Black nightshade. Historical artwork of the black or garden nightshade plant (Solanum nigrum). This poisonous plant causes nerve paralysis and is used as a sedative in herbal medicine. It is also used for its sleep-inducing (narcotic) properties. The berries are seen ripening from green to black. It is only distantly related to deadly nightshade. From The Instructive Picture Book or Lessons from the Vegetable World, Charlotte Mary Yonge, 1857.