Common Name:

General Information

Solanum tettense is a much-branched, sometimes prickly, perennial herb with stems that often become woody and persist; it can grow up to 3 metres tall, occasionally to 4 metres. The stems have many pale yellow prickles 1 - 5 mm long[, , ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local medicinal use.

Known Hazards

The preparation and use of arrow poison made from the roots is practised by bushmen in Namibia[].
Accidental feeding on the plant causes disorders in cattle (crazy cow syndrome) characterized by epileptic-like attacks. The poison acts on the central nervous system and the functions of the cerebellum, but does not cause fatal poisoning[].

Botanical References

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Range

East tropical Africa - Ethiopia, Somalia, DR Congo, Uganda, Kenya, south to Angola, Namibia, Botswana and S. Africa.

Habitat

Woodland, wooded grassland and thickets. In miombo woodland it grows on termite mounds and is also found along streams and in rocky areas; at elevations up to 1,600 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Shrub
Height	2.50 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

The plant thrives under both moist and semi-arid conditions in the Tropics, where it can be found at elevations up to 1,600 metres[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

A root extract is drunk to cure typhus and abdominal pain[]. A root extract is drunk, or the pulverized root is mixed with food, to cure diarrhoea[].

Samburu warriors of Kenya used to take the plant as a drug[].

The fruit contains calystegines, which are nortropane alkaloids with glycosidase inhibitory activity[].
Calystegine A3 selectively inhibits liver beta-glucosidase activity.[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow in trays in a nursery. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on fast. Plant them out when 10cm or more tall.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood. Very easy, the cuttings root within a couple of weeks.

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