Kantakari (Solanum xanthocarpum) Details, Benefits and Medicinal Uses

Kantakari is a very prickly, bright green, much branched perennial shrub with bluish-purple flower. It is a warm season plant that grow mainly in tropical and sub-tropical regions. In India, it occurs throughout the country in dry conditions. It can be found growing as a weed along the roadsides and wastelands. It is naturally propagated by seed in waste lands.

Although it is seen as weed but it is a very important medicinal plant of Ayurveda. It is one of the root (comes under Laghu panchamula) of famous Dashmula (group of ten roots). Acharya Charaka and Sushruta used whole plant and its fruits for internal use to treat bronchial asthma, digestive disorder, piles, inflammation of the middle ear, difficult urination and for rejuvenation.

The whole plant is useful in vitiated conditions of vata and kapha. Panchang (whole herb including roots) and berries, have anthelmintic property. The decoction of the plant are used in gonorrhea. The leaves are applied for piles. The fruits are laxative. The plant is bitter, acrid, hot, anthelmintic, anti-inflammatory, anodyne, digestive, carminative, appetizer, stomachic, depurative, sudorific, febrifuge, expectorant, laxative, stimulant, diuretic, rejuvenating, emmenagogue and aphrodisiac.

Ayurvedic medicine Swasari Kwath contain Kantkari along with other herbs. It is also used in preparation of Chyavanprash. Dashmularista which is an Ayurvedic tonic contain roots of this plant.

This plant is non-toxic and safe for human use.

Taxonomic classification

• Kingdom: Plantae
• Subkingdom: Tracheobionta
• Division: Magnoliophyta
• Class: Magnoliopsida
• Subclass: Asteridae
• Order: Solanales
• Family: Solanaceae
• Genus: Solanum
• Botanical Name: Solanum xanthocarpum
• Synonyms: S. surattense Burm.f., S. virginianum Linn., S. maccanni Sant.

Vernacular names

Ayurvedic name	Kantakari, Kantakarika, Vyaghri, Nidigdhika, Nidigdha, Duhsparsha, Dhaavani, Kshudraa, choti Keteri
Siddha	Kandankatthiri
Unani	Katai khurd
Hindi	Katai, Katali, Ringani, Bhatakataiya, Choti-kateri
English name	Wild Eggplant, Yellow-Berried Nightshade, Febrifuge plant
Bengali	Kantkari
Gujarati	Bhoringni, Bhonya-ringani
Tamil	Kantankattiri
Malayalam	Kantkariccunta, Kantakarivalutana, Kantankattiti
Telugu	Callamulag
Kannad	Nelagulle
Trade name	Kantkari, Kantakari
Parts used	Whole Plant, Dried or Fresh

Plant Description

Root: 10-45 cm long, few mm to two cm in diameter, almost cylindrical and tapering, bearing a number of fine longitudinal and few transverse wrinkles with occasional scars or a few lenticels and small rootlets, transversely smoothened surface shows a thin the bark and wide compact cylinder of wood, fracture, short, taste, bitter.

Stem: herbaceous, prickly with prominent nodes and internodes, green when fresh, young branches, covered with numerous hairs, mature ones glabrous, furrows more prominent in young stem appearing almost circular towards basal region, stem pieces 8-10 mmthick of variable length, external surface light green, when dry, surface yellowish green and smooth, transversely smoothened surface shows a very thin the bark and prominent wood, centre shows a large and distinct, pith, mr ture and dry stem often with hollow pith, fracture short to slightly fibrous.

Leaves: petiolate, exstipulate, ovate–oblong or elliptic, sinuate or sub-pinnatifid, subacute hairy, 4-12.5 cm long and 2-7.5 cm wide, green, veins and midrib full with sharp2 prickles, odour and taste not distinct.

Flower: ebracteate, pedicellate, bisexual, pentamerous, regular, complete, bright blue or bluish purple, calyx-persistent, gamosepalous, tube short, globose, linear-lanceolate, acute, hairy, 0.5-1 .3 cm long and densely prickly, corollagamopetalous, lobes deltoid, acute, hairy, 1-2 cm long and purple in color, stamens 5, epipetalous, basifixed, filament short 1-1.5 mm long, anther, oblong lanceolate, 0.7-0.8 cm long, ovary superior, ovoid, glabrous, bilocular with axile placentation having numerous ovules.

Fruit: Berry globular, measuring 0.8-1 cm in diameter, surrounded by persistent calyx at base unripe fruits variegated with green and white strips, ripe fruit shows differentyellow and white shades.

Seeds: Circular, flat, numerous, embedded in a fleshy mesocarp about 0. 2 cm in diameter, glabrous taste, bitter and acrid.

Distribution

Plant is widely distributed throughout India in dry situation as weed ascending to 1500 meter on the Himalaya, abundant by roadsides and wastelands, mainly in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

Constituents

Glucoalkaloids and sterols. Fruits give solasonine, solamargine, betasolamargine, and solasodine;petals yielded apigenin;stamens gave quercetin diglycoside and sitosterol. (+)-

solanocarpine, carpesterol, solanocarpidine, potassium nitrate, fatty acid, diosgenin, sitosterol, isochlorogenic acid, neochronogenic acid, chronogenic acid, caffeic acid, solasodine, solasonine, solamargine, quercetin, apigenin, histamine, acetylcholine.

Medicinal Properties of Kantakari

Anti-asthmatic	Treat or prevent asthma attacks
Hypoglycemic	Blood sugar lowering
Hepatoprotective	Liver protecting
Anti-inflammatory	Reduces inflammation
Anti-tussive	Capable of relieving or suppressing coughing
Antipyretic	Fever reducing
Antispasmodic	Relieve spasm of involuntary muscle
Antihistaminic	Counteracting the effects of histamine
Hypotensive	Blood pressure lowering
Anti-androgenic	Capable of inhibiting the biological effects of androgens
Antifertility	Reduces fertility
Anti-spermatogenic	Blocks spermatogenesis

Ayurvedic Properties and Action on body

Kantakari is used in treating tamaka swasa (bronchial asthma), kasa (cough) and hikka (hiccough), jwar (fever), Shoth (swelling), etc. It is used as a single drug and also as an ingredient in various compound formulation for various diseases like kasa, shwasa, jwara, swara beda, Gulma, udharam, kushta, shopha, Hrdroga, etc. The powder of the plant are administered to cure chronic bronchitis.

Rasa (Taste)	Tikta/Bitter, Katu (pungent)
Guna (Characteristics)	Laghu/Light, Ruksha/Dry,
Virya (Potency)	Ushna/Hot
Vipaka (Post Digestive Effect)	Katu/Pungent

Action on body

• Useful in vitiated conditions of vata and kapha
• Vedanasthapana (pain reliever), Shothahara (reduces swelling)
• Swedajanana (increases sweating), Jwaraghna (Anti-pyretic)
• Deepana (appetizer), Pachana (digestive), Rechana (purgative)
• Bhedana, Krimighna (anthelmetic)
• Amadoshanashaka, Raktashodhaka (blood purifier)
• Kasahara (relieves cough), Shwasahara, Kanthya (Throat),
• Hikkanigrahana, Mootrala,
• Garbhashayasankochaka, Vajikarana (aphrodisiac), etc.

Important formulations

Kantakari Avaleha, Panchatikta Ghrita, Vyaghri Haritaki Avaleha

Medicinal Uses of Kantakari

Kantkari is used in Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani to treat variety of diseases. It is useful in treating worms, cough, hoarseness of voice, fever, painful urination, enlargement of the liver, muscular pain, and stone in the urinary bladder.

In migraine, asthma and headache, leaves juice of kantari is administered through nasal.

The paste of whole plant is applied on swollen and painful joints in arthritis. This gives relief in the swelling and pain.

The juice of berries is used in curing sore throat. The fruits of Kantkari plant are edible and used as folk medicines to treat throat infections and other inflammatory problems. A decoction of the fruits of the plant are used by tribal and rural people of Orissa, India for the treatment of diabetes. The fruits are eaten as an anthelmintic and for indigestion.

Roots and seeds are used as an expectorant in asthma, cough and pain in chest.

Cough

Take whole kantkari plant or panchang (3-4 gm) and boil in water (200 ml) till water reduces to 50 ml, filter and drink twice a day. . This is very good remedy for chronic cough.

Or take fresh kantkari plant juice (1-2 ml) mixed with honey (1 tbsp).

Epilepsy

Put fresh kantkari leaves juice (2 drops) in each nostril empty stomach in morning. Do it regularly.

Liver Swelling and infection

Kantkari is very good the liver tonic. Its decoction is very beneficial in the liver swelling and infection.

Vomiting and nausea during pregnancy

Take Kantkari panchang (5 gm) and munakka (5-6) and make decoction by boiling in water. This helps to cure nausea, vomiting and low appetite.

Migraine

For chronic migraine put fresh kantkari juice (4 drops) in each nostril.

Hair fall

Take fresh kantkari leaves juice and massage on scalp to cure hair fall and dandruff.

Toothache

Take fresh leaves of kantkari and grind to extract juice. Now soak cotton in this juice and apply on tooth.

How to extract juice

Take fresh leaves and wash to remove all dirt. Now put clean leaves in mortar and pestle and grind. Press crushed leaves to get the juice.