EXHIBITS
Plants in the Renaissance: Nightshade
Nightshade
Varieties: Garden Nightshade (Solanum Hortense), Sleepy Nightshade (Solanum Somniferum), Dwale or Deadly Nightshade (Solanum Lethale), Bitter-Sweet Nightshade (Amara Dulcis), Inchanters Nightshade (Circea Lutetiana)
Nightshade has black leaves that resemble Basil leaves, but are larger. The flowers are typically white, and Nightshade berries are green until they reach ripeness, when they become black. Nightshade is capable of growing pretty much anywhere, but is most often found on the side of highways, in the borders of fields, or next to old walls and ruins. Nightshade flowers in summer, and ripens in autumn.
Deadly Nightshade can be identified by its purple flowers and larger berries, sometimes reaching the size of cherries. This species also grows in untoiled soil on the side of the road, but can be found in sea marshes, and grows especially abundantly in Holland. Deadly Nightshade flowers slightly earlier, in the spring and summer, and has seed in July and August.
Bittersweet Nightshade has carnation white flowers, and can be used to help those experiencing difficulty breathing, dropsy, or jaundice. It can also be used as a blood thinner for clots or heavy bruising, and can help unstop the spleen.
Ingesting Nightshade berries causes sleepiness, and if enough is consumed, may even bring death. It also troubles the mind and can cause madness.
However, the leaves and bark are profitable for the health of man. The leaves, moistened with wine vinegar, can be laid on the temples to relieve head pain and cause sleep. Bark from the roots of the plant can be made into a sleeping draught, but Gerard notes that this is not as strong as that produced from opium.
Nightshade is also potentially useful against Saint Anthony's fire, shingles, heartburn, or stomachache. However, Gerard comments that using Nightshade for these afflictions may push the illness inward, giving temporary relief but ultimately accentuating the problem.