Solanum nigrum is toxic to cats, dogs and horses. The reported severity is critical. Also known as Black Nightshade Complex, Black Nightshade and Hairy Black Nightshade.
If your animal ate this plant, call your veterinarian now, or one of these services.
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Ireland has no animal poison service for owners. Call your veterinarian. An Irish veterinarian can consult the Veterinary Poisons Information Service in the United Kingdom.
Giftinformationscentralen stopped answering questions about animals on 1 July 2018. Call your veterinarian or an animal hospital.
Drooling Loss Of Appetite Abdominal Pain Diarrhea Drowsiness CNS Depression Disorientation Weakness Dilated Pupils Slow Heart Rate Colic Depression Tremors Incoordination Shock Coma Difficulty Breathing Kidney Failure
The color of each symptom follows the severity scale above.
Solanum nigrum, the European black nightshade or simply black nightshade or blackberry nightshade, is a species of flowering plant in the family Solanaceae, native to Eurasia and introduced in the Americas, Australasia, and South Africa. Ripe berries and cooked leaves of edible strains are used as food in some locales, and plant parts are used as a traditional medicine. Some other species may also be referred to as "black nightshade".
Solanine levels in S. nigrum have been tested, and the plant is rarely fatal. Solanine poisoning symptoms may occur when immature green fruit or mature leaves are ingested raw. There is typically a delay of 6 to 12 hours after ingestion for symptoms to occur. Initial symptoms of toxicity include fever, sweating, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, confusion, and drowsiness. Death from ingesting large amounts of the plant results from cardiac arrhythmias and respiratory failure. Livestock have also been poisoned from nitrate toxicity by grazing the mature leaves and green berries of S. nigrum. In central Spain, the great bustard (Otis tarda) may act as a seed disperser of European black nightshade (Solanum nigrum). Black nightshade is highly variable, and some advice says to avoid eating the berries unless they are a known edible strain. The toxin levels may also be affected by the plant's growing conditions. The toxins in S. nigrum are most concentrated in the unripe green berries, and immature fruit should be treated as toxic. Most cases of suspected poisoning are due to consumption of leaves or unripe fruit. There are ethnobotanical accounts of S. nigrum young leaves and shoots being boiled as a vegetable with the cooking water being discarded and replaced several times to remove toxins. Solanine is practically insoluble in water and can be destroyed by boiling but not by baking. S. nigrum's leaves may be different from this perspective. Young cooked leaves of Solanum complex sp. are a source of many useful nutrients similar to levels found in spinach. Solanum complex berries have been consumed since ancient times.
More from the Solanaceae family: