Black Nightshade
Solanum nigrum
Horse
Moderate
Get veterinary advice the same day and remove access. A few kilograms of plant, or concentrated ingestion of green berries.
Equio informs, it does not diagnose. When in doubt, call your vet.
What to do now
- Antidote
- No specific antidote. Symptomatic and supportive treatment.
- Time to signs
- A few hours to 24 hours.
- Prognosis
- Good. Mortality is very rare in healthy adult horses, but colic can be troublesome.
- Call veterinarian if nervous symptoms appear.
- Administer activated charcoal.
- Perform gastric lavage if indicated.
- Treat colic and associated symptoms.
Its ID card
- Height
- 30 cm – 1.2 m
- Flowering
- June to September.
- Toxic parts
- Leaves and especially immature (green) berries. Very ripe black berries are curiously much less toxic (sometimes consumed by birds without harm).
- Toxin
- Steroidal glycoalkaloids (Solanine, chaconine)
- Habitat
- Crops (corn, potatoes), gardens, wastelands, debris, over-fertilized areas.
- Soil indicator
- Soils very rich in nitrogen and organic matter (manure piles, old paddocks).
- Regions
- Entire Europe, Cosmopolitan
- In hay
- Yes — stays toxic once dried
- Palatability
- Very low (bad taste). Accidental ingestion in hay or desperate grazing in a wasteland.
When the risk rises
July to October (berry presence).
Spotting it in the field
Bittersweet (red berries). — smell : slightly acrid smell when crushed, but often not very pronounced.
- Stem often blackish.
- Oval, slightly toothed leaves.
- Small white flowers with a prominent yellow center.
- Clusters of round berries, green then black.
Signs to watch for
Acute toxicity.
Dose : Difficult to quantify precisely, depends on berry maturity and quantity ingested. A few kilograms of green plant or a handful of green berries.
- Moderate colic and greenish diarrhea
- Widely dilated pupils
- Marked sleepiness, apathy (low head carriage)
- Uncoordinated movements
- Drop in respiratory rate
Who is affected
Other species : Toxic to cattle, sheep, pigs, dogs, and chickens.
In pregnant mares : solanine is recognized as teratogenic (fetal malformations) in other species, posing a potential risk in mares.
Getting rid of it
Method : Manual removal before berry formation, wearing gloves. Prevent the plant from reproducing. Burn uprooted plant waste.
- Regularly inspect pastures and stable surroundings to identify and remove the plant.
- Avoid grazing horses in areas where the plant is known to proliferate, especially near manure piles or old crops.
- Be vigilant about hay provenance, especially if it comes from the edges of cornfields or potentially contaminated areas.
Frequently asked questions
Can Equio identify Black Nightshade from a photo?
It can help organize visual clues, but plant identification must remain cautious when horse health is at stake.
Is Black Nightshade dangerous in hay?
This entry flags hay vigilance. Isolate suspicious forage and ask for professional advice if exposure is possible.
This page is informational. If ingestion is likely, if signs appear, or if the horse is fragile, contact a veterinarian immediately.