Indian Night Shade: Health Benefits and Therapeutic Uses (Solanum Indicum)

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

Indian nightshade and Kantakari are considered as Brihati dwaya in Ayurveda. It is bigger as compared to Kantakari and that’s why it is called Brihati or Mahati. Kaiyadev Nighantu has mentioned 11 types of Brihati with their properties and actions. Likewise, Dhanwantari Nighantu mentioned four types of Brihati, and Raj Nighantu described three types of Brihati with the properties and actions of each variety.

Brihati is an important medicinal plant in Indian systems of medicine such as Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani. It is an important ingredient of dashmoola (a group of ten drugs) group of plants used in the Ayurveda and Siddha systems of medicine and is used in vitiated conditions of vata, pitta, and kapha and cures vomiting, heart disease, poisonous affections, skin diseases, ulcers, difficult breathing, abdominal pain, cough, and dyspepsia. Roots are bitter and pungent; it removes bad taste in the mouth and helps to restore normal taste.

Sushruta has placed it under the group of laghupanchmool which is therapeutically used as balaya, brimhaniya, and grahi.

Charka has used Brahati dway in asmari bhedana whereas in yogatarangani its root is applied externally for indralupta. Bhavaprakash Nighantu has mentioned cardiotonic, digestive, ruchya, kanthya, aasya, vairasya, remove foul smell in the mouth, and are used in the treatment of skin diseases, fever, bronchial asthma, colic pain, cough, loss of appetite, inflammation, and agnimandhya.

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2. Common Names

• Family – Solanaceae
• Hindi Name – Badi Kateri
• English Name – Indian Night shade, poison berry

3. Vernacular Names

• Bengali – Byakud
• Gujarati – Mhotiringni
• Kannada – Kirugullia
• Assamese – Tilabhakuri
• Marathi – Dorli
• Malayalam – Cheru Vazhuthina
• Tamil – Chiru vazhuthalai
• Telugu – Tella Mulaka
• Urdu – Kateli
• Punjabi – Kandyari

4. Synonyms

• Brihati – It is bigger in size than Kantakari.
• Kshudrabhantaki – The fruit resembles bhantaki brinjal but is smaller in size.
• Mahati – The physicians respect it.
• Rashtrika – Easily available throughout the country.
• Singhi – It improves the voice like the roar of a lion and cures kasadi disease.

5. Classical Categorization

• Charaka Samhita – Kanthya
• Sushrut Samhita – Vidarigandhadi
• Ashtanga Hridya – Shakavarga
• Dhanvantari Nighantu – Guduchyadi varga
• Madanpal Nighantu – Abhayadi varga
• Kaiyadev Nighantu – Oshadi varga
• Raj Nighantu – Shatahwadi varga
• Bhavaprakasha Nighantu – Guduchyadi varga

6. Distribution

It is found across tropical India, Sri Lanka, Malaya, China, and the Philippines. In India, it is distributed all over the tropical parts in waste lands, roadsides, etc., from sea level to about 2000 feet.

7. Morphology

It is an erect, perennial, much-branched, prickly undershrub of 1 to 2 m in height.

Stems – Much branched, very prickly, and bearing ovate shape, alternate, stellate hairy beneath, cordate-truncate base, subacute apex, pinnafid or lobed margin, petiole 2 to 4 long, midrib covered with hard pointed spines both on upper and under surface of leaves.

Flowers – Axillary, in branches, blue purple, or white in corymbose, five petals.

Fruits – Globose berries of 1.5cm diameter, occur in axillary bunches, unripe green, turning to yellow on maturity, black on drying with many flat and minutely pitted seeds.

Root – Well-developed, long, ribbed, woody, cylindrical, pale yellowish-brown, 1 to 25 cm in diameter, a number of secondary roots and their branches present, surface rough due to the presence of longitudinal striations and root scars, fracture, short, and splintery, no distinct odor and taste.

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8. Types

In classical texts of Ayurveda, Indian night shade and Kantakari are considered as Brihati dwaya. But as per Acharya Priyavrat Sharma and Prof. K.C. Chunekar, Brihati is of two types according to the color of its flowers: Neela puspi Brihati (Solanum Indicum) and sweta puspi brihati (Solanum torvum). Dalhan described brihatidwaya as per the size of the fruit: smaller fruit and bigger fruit. Types of Birhati according to different Nighantus are as under:

• Dhanvantari Nighantu – four types – Brihati, Lakshmana, Kasaghni, Vrintaki.
• Kaiyadeva Nighantu – Eleven types-Brihati, Simhi, Kanatakari, Nidigdhika, Valli brihati, Vriskha Brihati, Shweta, Alabuphala, Amlabrihati, Jalaja, Sthula Brihati.
• Bhavaprakasha Nighantu – One type – Brihati.
• Raj Nighantu – Three types – Brihati, Sarpatanu, Sweta Brihati.

9. Ayurvedic Properties

• Rasa (Taste): It has Katu, Tikta (bitter, astringent) taste.
• Virya (Potency): It is Ushna in nature (hot).
• Vipaka (Post-digestive taste): It is Katu (bitter) taste.
• Guna (Qualities) – Laghu, ruksha.

10. Chemical Constituent

It has various phytoconstituent like phytosterols, steroidal, glycosides, steroidal glycoalkaloids, flavonoids, and fatty acids have been reported.

The fruit of the Solanum Indicum has 8% crude fiber, carbs 40.67%, crude protein 23.47%, crude fat 5.26% and a caloric value of 303.9 on a wet weight basis. Apart from these alkaloids (0.2-1.8% in fruits and 0.32% in leaves)

11. Identity, Purity, and Strength

• Foreign Matter – Not more than 2%
• Total Ash – Not more than 6.5%
• Acid-insoluble ash – Not more than 1%
• Alcohol-soluble extractive – Not less than 3%
• Water-soluble extractive – Not less than 4%

12. Ayurvedic and Pharmacological Actions

Ayurvedic Actions

Its Ayurvedic actions are appetizer, digestive, relish, absorbent, and cardio tonic.

• Doshakarma – Kaphapittahara
• Dhatukarma – Raktaprasadan
• Malakarma – Mutrajanana

13. Pharmacological Actions

Its actions include hepatoprotective, anthelmintic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiplasmodial, anticancer, laxative, cardiotonic, and antihypertensive.

14. Health Benefits

It is beneficial for cough, asthma, cardiac disease, skin disease, fever, colic pain, inflammation, loss of appetite, and tastelessness.

The roots are useful in vitiated conditions of vata and kapha, odontalgia, dyspepsia, flatulence, colic, diarrhea, cough, skin disease, respiratory and cardiac disorders, and ulcers.

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15. Therapeutic Uses

Alopecia – The fruit juice of Solanum Indicum mixed with honey and applied locally.

Anorexia - Solanum Indicum is cooked and mixed with spices and then consumed with curd to increase appetite.

Fever - Solanum Indicum fruit, Pippali, and ginger are used to prevent sneezing and regain consciousness in fever.

Sprue - Solanum Indicum fruit powder with buttermilk is taken daily to treat indigestion.

Cough – Steam-boiled Solanum Indicum fruit is processed with ghee and is taken with rock salt to control excessive cough and enhance digestion.

Piles - Solanum Indicum fruit boiled with alkaline water of Kosataki and fried with ghee is given with jaggery followed by intake of buttermilk to control piles. It destroys hemorrhoids within a week.

16. Official Part Used

Root, stem, fruit.

17. General Doses

• Powder – 3 to 6g.
• Decoction – 50 to 100ml.

18. Formulations

Brihatyadikwath, Dashmularishta, Dashmulakwatha.