Thuthuvalai

🌿 Botanical Name: Solanum Trilobatum

🌿Herbal Uses of Thuthuvalai

1. Respiratory Health

• Expectorant: Helps clear phlegm and ease breathing.

• Asthma Relief: Traditionally used to manage asthma and wheezing.

• Cold & Cough Remedy: Effective in treating common colds, persistent coughs, and sore throat.
  
  

2. Anti-Inflammatory & Pain Relief

• Throat & Chest Inflammation: Relieves irritation and pain in respiratory passages.

• Muscle and Joint Pain: Known to ease mild inflammatory pains.
  
  

3. Immunity Booster

• Body Strengthener: Used in traditional diets to improve general immunity.

• Antioxidant Properties: Contains flavonoids and alkaloids that protect cells from oxidative stress.
  
  

4. Digestive Aid

• Stomach Soother: Mildly supports digestion and reduces bloating.

• Appetite Enhancer: Stimulates appetite in convalescent diets.
  
  

5. Skin Health

• Boil and Wound Treatment: Leaf paste applied externally for skin boils and minor wounds.
  
  

6. Antimicrobial Properties

• Natural Antibiotic: Contains solasodine and other compounds with antibacterial action.

• Anti-Parasitic: Used traditionally to clear intestinal worms.

🌱Plant Description:

• Type: Spiny, climbing shrub

• Height: 3 to 6 feet (can spread widely with support)

• Structure: Woody climber with thorns on stem and leaves

• Leaves: Broad, lobed (usually 3–5 lobes), green with thorns

• Thorns: Present on stem, leaves, and even underside

• Fruit: Small, round, turns from green to red-violet when ripe

🌸Flowering & Fruit:

• Flowers: Star-shaped, violet or purple with yellow stamens

• Fruiting: Berries (small and round), mildly toxic when unripe

• Pollination: Typically self-pollinated or by insects

🌱Propagation:

• By Seeds: Soaked seeds sown directly or started in nursery beds

• By Cuttings: Stem cuttings root easily in moist soil

🗓️Harvest Time:

• Leaves: Harvested as needed, typically once the plant is well-established

• Fruits: Collected when fully ripe (deep violet); unripe fruits can be toxic if consumed in excess