Description

A large number of medicinal plants have shown promising beneficial effects against several diseases including cancer, but only a handful of studies are available on CKD. Several studies explained the possible mechanisms of herbal medications in CKD for therapeutic use; however, the focussed molecular studies for identification of active components of medicinal herbs with their mechanism of action and safety standard are still awaited. The demand for well-designed clinical trials and rigorous pharmacological studies as well as a surge for combined use of herbal medicine and Western medicine for the treatment of CKD has been noticed. The nephrotoxicity issues of medicinal plants should not be ignored.

Fertile Soils

Although the species are distributed throughout the world, they often occur in warm temperate and tropical regions with centers of diversity occurring in the southern hemisphere, especially in South America. Other centers of speciation occur in Australia and Africa, with relatively few and less diverse species are found in Europe and Asia. S. nigrum species are amongst the most common and popular leafy vegetables in the warm humid zones of Africa, and arguably the most important group of traditional leafy vegetables on the African continent after Amaranthus. They are generally found in disturbed habitats, such as roadsides, often on arable land especially the edges of cultivated fields and plantations, in hedgerows, on railway cuttings, quaysides and rubbish tips, in areas around buildings and houses, under trees, on forest and grassland margins, as garden weeds, on shingle beaches, riverbanks and in gullies. The species mainly colonize moist environments, only occurring in areas of low rainfall when the land is subject to irrigation. This plant grows well in fertile soils, especially those rich in nitrogen or phosphorus.

Infestation

Black aphids can cause a reduction in the harvest, also they can infest the inside of the leaves causing leaf curling and infestation sum of heights of plants prevents their development. Flea beetles also attack plants resulting significant damage, in addition Zonocerus variegatus induce big damage to fruit wall. In West Africa during the winter viral epidemic ''compensation vain yellow" S. nigrum attack by viruses transmitted by whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci (Genn.)) inducing leaf yellowing. Fungal diseases do not seem a big problem for this species. For this, they can be infected by Cladospurium oxysporum. This pathogen can be controlled by regular spraying with a suitable fungicide. Nevertheless, a chemical investigation of various members of the S. nigrum reported the presence of potentially toxic alkaloids in unripe fruit, with ripe berries and vegetative parts nailing these compounds. Thus, these plants are probably toxic to livestock that could consume the entire plant. However, these plants are used as fodder for animals without any adverse effect in some areas. So the evolution of toxic levels of these alkaloids depends on their growth as a result of climatic and regional conditions, and even the age of the plants concerned. The boiling bodies S. nigrum destroyed all the inherent toxicity of these species, or most ethno botanical reports of their use as vegetables refer to the kitchen or cooking requires the rejection of liquid boiling. Other similar contributions show the toxicity of immature berries. However, drying does not destroy the toxic alkaloid solanine kind (glycosidal of alkaloids that are responsible for the bitter taste often associated with this species). The main phytoconstitents of whole plant S. nigrum have been reported to act in various tumors, although the solamargine and solasonine inhibits growth and spread of various cancers, including breast, liver, lung and cyst cancers and leukaemia. Also the steroidal glycosides inhibit growth and spread of colon cancers and pheochromocytoma. The polysaccharides of this herb have significant inhibitory effect on growth of liver cancer by two distinct anticancer activities.