This North American herb is primarily prescribed to reduce menopause symptoms. It is also known as an insect repellant, to treat acne and warts and improve skin appearance. This herb contains salicylic acid, tannins, long-chain fatty acids, glycosides and phytoestrogens (22).
Black Nightshade (Solanum nigrum)
This herb is used in Asian medicine for abcess, furuncle, erysipelas, leprosy, psoriasis, wound, ulcer, and hemorrhoid but is not approved by Commission E for any indication. The active compounds include steroid alkaloid glycosides, alkaloids such as solasonine, and steroid saponins including tigogenin. The major clinical effect is anesthetic/analgesic, but recent studies focus on the anti-infective effects. The nightshades have no reported health hazards. They are administered as liquid extract or tinctures (22).
Two blinded comparative studies tested this herb and Solanum chrysotrichum to document clinical antifungal efficacy. The first compared Solanum nigrum to nystatin in 100 patients suffering from vaginal candidiasis. This herbal product cured the same number of patients in 25 days with treatment twice daily as nyststin did in 15 days (24). The other study consisted of the 28 patients suffering from tinea pedis who were treated twice daily for four weeks. The test products were 2% micronazole and 5% Solanum chrysotrichum each applied to one foot. The herb cure rate was 45% vs. no cure for micronazole (25).