Horse-Nettle
- Solanum carolinense L.
- Nightshade family
Common Names
 Horse-nettle
Parts Usually Used
Leaves
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
A weed of the nightshade family, with yellow prickles. Five parted
flowers are violet to white stars; May to October. Fruits orange to
yellow berries resembling tiny tomatoes are considered poisonous;
August to September. Perennial; 1-4 feet tall. Stems sharp-spined.
Leaves oval to elliptical; lobed to coarse-toothed.
Where Found
Sandy soil. Old fields, farmlands, barnyards, waste places. New England
to Florida; Texas to South Dakota.
Medicinal Properties
Diuretic, antispasmodic.
Uses
Once used in folk medicine:
Properly administered, berries were once used for epilepsy. Berries
fried in grease were used as an ointment for dog's mange. Native Americans
gargled wilted leaf tea for sore
throats; poulticed leaves for poison-ivy
rash; drank tea for worms (SEE
WORMS).
Warning
This herb is potentially fatal. Toxic. Fatalities reported in children.
This herb should not be used without proper medical supervision.
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