Lyla Lindsey
Nightshade is a common name for several plants in the Solanum family, including blackberry nightshade (Solanum nigrum), greenberry nightshade (Solanum opacum), earleaf nightshade (Solanum mauritianum), and deadly nightshade. While some types of nightshade, such as blackberry nightshade, are native to Australia, others, like earleaf nightshade, have become invasive weeds in the country. The toxicity of nightshade plants varies, with some species containing toxins that can cause abdominal pain, vomiting, drowsiness, and even death in humans and animals. In Australia, the legality of nightshade likely depends on the specific species and local regulations, as well as the context in which it is being discussed.
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What You'll Learn
Is nightshade a health risk?
Nightshade vegetables have been labelled "bad" or "inflammatory" by some influencers and medical professionals, who recommend eliminating them from one's diet. However, there is little evidence to support these claims, and research has yet to show that nightshade vegetables are harmful to human health. In fact, nightshades like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants are packed with nutrients like vitamin C and phytochemicals like lycopene and beta-carotene, which act as antioxidants and can exert anti-inflammatory effects on the body.
Some people with autoimmune diseases and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) choose to eliminate nightshades from their diets, believing that they contribute to their health problems. While there is anecdotal evidence that this improves symptoms, research has not yet proven a causal link. For most people with IBD, there is no need to avoid nightshades, as studies haven't linked them to negative health consequences.
Nightshades do contain alkaloids, which can have both positive and negative effects on human health. The alkaloid found in nightshades is called solanine, which functions as an insecticide for the plant. Eating too much solanine can make you feel unwell, and green potatoes, in particular, should be avoided as they contain higher levels of alkaloids. However, the idea that nightshades cause arthritis or joint pain due to their vitamin D content has been debunked, as there is no evidence that nightshades contain vitamin D or cause calcium deposits.
Overall, nightshades are completely healthy for most people, but for a few, they can act as a trigger similar to wheat or dairy and cause major immune reactions. If you think you may have a sensitivity to nightshades, it is recommended to cut them out of your diet for a few weeks while monitoring your symptoms, and then slowly reintroduce them one by one to assess tolerance.
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Is nightshade illegal in New Zealand?
Woolly nightshade, also known as Solanum mauritianum, is a small tree or shrub native to South America. It was introduced to New Zealand in 1880 as a garden plant and is now well-established and naturalised in the country, particularly from Taupō northward. Woolly nightshade has become a widespread invasive weed in many parts of the world, including New Zealand. Due to its ability to affect human health and its aggressive and fast-growing nature, it is illegal in all areas of New Zealand to sell, propagate, or distribute any part of the plant under the National Pest Plant Accord.
The plant is toxic and can cause irritation to the skin, eyes, nose, and throat. The dust-like fine hairs from the plant can cause respiratory issues, and the unripe berries are especially poisonous to humans, with reported fatalities from consumption. All parts of the plant are believed to be poisonous, and cases of fatal poisoning in pigs and illness in cattle have also been recorded. The plant is allelopathic, meaning it releases toxins that poison the soil and prevent other plants from growing. It can quickly form dense stands that crowd out native flora, inhibiting the regeneration of native forests.
In New Zealand, woolly nightshade is classified as a Sustained Control pest, meaning that preventing its spread is no longer a realistic objective. Management efforts focus on reducing the general impacts of the pest. Landowners or occupiers are responsible for controlling woolly nightshade on their land and may be required to destroy the plant if directed by an authorised person or if it is within a certain distance of a property boundary where adjoining occupiers are controlling it. Biological control methods, such as the release of the woolly nightshade lace bug, have been attempted to manage the spread of the plant. However, the effectiveness of these methods is still uncertain.
While woolly nightshade is the most commonly discussed variety in the context of New Zealand, other types of nightshade plants also exist in the country. Black nightshade, often incorrectly referred to as deadly nightshade, is present in New Zealand but very rare and highly poisonous. Other nightshade weeds mentioned include white-edged nightshade, angel's trumpet, and devil's fig, but the extent of their presence in New Zealand is not specified.
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What is Solanum nigrum?
Solanum nigrum, also known as blackberry nightshade, black nightshade, common nightshade, European black nightshade, garden nightshade, and poisonberry, is a member of the Solanaceae family of plants. It is a highly variable species with many varieties and forms. Native to Southeast Asia, it is now widely distributed in temperate to tropical regions of Europe, Asia, and America. It is also found in all states and territories of Australia, particularly in the southern parts, and is well-established in Queensland, New South Wales, the ACT, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, and Western Australia.
The plant is characterised by its hairy or hairless, angular-shaped stems that may become woody at the base. The stem colour is green and may be tinged with purple. The leaves are dark green on the upper surface and lighter green with a purplish tinge on the undersides. They are ovate to lanceolate in shape and can range from 1.5 to 4 inches in length and 1 to 3 inches in width. The flowers are tiny, star-shaped, and have five white petals, although they may sometimes be flushed with purple or pale blue. The centre of the flower has a yellow or yellow-green colour. The fruit is a soft, globular berry that grows in clusters and measures about 0.25 inches in diameter. As the berry matures, it transitions from green to black or purplish-black.
Solanum nigrum has been widely used as food and medicine since ancient times. The ripe berries and boiled leaves of edible strains are consumed, and the boiled leaves are used in dishes such as horta, fataya pies, and quiches. Medicinally, it has been used to treat various ailments, including cancer, acute nephritis, urethritis, leucorrhea, sore throat, toothache, dermatitis, eczema, carbuncles, and furuncles. It also has a diuretic effect and can be used to treat edema and adverse urination.
However, it is important to note that Solanum nigrum contains toxins, particularly in its unripe green berries and immature fruit, which should be treated as toxic. Solanine poisoning symptoms can occur when immature green fruit or mature leaves are ingested raw, and initial symptoms include fever, sweating, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, confusion, and drowsiness. Death from ingesting large amounts of the plant results from cardiac arrhythmias and respiratory failure. Proper species identification is crucial for the safe use of Solanum nigrum for food and medicinal purposes.
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What is Solanum mauritianum?
Solanum mauritianum, also known as woolly nightshade, earleaf nightshade, flannel weed, bugweed, tobacco weed, tobacco bush, wild tobacco, and kerosene plant, is a small tree or shrub native to South America, including Northern Argentina, Southern Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. It is a member of the subgenus Brevantherum, one of several subgenera of Solanum, which is the largest genus in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Solanum species show a wide range of growth habits, ranging from annuals and perennials to vines, subshrubs, shrubs, and small trees.
Solanum mauritianum is a multi-branched shrub or small tree that can grow up to 4 meters high, and up to 10 meters tall in the right conditions. The plant has a strong odour and a lifespan of up to thirty years. The large leaves are grey-green in colour, up to 40 centimetres long, and 30 centimetres wide. The tip of the leaf is pointed, while the base is wedge-shaped. The leaves are dense and tomentose, with hairy yellowish, long-stemmed, star-shaped trichomes. The slightly scented inflorescences are cymes of purple single flowers with a yellow centre, sitting on 15-centimetre-long inflorescence axes. The plant can flower year-round, but fruiting occurs in late spring to early summer, producing spherical yellow berries up to 2 centimetres in size with numerous flattened seeds.
Solanum mauritianum has become a widespread invasive weed in many parts of the world, including Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, the US, and several African countries. It is considered a major problem in commercial forestry plantations, where it competes with and inhibits the growth of native plant species. The invasiveness of the plant is aggravated by its extensive fruiting and the secondary distribution of seeds by frugivorous birds. In addition, all parts of the plant are poisonous to humans, especially the unripe berries, which contain the toxic compound solasodine. Cases of fatal poisoning in pigs and illness in cattle have been reported in Queensland. Due to its negative impacts, it is illegal in all areas of New Zealand to sell, propagate, or distribute any part of the plant under the National Pest Plant Accord.
In South Africa, attempts have been made to control the spread of Solanum mauritianum using biological agents such as the flowerbud weevil Anthonomus santacruzi and the sap-sucking lace bug Gargaphia decoris. However, these efforts have proven challenging due to the presence of closely related cultivated and native plants in the genus Solanum.
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What is blackberry nightshade?
Blackberry nightshade, also known as Solanum nigrum, is a common herb or short-lived perennial shrub. It is found in many wooded areas, as well as disturbed habitats, and reaches a height of 30 to 120 cm. The leaves are 4 to 7.5 cm long and 2 to 5 cm wide, with wavy or large-toothed edges. The flowers have greenish to whitish petals that turn purple with age and surround prominent bright yellow anthers. The berry is mostly 6 to 8 mm in diameter and dull black or purple-black.
Blackberry nightshade is native to northwestern Africa (Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia), Europe, western and central Asia (Afghanistan, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, western Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan), China, and the Indian Subcontinent (northern India, Nepal, and Pakistan). It is also found in all states and territories of Australia, particularly in the southern parts, and is widely naturalised in Queensland, New South Wales, the ACT, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, and Western Australia.
The plant is highly variable, and some advise against eating the berries unless they are a known edible strain. The toxins in blackberry nightshade are most concentrated in the unripe green berries, and immature fruit should be treated as toxic. Most cases of suspected poisoning are due to the consumption of leaves or unripe fruit. Symptoms of toxicity include fever, sweating, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, confusion, and drowsiness. However, ripe berries are usually harmless.
Blackberry nightshade should not be confused with deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna), which is a more toxic plant in a different genus within the Solanaceae family. A key distinction between the two is that blackberry nightshade berries grow in bunches, while deadly nightshade berries grow individually. Additionally, blackberry nightshade flowers have white petals, whereas deadly nightshade has purple petals.
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Frequently asked questions
There are no laws against nightshade in Australia. However, the plant is considered a weed and is toxic at certain stages of growth.
Nightshade is a common name for a variety of plants in the Solanum family. The most common types found in Australia include Solanum nigrum (blackberry nightshade) and Solanum mauritianum (woolly nightshade).
Yes, nightshade can be toxic to humans and animals. It is important to avoid consuming any part of the plant, especially the unripe berries and leaves, as they can cause serious health issues such as hallucinations, delirium, abdominal pain, vomiting, and even death.
