10 TOP MEDICINAL USES & BENEFITS OF MANATHAKKALI KEERAI (SOLANUM NIGRUM | BLACK NIGHTSHADE)

10 TOP MEDICINAL USES & BENEFITS OF MANATHAKKALI KEERAI (SOLANUM NIGRUM | BLACK NIGHTSHADE)

Manathakkali Keerai has wonderful medicinal uses and health benefits. In Tamil Nadu, manathakkali keerai is popularly used for treating stomach ulcers, piles, colds, and mouth ulcers. We make manathakkali keerai kulambu, manathakkali keerai thokku, kootu, poriyal,

masiyal and it can be consumed by everyone including babies and pregnant women.

Manathakkali vatical which are nothing but the dried fruits are also widely consumed in Tamil Nadu and manathakkali vathal kuzhambu | manathakkali vathal kulambu is a delicacy and we make it often at home both for its taste and health benefits.

Manathakkali Keerai: Manathakkali plant is a small plant that grows to about 3 feet and it can be commonly found all over India and Africa. The leaves are alternate dark green, long and elongated. Hanging from the leaf axil, the flowers are found in clusters. The flowers have 5 petals, small and white. The fruits are small even smaller than peas and are almost purple-black. The small dark fruits (sukkot Palam in Tamil) tastes divine and I am sure many of you must have enjoyed plucking and eating these small fruits when you were a child.

I am saying as a child because usually these fruits are used as treats for children. When I was younger, I used to love plucking these fruits one by one and popping them in my mouth. Though we make gravies and vathal with unripe fruits, the ripe fruits are my favorite. The fruits are also the best way to identify this amazing plant. I wish many children know about these fruits and enjoy them because nowadays many don’t even know the name of this plant.

Botanical & Common Names: The botanical name of the manathakkali plant is Solanum Nigrum (It belongs to the family Solanaceae and genus Solanum). Manathakkali is the Tamil name and it is commonly called Black Night Shade in English.

Manathakkali Nutritional Value: 100 grams of manathakkali has around 68 calories, 8.9 grams of carbohydrates, 2.1 grams of minerals, 1.0 grams of fat, 5.9 grams of protein, 410 mg of calcium, 70 mg of phosphorus, and 20.5 mg of iron.

Manathakkali Chemical Constituents: Manathakkali plant contains alkaloids (glycosides, solamargine, alpha, and beta solanine), tannins, saponins, glycosides, flavonoids, proteins (glycine & proline), carbohydrates, and phytosterols. The important compound found in both unripe and ripe fruits is solasodine and manthakkali oil isolated from the plant is a rich source of linoleic acid.

Manathakkali Traditional Uses: Manathakkali keerai is traditionally and popularly used for treating stomach and mouth ulcers. If you are suffering from ulcers or stomach burns look no further and reach out for manathakkali, because nothing can treat ulcers like manathakkali. If you are suffering from ulcers, try taking

manathakkali soup every day for lunch till you get good relief. When you are on this diet try to stay away from foods that trigger ulcers like caffeine, cola drinks, oily fried foods, spicy foods, and processed foods to heal faster.

In our home, we mainly use only manathakkali for treating ulcers, we make poriyal with manathakkali leaves very often along with manathakkali soup. To treat stomach ulcers, morning and nightstick to traditional foods that are easy on the stomach and that can be easily digested like idli, steamed foods, etc. In the afternoon consume the manathakkali soup recipe I have given below along with rice.

Within a few days you will find the healing of your ulcer, but eating a healthy diet while doing this home remedy is very important. The soup tastes delicious and can be given to both adults and children. This treatment also works best for children and can be given to them if they are complaining of stomach burns. When making this remedy always use freshly plucked leaves and homemade coconut milk for the best taste and results.

Coconut milk in the recipe also is very good for treating ulcers and stomach burn. I prefer to make the soup fresh, but if you are pressed for time, make a huge batch and refrigerate. If you are not suffering from stomach burn, try including the soup at least weekly once in your diet to prevent stomach burn and ulcers.

The dried fruits also called manathakkali vathal are used for treating all stomach ailments, we use them in gravies. Both manathakkali keerai and vathal are also used for treating cold and phlegm. The fruits are used as a laxative. The leaves are also cooked and consumed to reduce excessive body heat, sinus infection, body pain and also to treat skin problems. External application of the leaf juice or leaf poultice is done for treating poisonous bites. Finally, the leaves are also used to treat urinary problems.

Manathakkali Medicinal Uses: 1. Antioxidant Properties: Manathakkali keerai has wonderful antioxidant properties. Consuming antioxidant-rich food is essential to improve immunity and fight off the free radicals that are the leading cause of premature aging of our skin and hair. It also reduces oxidative stress which is the leading cause of many illnesses.

2. Anti Cancer Properties: Manathakkali has wonderful anti-cancer properties too. Recurrent cancers are mostly treated with chemotherapy but many herbs prevent recurrent cancers and manathakkali is one of them.

3. Anti Diabetic Properties: Traditionally manathakkali has always been suggested for diabetic patients and this use has been proven through research too. In a study done on rats for 21 days, the water decoction of the plant significantly reduced blood sugar levels. Through personal experience also I know that manathakkali helps diabetic patients greatly in stabilizing blood sugar levels.

4. Anti Inflammatory Properties: Manathakkali has wonderful anti-inflammatory properties, both consuming it and applying it externally will help. This is due to the presence of alkaloids present in manathakkali. Especially Solanin A isolated from manathakkali greatly helps reduce inflammation. If you are suffering from pain and inflammation, try to consume manathakkali regularly…..

5. Anti Asthma Properties: Another interesting and traditional use of ripe berries is their anti-asthma properties. In a study, petroleum ether extract exhibited significant anti-asthma properties. Though for the study petroleum ether extract was used, the fresh berries can also be consumed for treating asthma.

This is due to the presence of the active compound β-sitosterol in the berries.

6. Anti Ulcer: One of the well-known traditional uses of manathakkali is its anti-ulcer properties. For anyone suffering from an ulcer, we boil manathakkali in coconut milk and salt and give it as a soup, it works wonderfully.

7. Anti Seizure Properties: Though it is not a common practice here, it is used as a remedy for epileptic seizures in countries like Nigeria! This information surprised me because I have always thought manathakkali is only used for treating ulcers.

8. Anti Viral Properties: Manathakkali has powerful anti-viral properties. Especially it is very effective against hepatitis C which is the major cause of liver problems including liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

9. Mosquito Larvicidal Properties: Another interesting use of manathakkali fruits is that the extract is very effective against Culex Quinquefasciatus variety mosquitoes. Both the extracts from green and ripe berries have been found to have larvicidal properties. Mosquitoes are the leading causes of death and so we must find effective natural remedies like manathakkali to get rid of them.

10. Hepato Protective Properties: Manathakkali has wonderful liver-protective properties and greatly helps prevent liver damage.

In a study water extract of the plant significantly reduced the damage caused due to carbon tetrachloride ingestion in rats. Hepatoprotective effects are due to the presence of antioxidants and it’s free radical scavenging properties.

How To Grow Manathakkal Keerai?

Manathakkali plant requires plenty of sunlight and needs very little to no maintenance. You can either get small plants from nurseries and plant in a pot or if you have access to ripe berries, you can squeeze the seeds onto a small pot and water daily till they sprout and grow. Once they start growing, all you need to do is regularly water them….

Manathakkali Side Effects: Manathakkali generally agrees with everyone including pregnant women and children. If had in moderation, manathakkali will not cause any problems at all. But with like any other greens, if had in excess or if it is not cooked properly will cause stomach problems like stomach pain and diarrhea.