DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY
MEDICINAL PLANTS
Solanum americanum L.
Common Name: small-flowered nightshade
Family: Solanaceae
Genus: Ocimum americanum
Species: Ocimum americanum
Malayalam Name: Karimthakkali or Manathakkali.
Tamil Name: Manathakkali.
Description: Erect annual herbs; stem glabrous or sparsely hispid. Leaves ovate or elliptic, base rounded, shortly decurrent on the petiole, subentire, acute to acuminate at apex, membraneous; petiole to 5 cm long. Flowers small, in axillary to extra-axillary umbellate cymes. Corolla white, 3-4 mm across. Berry, 4-5 mm across, globose, purplish-black; seeds many, about 1 mm long, discoid, minutely pitted.
Uses
Food: The leaves are eaten as a vegetable in many parts of the world, and the ripe fruit can be eaten raw or cooked into jams and preserves.
Medicine: In traditional folk medicine, all parts of the plant have been used for a variety of purposes, including
Digestive issues: In East Africa, the raw fruit is chewed to treat stomach ulcers and abdominal upsets.
Diabetes: In the Philippines, the fruit is said to cure diabetes.
Skin conditions: In Mexico, a decoction of the plant is applied to sore eyes and skin diseases. In traditional medicine, macerated leaves are used to treat skin complaints.
