Makoy (Black Nightshade): Uses, Evidence & Safety

TL;DR

Makoy (Solanum nigrum, black nightshade) is a toxic Solanum: unripe green berries and leaves contain solanine-type glycoalkaloids that can cause vomiting, abdominal pain, confusion, and in severe cases cardiac and respiratory failure. Ripe black berries are far less toxic, but experts advise avoiding berries from unknown strains. Traditional Ayurvedic uses (kakamachi) exist, but human clinical evidence is essentially absent.

(59 words. Sources: IJPSR review; 2024 Clinical Toxicology case series; PMC review of traditional uses and pharmacology.)

What it is

Makoy is Solanum nigrum L., black nightshade, an annual or short-lived perennial herb of the nightshade family (Solanaceae), growing 30–120 cm tall with white flowers and dull black or purple-black berries, 6–8 mm across (IJPSR review). In Ayurveda it is known as kakamachi (also transliterated makoi). Toxicity varies widely between varieties, and poisonous-plant experts advise avoiding the berries unless they come from a known edible strain (IJPSR review).

The plant's chemistry is dominated by steroidal glycoalkaloids, principally α-solanine and α-chaconine (plus solasodine), the same family of toxins that makes green potatoes poisonous (IJPSR review; Alternative Medicine Review monograph).

Traditional use

Kakamachi has a long Ayurvedic record. A review of the Samhita-period literature lists its classical uses for sotha (inflammation), kustha (skin disease), arsha (piles), jwara (fever), prameha (diabetes), hikka (hiccough), chardi (vomiting), and hridroga (heart disease) (Samhita literature review).

In broader traditional medicine, S. nigrum has been used for liver disorders, chronic skin ailments (psoriasis, ringworm), inflammatory conditions, painful periods, fevers, diarrhea, and eye diseases. Chinese medicine employs the leaf juice for pain in kidney and bladder inflammation (traditional-use review, Clinical Phytoscience). Ethnobotanical accounts describe young leaves and shoots boiled as a vegetable with the cooking water discarded and replaced several times to remove toxins (IJPSR review). These are traditional practices: they do not make a toxic plant safe, and the safety section below treats the toxicology as the controlling fact.

What modern research says

Liver protection (animal studies only)

The most-studied modern claim is hepatoprotection, and the evidence is entirely preclinical. In rats with carbon-tetrachloride–induced chronic liver injury, a water extract at 0.2, 0.5, and 1.0 g/kg for 6 weeks reversed body- and organ-weight changes, reduced serum liver-enzyme markers (GOT, GPT, ALP, bilirubin), and improved histopathology (review of current research, PMC). Similar rodent findings exist against thioacetamide (antifibrotic), d-galactosamine, paracetamol, and alcohol-induced liver injury (same review; Clinical Phytoscience study).

Antitumor effects (animal and cell studies)

Polysaccharides and extracts have shown antitumor and antimetastatic effects in mice (e.g., reduced melanoma lung metastases) and cytotoxicity in cell lines. An isolated 150 kDa glycoprotein modulated detoxification enzymes and lipid profiles in mice (PMC review). All preclinical: no human cancer data.

What the evidence does not support (yet)

Controlled human trials of makoy's efficacy are essentially absent from the published literature: the reviews catalog a rich preclinical pharmacology but no robust clinical-trial record (PMC review). Traditional liver and skin uses remain unvalidated in humans.

Dosage

There is no established dose: and this is a plant where "no dose" doubles as a safety warning. No human clinical trial has tested a dose of makoy, and no pharmacopoeial dose figure was verified from a citable source. The toxicology below explains why self-dosing is dangerous.

Safety & contraindications

This is a toxic plant. Treat it as one.

FAQs

Is makoy poisonous?

Yes: it is a genuinely toxic plant. All parts contain steroidal glycoalkaloids, most concentrated in unripe green berries and leaves. Reported poisoning signs include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, fever, mental confusion, convulsions, coma, and in severe cases death (Alternative Medicine Review monograph; IJPSR review).

Are ripe black nightshade berries safe to eat?

They are far less toxic than green ones, solasodine content falls with ripening, and ripe berries are sometimes eaten without ill effects. But toxin levels vary by strain and growing conditions, and experts advise avoiding berries unless they are a known edible strain (IJPSR review).

What is makoy used for in Ayurveda?

Classically as kakamachi for inflammation, skin disease, piles, fever, diabetes-like conditions, hiccough, vomiting, and heart disease (Samhita literature review), and in folk practice for liver disorders and skin ailments (Clinical Phytoscience review). Traditional use is not clinical proof.

Is makoy good for the liver?

Unproven in humans. Rodent studies show hepatoprotective effects of extracts against several liver toxins, but no controlled human trials exist (PMC review). Given the plant's own toxicity, this is not a do-it-yourself liver remedy.

What should I do if someone eats black nightshade berries?

Treat it as a poisoning emergency: symptoms are delayed 6–12 hours, so do not wait for them. Call your local poison control center or go to the emergency department immediately, and bring a sample of the plant if possible.

Can makoy leaves be eaten as a vegetable?

Some ethnobotanical traditions boil young shoots with repeated changes of cooking water: but solanine decomposes only around 243 °C, above normal cooking temperatures, so cooking cannot be relied upon to detoxify the plant (IJPSR review). Do not do this.

Sources

Disclaimer

This article is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Makoy (black nightshade) is a toxic plant: never eat its unripe berries or raw leaves, keep them away from children, and seek emergency care for suspected ingestion. Do not use it as a home remedy. Talk to a qualified healthcare practitioner before considering any use — especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, managing a medical condition, or taking prescription medicines.