Family Solanaceae: The World's Most Successful Plants. Food, Medicine and Witchcraft

I so very much love this subject, i have been a long time reader and had to become a member after reading this thread. It is truly amazing to think about the knowledge that we have received from the plant kingdom and how it relates to shamanism and spirituality, and historically, witchcraft. I am truly amazed at how often we are shown images of another plant used in "flying ointments", typically in fairy tales, coloring books, etc...that perfect red mushroom with the white dots, that perfect world egg, Fly Agaric, why is that particular plant so ingrained into our modern culture?? My kids point them out to me all the time, in cartoons on Nick Jr., etc..... Fascinating, I can't wait to read more on this subject. I am an aromatherapist and have a great respect for our medicinal plants. So glad to have joined like minded people!!! xoxo M.

reply to post by 1Muzklovr

i have been a long time reader and had to become a member after reading this thread.

This makes me extraordinarily happy, 1Muzklover, I am so glad to hear that. Welcome to ATS, please let me know if I can ever be of assistance.

You are going to meet all sorts of fun folks here.

X.

Hello nightshade lovers,

I was looking for some solanaceous goodness to add to this thread. I was looking for information specifically about solanaceous plants in Haiti and I ended up finding this video. It is probably the best thing I have ever seen just on Datura. If for nothing else but the very rare police footage of two young men who have poisoned themselves with the seeds from datura. It is amazing to see and I don't think you will believe it when you see them in their shared hallucinations.

Please be patient. The video starts out strange but will quickly have you riveted as Mad Mike provides the narrative for this mini-documentary on one of the world's most compelling nightshades.



X.

EASILY the best thread for a while, great job.
Have to come back though plenty of reading! I love it!

reply to post by Xoanon


Shared hallucinations, reminds me of the McKenna brothers in S. America. Such a fascinating subject, knowledge received through plants!! I'm going to check my books and get back with some more info, although you have been so thorough, maybe I can share something.

Hi ATS,

I got ahold of a National Geographic magazine in a waiting room today and there was a great article on The Food Ark. It is about the efforts of conservationist Cary Fowler who founded the the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway.

The article brought to mind Eidolon23's post on page one and I was excited to see that National Geographic had added some of the native names for the different solanums.

I also found it interesting that the article mentioned that the nutritional value of these tubes is so diverse that a complete, nutritionally sound diet, could be cobbled together with several varieties

One cautionary tale about the perils of relying on a homogenous food source revolves around the humble potato. High in the Peruvian Andes, where the potato was first domesticated, farmers still grow thousands of otherworldly looking varieties. Spanish ships in the late 16th century first brought the tuber to Europe, where by the early 1800s it had become a reliable backup to cereal crops...

National Geogarphic

Here are a few of the images of the Andean tubers from the NatGeo article along with their local names...









X.

Hey OP,

just wanted to say that that ever since I read this thread a couple months ago I fell in love with this plant family, although I had already loved potatoes, tomatoes, and chilli peppers. I was stunned today when I found out a plant that I have been using for a while for thyroid regulation is in this family. The plant is named Withania somnifera, or Winter cherry and it grows mainly in India and is used by the traditional medicine folk (of course) to treat quite a few things. Anyway, I just had to return the favor of providing knowledge by adding this plant to the list. Thanks!

Withania Somnifera

reply to post by MultiversalSoul


Hey MultiversalSoul,

I am really glad that you have come to appreciate our solanaceous friends so much. Your addition is really excellent. I had heard of Ashwagandha before but knew nothing about it and especially I did not know that it was a nightshade. I am really happy to make its acquaintance. It has characteristics very much like the Chinese lanterns in the way that it looks...



And it's medicinal properties are also really astounding...

Alzheimer's dementia
The effect of a semipurified root extract of W. somnifera containing mostly withanolides was investigated using a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. The transgenic mice showed reversal of behavioral deficits and plaque load after treatment with the extract for 30 days.

en.wikipedia.org...

Thanks again,



X.