methods of application

Bittersweet nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) is a perennial plant native to North America, Europe, and Asia.

Tips for growing, harvesting and storing bittersweet nightshade:

Cultivation:

Bittersweet nightshade can be grown both in pots and outdoors.
The plant prefers a sunny place or partial shade and well-drained soil.
After planting, it is recommended to water the plant regularly for the first few weeks to ensure its normal development.
Bittersweet nightshade can grow up to 2m tall and has green leaves and purple flowers that bloom in June and July.

Workpiece:

Bittersweet nightshade contains the alkaloid solanine, which can be toxic in large amounts. Therefore, it is not recommended to eat it without pre-treatment.
Bittersweet nightshade leaves can be used to make a tea or infusion.
To prepare the leaves, it is recommended to harvest them during flowering, when they are at their maximum nutrient concentration.

Storage:

Once harvested, bittersweet nightshade leaves must be quickly processed and dried to retain the maximum amount of nutrients.
Dry leaves can be stored in a paper bag or glass jar in a cool, dry place.

Bittersweet nightshade is a beautiful plant that can be grown both in pots and outdoors. Its leaves can be used to make a tea or infusion.

Remember that bittersweet nightshade contains the toxic alkaloid solanine, so it is not recommended to eat it without pre-treatment. When preparing an infusion or tea, it is necessary to monitor the dosage and not exceed the recommended dose.

If you are going to use bittersweet for medical purposes, you should consult your doctor and do not exceed the recommended doses.

It should also be noted that bittersweet nightshade can be dangerous for pets, so it is not recommended to grow it near pets that may accidentally eat its leaves or berries.

Some people may have an allergic reaction to bittersweet nightshade, so an allergy test is recommended before consumption.

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