Horse Nettle
From DrugPedia: A Wikipedia for Drug discovery
Common name: Horse nettle, Apple of Sodom, Carolina horse nettle, nightshade
Botanical name: Solanum carolinense L.
Family: Solanaceae (potato family)
Horse-nettle is not related to true nettles, but rather to nightshade, tomatoes, and potatoes. The horse nettle flower has five broad, pointed petals that form a somewhat star-shaped corolla, and the five thick stamens seem to have a "beak" shape. The thick pistil extends beyond the corolla and the stamens. Its leaves and stems are prickly. It is, however, very prickly, and though its flowers are beautiful, it is usually considered a weed. Its low status is a result of its almost unbelievable ability to stand up to attempts to eradicate it. As a result, it is frequently to be found in both cow pastures and cultivated fields, as well as in woods and meadows.
Medicinal uses: This plant is extremely poisonous. The berries, when properly prepared, have been used as diuretics, antispasmodics, anodynes; and according to the U.S. Dispensatory, they have also been used in a treatment for epilepsy.
