Solanum americanum

Scientific name: Solanum americanum Mill.

Botanical family: SOLANACEAE

Vernacular names

(In territories with significant traditional TRAMIL use)

Guatemala:

hierbamora
macuy
quilete

Venezuela:

yerba mora

Other vernacular names

Haiti:

Lanman

Cuba:

Yerba mora

Venezuela:

Yerba mora

Martinique:

zèb anmè, herbe amère

Geographical distribution

Native to Central America, grows throughout the American tropics. 0-1300 m MSL.

Botanical description

Short-lived annual or perennial herb, of up to 1 m in height. Young pubescent or glabrous stems, recurved hairs. Single or unevenly paired leaves, ovate to lanceolate; acute or acuminate apex, obtuse or narrow base, subenteric or sinuate-dentate.Subumbellate racemes, with up to 10 flowers; white corolla, rarely bluish. The fruit is a globular, glabrous berry, shiny black when ripe, with small seeds.

In order to differentiate better with S. nigrescens: Anthers up to 1.7 mm long; glossy black fruit; conspicuously reflex sepals in the ripe fruit (folded back over the stalk); fruit stalk more or less upright; lowland and highland plants.

Voucher(s)

Delens,47&97,VEN

Fuentes,4639,ROIG

culebrilla (herpes zoster)

aerial parts, aqueous maceration, bath²

abnormal vaginal discharge

ripe leaf, cut at the end of or after fruition, decoction, applied in vaginal washes¹

culebrilla (herpes zoster)

aerial parts, crushed, applied locally²

The fresh young plant and the ripe fruit are foods of relatively widespread human consumption^15-17.

For shingles (herpes zoster):
Wash 1 bunch (30-60 grams) of aerial parts adequately with boiled water and crush. Apply locally in sufficient amounts to cover the affected area 2 times a day^18-19.
Or chop up 1 bunch (30-50 grams) of leaves and fruits and add them to a litre of boiled water, leave them to stand for 12 hours and bathe or wash the affected area twice a day.

For vaginal discharge:
prepare a decoction with 1 bunch of leaves (30-60 grams) in 4 cups (1 litre) of water.
Boil for 10 minutes in a covered vessel, allow to cool, strain (filter) and apply in sitz baths and douches 3 times a day^18-19.

Preparations must never be stored for more than 24 hours, even if refrigerated.

According to the information available:

The use for shingles (herpes zoster) and vaginal discharge is classified as REC based on the significant traditional use documented in the TRAMIL surveys, the toxicity studies and the scientific information published.

All topical application must follow strict hygiene measures that prevent contamination or additional infection.

If deterioration is observed in the patient and the symptoms of shingles (herpes zoster) persist for more than 15 days or the vaginal discharge for more than 7 days, seek medical attention.

Not for use during pregnancy, breastfeeding or in children under 10 years.

TRAMIL Work¹¹
The aqueous extract (30% decoction) from the ground dried leaves (0.6 ml, equivalent to 0.18 g of fresh plant material, in an area of approximately 6 cm²), was applied topically on the skin of 3 male New Zealand rabbits. The patch was removed after 4 hours and observations were made for erythema and oedema readings at 24, 48 and 72 hours, with no clinical signs evident, and therefore the dry leaf decoction is in the non-irritant category.

TRAMIL Work¹²
The fresh aerial parts in water (5.5 ml from a preparation of 91.4 mg/ml of plant material/ml) were applied topically in the model of dermal irritation in healthy skin in 3 New Zealand rabbits for 5 consecutive days. No alteration or irritation was caused during the 11-day observation period.

TRAMIL Work¹³
The aqueous extract (20% decoction) from dried leaves (2 ml/24 h for 5 days) intravaginally in New Zealand rabbits (3 females), showed minimal vaginal irritability in the histopathological study.

TRAMIL Work¹⁴
The aqueous extracts (30% decoction) from dried leaves, dried stems and dried green fruit (single dose of 2000 mg/kg) was administered orally in three trials in Sprague Dawley rat (3 females and 3 males), acute toxicity class model, the control group received water. No deaths occurred, but piloerection was observed during the first 6 hours; no other adverse signs were detected in 14 days of observation. The histological study of the organs showed no lesions.

The aqueous extract (20%), freeze-dried, from aerial parts and in the form of an ointment, in topical application in rabbits, showed no dermal irritability¹⁰.

There is no information available documenting the safety of medicinal use in children, during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

TRAMIL Work³
Preliminary phytochemical screening of a 70% ethanol fluid leaf extract showed flavonoids +++, triterpenoids and steroids +++, alkaloids ++, cyanidins +, tannins and polyphenols +, but was negative for leucoanthocyanidins, quinones, saponins, coumarins, cardiotonic glycosides, terpene lactones and sugars.

TRAMIL Work⁴
Preliminary phytochemical screening of a fluid extract from dried aerial parts (1 kg of dry plant material/1 l of ethanol 30%, yield of 5.72%) showed flavonoids +, alkaloids +, tannins and polyphenols +, cyanidins +, leucoanthocyanidins +, coumarins +, terpene lactones +, sugars +, amino acids +, polysaccharides +, but was negative for triterpenoids and steroids, quinones, saponins and cardiotonic glycosides.

TRAMIL Work³
Proximate analysis of 100 g of leaves: moisture: 84.52% ± 0.26, ash: 1.04 ± 0.11, protein: 4.43 ± 0.6, fat: 0.86%, ascorbic acid: 48 mg.

The leaves contain a steroidal alkaloid: solasodine; sapogenin: tigogenin⁵.

The aqueous leaf extract (decoction) showed in vitro activity against Staphylococcus aureus⁶.

The aqueous extract (decoction and maceration) of the leaves had activity against Candida albicans⁷.

The aqueous extract (decoction) from the dried leaves, in vitro, showed activity against Candida neoformans⁸ and with an MIC of 100-300 mg/ml (1 ml) against Epidermophyton floccosum, Microsporum canis, M. gypseum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes and T. rubrum⁹.

The aqueous extract from the aerial parts (20%), freeze-dried and in the form of an ointment, applied topically on the ulcerated udders of cows, in open wounds of mice and rabbits, showed healing and regenerative activity superior to the control, corroborated by the histopathological study. Healing was achieved after 9 days with the semi-solid formulation and after 14 days with the aqueous solution¹⁰.

Pharmacopoeia

Ed.3

References

1 DELENS M, 1990
Encuesta TRAMIL en Barlovento, Edo. Miranda de Venezuela. Centro al Servicio de la Acción Popular CESAP, Caracas, Venezuela.

2 GIRON L, 1988
Encuesta TRAMIL (Costa atlántica). Centro Mesoamericano de Tecnología CEMAT, Guatemala, Guatemala.

3 GOMEZ H, 2003
Estudio fitoquímico de algunas plantas promisorias del Caribe colombiano. Informe TRAMIL. Grupo de Productos Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas y Farmacéuticas. Universidad de Cartagena, Cartagena de Indias, Colombia.

4 MOREJON Z, VICTORIA MC, MORON F, MENDEZ G, FUENTES V, 2006
Tamizaje fitoquímico de la un extracto fluido de partes aéreas secas de Solanum americanum . Informe TRAMIL. Laboratorio Central de Farmacología, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas “Dr. Salvador Allende”, La Habana, Cuba.

5 ALDANA MV, LIMA CN, 1999
Isolation and characterization of a glycoside from fluid extracts of Solanum americanum Mill. Afinidad 56(484):393-396.

6 CACERES A, ALVAREZ AV, OVANDO AE, SAMAYOA B, 1991
Plants used in Guatemala for the treatment of respiratory diseases. 1. Screening of 68 plants against Gram-positive bacteria. J Ethnopharmacol 31(2):193-208.

7 VICTORIA AE, 1980
Investigación farmacológica de la acción hipoglucemiante de la hoja de Solanum nigrescens Mart & Gal. (macuy, quilete o hierba mora). Tesis Guatemala, Facultad de CCUU y Farmacia, USAC, Guatemala, Guatemala.

8 COONEY G, BUCKLEY H, BRICKUS T, CACERES A, 1991
Fungicidal activity of Solanum plant extract from Guatemala, C.A. Abstracts CD52. Pharmacy Word Cong, Washington DC, USA.

9 CACERES A, LOPEZ BR, GIRON MA, LOGEMANN H, 1991
Plants used in Guatemala for the treatment of dermatophytic infections. 1. Screening for antimycotic activity of 44 plant extracts. J Ethnopharmacol 31(3):263-276.

10 SANCHEZ LM, BULNES C, PEREZ P, RODRIGUEZ A, NOA M, GINORIO C, GOMEZ BC, 2003
Actividad antibacteriana, cicatrizante y útero-estimulante de Solanum americanum Miller. Actualidades Biológicas 25(78): 71-78.

11 LOPEZ M, MARTINEZ MJ, MOREJON Z, BOUCOURT E, FERRADA C, FUENTES V, MORON F, 2005
Irritabilidad dérmica primaria de una decocción de hoja seca Solanum americanum Mill. Informe TRAMIL. Laboratorio Central de Farmacología, Facultad de Medicina “Dr. Salvador Allende”, Cerro, C. Habana, Cuba.

12 PAZOS L, COTO T, CAIZA F, 2009
Irritación dérmica, piel sana en conejos, porción de hoja fresca de Solanum americanum. Informe TRAMIL. Laboratorio de Ensayos Biológicos, LEBi, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, Costa Rica.

13 MARTINEZ MJ, LOPEZ M, MOREJON Z, BOUCOURT E, FUENTES V, MORON F, 2005
Irritabilidad vaginal de decocción de hoja seca de Solanum americanum. Informe TRAMIL. Laboratorio Central de Farmacología, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas “Dr. Salvador Allende”, La Habana, Cuba.

14 MARTINEZ MJ, LOPEZ M, MOREJON Z, BOUCOURT E, FUENTES V, MORON F, 2005
Clases tóxicas agudas oral de decocción de hoja seca, de tallo seco y de frutos verdes secos de Solanum americanum. Informe TRAMIL. Laboratorio Central de Farmacología, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas “Dr. Salvador Allende”, La Habana, Cuba.

15 ALTSCHUL S, 1973
Drugs and food from little-known plants: Notes in Harvard University Herbaria. Cambridge, USA: Harvard Univ Press.

16 MORTON J, 1977
Some folk-remedy plants of Central American markets. Quart J Crude Drug Res 15:165-192.

17 SOUZA-NOVELO N, 1950
Plantas alimenticias y plantas de condimento que viven en Yucatán. Mérida, México: Inst.Tecn.Agrícola Henequenero.

18 ALBORNOZ A, 1993
Medicina Tradicional Herbaria. Caracas Venezuela: Editorial Instituto Farmacoterápico Latino S.A. p132.

19 CACERES A, 1996
Plantas de uso medicinal en Guatemala. Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala: Editorial Universitaria. p315.

Disclaimer

The information provided is for educational purposes only for the benefit of the general public and health professionals. It is not intended to take the place of either the written law or regulations. Since some parts of plants could be toxic, might induce side effects, or might have interactions with certain drugs, anyone intending to use them or their products must first consult with a physician or another qualified health care professional. TRAMIL has no responsibility whatsoever towards the user for any decision, action or omission made in relation to the information contained in this Pharmacopoeia.

Main navigation

TRAMILibrary

Solanum americanum

Vernacular names

Guatemala:

Venezuela:

Haiti:

Cuba:

Venezuela:

Martinique:

Geographical distribution

Botanical description

Voucher(s)

Pharmacopoeia

References

Disclaimer