Prevent Cancer, Improve Liver Functions, And Lower Levels Of Uric Acid With Black Nightshade ( Lubi-Lubi)

Dr. Farrah Agustin-Bunch

 

Black nightshade (Solanum Nigrum L) is known in the Philippines as “Lubi-Lubi” while others call it “Wonder Berry.” This plant grows approximately until 120 cm and with less than 5 cm diameters. It has a rounded, small and green fruit that is red or black when it is ripe.

Usually, Black nightshade is consumed as medicine and as a vegetable in a regular diet. In fact, this vegetable is being used as an herbal remedy for many decades.

Found in the small fruit are nutrients that are important for our health. These include calcium, protein, Ferrum, vitamin A, B1 & C, Atropine, Diosgenine, Solasodine, Samak, Saponine, Titogenum, and bush oil.

Health Benefits Of Black Nightshade

Cancer Prevention

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death around the world while some patients took a long time to be free from cancer.

Black nightshade contains solamargine, solanine, solasonine, and solasodine which all help prevent uncontrollable cancer cell. These beneficial substances can help prevent stomach, cervix, breast, and respiratory tract cancer. Solamargine and solanine have antibacterial properties while solanine has an anti-mitosis effect. Meanwhile, solasodine helps relieve pain, decreases body temperature and has anti-shock and anti-inflammatory properties.

Helps Cure Spleen Diseases

Due to its antibacterial activity, the plant can kill disease-causing bacteria in the body, and boost the immune system. It soothes stomach ulcers and strengthens the spleen muscles. Also, it was found to be able to lower the body heat. For this purpose, all we have to do is to heat the pan with gingelly oil and then add cumin seeds and later add the black nightshade greens. Fry them until cooked. Put turmeric powder in a tumbler of water and add in the pan. Wait until it is cooked. Adding this in our diet can help strengthen our liver, spleen, and heal stomach ulcer.

Effective Diuretic

Urinary tract disorder (UTI), mostly happens to women. Its symptoms include an intense urge to urinate, burning feeling when urinating and pain or pressure in your back or lower abdomen. For those infected, black nightshade can be an effective remedy since it has the ability to increase urine production and launch the urinary tract.

Helps Promote Good Sleep

For this purpose, the seeds from the fruit of black nightshade are air-dried and powdered. Its powdered form can be mixed with milk and be taken before we sleep. Doing this will soothe our body tiredness and help us have a good night sleep.

Helps Relieve Fever

Found in the plant are important nutrients such as vitamin B, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium, and phosphorus thus making black nightshade leaves an effective remedy in soothing body heat, curing fever, and relieving body pains caused by fever as well as in treating skin allergies.

Helps Cure Kidney Diseases

Black nightshade has cytoprotective effects that can help us prevent and cure kidney diseases. It is also supported by the activity of anti-ulcerogenic which is connected to the central nervous system, stomach, and antineoplastic.

Helps Improve Liver Function

With the help of black nightshade, we can improve our liver function so that it will work more efficiently in neutralizing and releasing toxins inside our body.

Helps Cure Skin Diseases

Make a paste and apply it on the skin. This would be a great skin treatment for individuals with allergies, heat boils, skin irritation, measles, and skin boils.

Helps Relieve Back Pain

Black nightshade has been beneficial for those with gout, back pain, stiff waist, rheumatism, and muscle pain. In some countries, like in Nigeria, it has been used in treating rheumatism and lowering the body’s levels of uric acid.

Other Ways of Consuming Black Nightshade

Here are some of the other known ways wherein we can consume Black nightshade:

1. Mix 10 black nightshade to a vegetable juice for more nutrition.
2. Prepare a tea by boiling 20 grams of dried black nightshade in 4 cups of water. Wait until only half of the water is left. Drink the tea twice a day. A cup in the morning and another cup in the evening.

Words of Caution

All parts of the Black Nightshade (Solanum nigrum) plant are poisonous if consumed incorrectly. Furthermore, this plant can be easily mistaken for its always-poisonous and very deadly sister plant, Deadly Nightshade. Knowing how to identify this plant and how to use it are crucial. The berries can only be eaten safely when black and fully ripe. Hence the name, Black Nightshade. If the berries are blackish but striped with green or blackish with a green tinge, they’re not fully ripe or safe to eat. Remember, green nightshade berries = toxic.