Solanum nigrum
Black nightshade
This Saturn plant favors borders between what is cultivated
and what is wild just as Hekate knew the border between the dead and living
well enough to lead Persephone from the Underworld back to the world of
light and her mother, Demeter. Like its relatives (belladonna,
mandrake, henbane, datura, scopolia), this herb is often involved in lunar magick
or works related to death and is an herb of ritual magick. In traditional
witchcraft, it is employed in rain magic.
This
magick herb contains solanine, a cardiac poison, the same stuff in tomato leaves and in green
skins of potatoes. The unripe fruits are the most poisonous
part, and the ripe berries are the least so. The amount of this alkaloid can be variable, and
different people react differently to it. Maoris eat the leaves of
this plant like spinach, and the ripe berries are made into jam in various
cultures. 
Boiling destroys solanine, but baking does not. At
one time, the leaves were applied as a poultice to cause sedation and relieve
pain, and they are made into an ointment used on cold sores. Despite
Grieves' claim that this plant has atropine, it does not. Likewise, black nightshade is
not another name for henbane, although these two plants are cousins. Culpeper says if you cannot tell the difference between black nightshade
and deadly nightshade, don't use either. This baneful herb is also known
as morel, black morel, petty morel, yerba mora, L'Homme, West Indian,
common, and garden nightshade. Top
How to grow it: Soak in cold water for two weeks, changing the water
with fresh cold water daily (keep in a bottle in the fridge). An old vitamin
bottle works well. This helps to leach out germination inhibitors in the
seed coat. Then sow in kelp-soaked Jiffy-7 and keep between 68-95 F (20-30C).
Or sow on Winter Solstice (see
the Solstice Sowing page). It typically germinates May through September. It gets 1-3 feet
tall. This annual plant will grow almost anywhere, even on high mountains. General
growing info Top
Solanum nigrum
Black Nightshade
100 seeds
$3.25
Go to the dried herb
Uses in Witchcraft & Magic:
Honoring Hekate
Lunar Magic
Honoring
the Dead
Ritual Magic
Saturn Herb
© 2004 Alchemy Works; No reproduction without permission