MATA DE GALLINA

ESTA MATITA ES MUY USADA PARA MALES ESTOMACALES,FAMILIA DE LOS TOMATES,PARECE SER COSMOPOLITA.DEBEMOS TENER CUIDADO QUE AL HERVIRLA NO HAYAN FRUTAS VERDES,PUES PRODUCEN INFARTOS CARDÍACOS
VEAMOS QUE DICE LA CIENCIA

Edible Uses

Young shoots and leaves - cooked. Depending on the bitterness, the cooking water is sometimes changed during the cooking. This is done especially for children - elderly people often appreciate a higher degree of bitterness and will therefore leave the flowers and young fruits, whereas people who object to the bitter taste remove them. To further reduce the bitterness, the leaves are sometimes served together with cooked amaranth, either separately or as a mixture. In Uganda, the leaves are steamed and the juice is collected and used in soups, so that the nutrients are fully utilized[

The leaves contain about 6990mg of beta carotene per 100g.Caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.

Fruit - cooked. It should be used only when fully ripe[The fruit is a globose berry 4 - 10mm in diameter, becoming glossy purplish black at maturity, rarely dark green, many-seeded.Caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.In most regions, Solanum americanum fruits are considered inedible but Kipsigis children in Kenya eat the ripe fruits and also in the border region between south-eastern Zimbabwe and Mozambique the sweet fruits of local varieties are much appreciated[

Medicinal

The plant is antispasmodic and vermifuge.A decoction of the whole plant is used as a blood purifier, for treating inflammation, dissipating blood stasis, and to expel worms.The plant is applied externally as a remedy for cardialgia, corroding ulcers, suppurating cancers, deep wounds, skin diseases such as dartre, and for use in poultices for treating kidney pain.The leaves are eaten raw to treat heart pains.The cooked leaves are said to have a heart-clearing effect.The juice extracted from the leaves is used to relieve chronic conjunctivitis and related inflammations.The pounded leaves are used to treat sores and other skin problems.An infusion of the leaves and stems is used to improve kidney function.A decoction of the root, mixed with lime juice and a pinch of salt, is drunk as a treatment for malaRIA

TOXICIDAD

 

 The bitterness of the plant is associated with a high content of the glycoalkaloid solanine, which is found throughout the plant with the highest concentration in the unripe fruits[

 In the leaves the concentration increases with age. Solanine is poisonous and only partially soluble in water. Eating a large amount of this vegetable has been associated with diarrhoea and cardiac arrest[

The immature fruit is poisonous[

].