Solanum dulcamara is aspecies ofvine in the genusSolanum (which also includes thepotato and thetomato) of the familySolanaceae. Common names includebittersweet,bittersweet nightshade,bitter nightshade,blue bindweed,Amara Dulcis,[3]climbing nightshade,[4]felonwort,fellenwort,felonwood,poisonberry,poisonflower,scarlet berry,snakeberry,[5][6][7]trailing bittersweet,trailing nightshade,violet bloom, andwoody nightshade.
It is native to Europe and Asia, and widely naturalised elsewhere, includingNorth America.
Solanum dulcamara is a semi-woodyherbaceousperennialvine, which scrambles over other plants, capable of reaching a height of 4 m where suitable support is available, but more often 1–2 m high. The leaves are 4–12 cm long, roughly arrowhead-shaped, and often lobed at the base. The flowers are in loose clusters of 3–20, 1–1.5 cm across, star-shaped, with five purple petals and yellow stamens and style pointing forward. The fruit is an ovoid redberry about 1 cm long,[8] soft and juicy, with the aspect and odour of a tiny tomato, and edible for some birds, which disperse the seeds widely.[citation needed] However, the berry is poisonous to humans and livestock,[9][10] and the berry's attractive and familiar look makes it dangerous for children.
It is native to northern Africa, Europe, and Asia, but has spread throughout the world. The plant is relatively important in the diet of some species of birds such as Europeanthrushes,[11] which feed on its fruits, being immune to its poisons, and scatter the seeds abroad. It grows in all types of terrain with a preference for wetlands[12] and theunderstory ofriparian forests. Along with other climbers, it creates a dark and impenetrable shelter for varied animals. The plant grows well in dark areas in places where it can receive the light of morning or afternoon. An area receiving bright light for many hours reduces its development.[12] It grows more easily in rich wet soils with plenty of nitrogen. When grown for medicinal purposes, it is best grown in a dry, exposed environment.[13]
It is a nonnative species in the United States.[14]
Illustration by Kurt Stüber, published in Prof. Dr. Otto Wilhelm Thomé,Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz, 1885, Gera, Germany.
Solanum dulcamara has been valued byherbalists since ancient Greek times. In the Middle Ages the plant was thought to be effective against witchcraft, and was sometimes hung around the neck of cattle to protect them from the "evil eye".[15][16][17] It has been suggested that the plant was used both medicinally and to induce altered states of mind inAnglo-Saxon England.[18] The monk and scholarAldhelm of Malmesbury (c. 639-709) included a riddle about this plant in hisEpistola ad Acircium, describing its effects as inflicting a "touch of insanity" upon the user, leaving them "mad with dizziness."[19] An eleventh-century herbarium also records the name "madness-berry" for this plant (wedeberge).[20]
John Gerard'sHerball (1597) states that "the juice is good for those that have fallen from high places, and have been thereby bruised or beaten, for it is thought to dissolve blood congealed or cluttered anywhere in the intrals and to heale the hurt places."[17]
This plant is one of the less poisonous members of the Solanaceae. Instances of poisoning in humans are very rare on account of the fruit's intensely bitter taste. Incidentally, the fruit has been reported to have a sweet aftertaste, hence the vernacular namebittersweet.[21]
The poison in this species is believed to be solanine.[22] The alkaloids,solanine (from unripe fruits),solasodine (from flowers) and beta-solamarine (from roots) have been found to inhibit the growth ofE. coli andS. aureus.[23] Solanine and solasodine extracted fromSolanum dulcamara showed antidermatophytic activity againstChrysosporium indicum,Trichophyton mentagrophytes andT. simil, thus it may cureringworm.[24]
Solanum dulcamara has a variety of documented medicinal uses, all of which are advised to be approached with proper caution as the entirety of the plant is considered to be poisonous. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally. There have only been records of medicinal use for adults (not children) and it is possible to be allergic toSolanum dulcamara; medicinal use is not advised in these cases.[26]
The stem ofSolanum dulcamara is believed to be considerably less poisonous than the rest of the plant, and it has mostly been used in treatment for conditions of the skin. There are records of it being used to treat mild recurrenteczema,psoriasis,scabies, anddermatomycosis.[27][28] Stems are harvested when they do not yet have leaves (or the leaves have already fallen) and are shredded into small pieces. They are mostly known to be applied in the form of liquid onto the skin, but infusing it into a drink is also possible, though not recommended.[29] The stem has also been used in treatment forbronchitis,asthma, andpneumonia.[28]
The leaves ofSolanum dulcamara have been known to treatwarts andtumors, while the fruit can treat conditions of the respiratory tract and joints.[26] It has been documented that Indigenous people of North America used the roots for relief offever andnausea.[30]
Solanum dulcamara has been used as a symbol offidelity. This is in reference to its curious property of combining extreme bitterness with surprising sweetness – hence its common name "bittersweet". This symbolism is seen in Christian art from the Middle Ages as well as in bridal wreaths.[31]
^Culpeper Plant Names Database, discussing various editions ofCulpeper, for example Culpeper, Nicholas,The English physitian: or an astrologo-physical discourse of the vulgar herbs of this nation, London, Peter Cole, 1652.
^"Almost any unfamiliar berry is or may be snake-berry, and all snake-berries are poisonous; so a boy dares not eat a berry till some one...". Needs verification but may come fromFannie D. Bergen (November 1892)."Popular American Plant Names".Botanical Gazette.17 (11):363–380.doi:10.1086/326860.S2CID224830265.
^Parnell, John A. N.; Cullen, Elaine L.; Webb, D. A.; Curtis, Tom (2011).Webb's an Irish flora. Cork: Cork University Press.ISBN978-1-909005-08-2.OCLC830022856.
^abGrieve, Maud (1971).A Modern Herbal: The Medicinal, Culinary, Cosmetic and Economic Properties, Cultivation and Folk-lore of Herbs, Grasses, Fungi, Shrubs, & Trees with All Their Modern Scientific Uses, Volume 1.
^Vriend, Hubert Jan de (ed.). 1984. The Old English Herbarium and Medicina de Quadrupedibus, The Early English Text Society, 286 (London: Oxford University Press)
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