Black nightshade volunteer plant in my Porch pot of petunias

by Rosemarie Fischer
(Washington’s, MO, USA)

Belladonna, or Deadly Nightshade

Belladonna, or Deadly Nightshade

It’s a very long story but I was able to identify the black nightshade plant has it finally developed the berries but it nearly got the best of me. I must’ve touched it and then touched my lip that swelled very quickly. I treated it with Benadryl and it stopped the swelling. Two weeks later I had a swollen lymph node and realized that the poison was still affecting me. My doctor prescribed a strong antibiotic so I think my symptoms will be cleared as my lymph node is now much smaller. I have destroyed and removed the black nightshade plant. What about the petunias? What about the soil in the pot. Does it also need to go? What about the pot of fresh herbs that is adjacent to the pot of petunias? Does it need to be destroyed as well. I don’t want this to ever happen to anybody. It definitely is toxic. Thank you in advance for your help.

Comments for Black nightshade volunteer plant in my Porch pot of petunias

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Aug 14, 2020
 Don't Worry
by: Jacki Cammidge, Certified Horticulturist

I seriously wonder if this is the cause of your skin issue. Deadly Nightshade can cause dermatitis in someone who is extremely sensitive to things like Solanum (members of the same family as tomatoes, peppers and eggplant) but it seems a bit out of the realm to blame a lymph node issue on it too. Generally, you would have to eat the berries to get poisoned by it, which is why little kids are so at risk - the berries are shiny and so appealing.

You won't need to worry about the Petunias, or the soil having any kind of residue in. Other plants in the vicinity should be safe to eat.

Antibiotics would not help with this kind of poisoning, so I'm not sure why your doctor would be prescribing it. However, I'm not a doctor, so maybe I'm missing something.
Aug 15, 2020
 Beladoma or Blacknightshade
by: Linda

There's a couple of very good videos on YouTube. Baladoma or Black Nightshade are different plants. May give you more peace of mind to view?

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