Huang Shui Qie

Huang Shui Qie is a folk Chinese name commonly applied to Solanum surattense Burm.f. (synonym S. virginianum, S. xanthocarpum) of the Solanaceae, a low spreading, much-branched, prickly perennial herb 30-75 cm tall. The stems and leaf veins bear stout straight yellow prickles. Alternate, ovate to elliptic leaves are deeply sinuate-lobed, 5-10 cm long, with sharp prickles on both surfaces. Pale violet, star-shaped, five-lobed flowers 1.5-2.5 cm across appear in lateral cymes and produce globose berries 1-1.5 cm across that turn from green-streaked to glossy yellow at maturity. Widespread through southern China, India, and Southeast Asia, the plant is moderately toxic owing to steroidal glycoalkaloids (solanine, solasodine). In Chinese folk and ethnic minority medicine the herb is used for cough, sore throat, toothache, and rheumatic pain; in Ayurveda the same species is recognized as Kantakari, one of the Dashamoola roots.