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Makoy

Solanum nigrum

Makoy (Solanum nigrum) is a plant drug, also called Kakamaci and Makoya.

Key facts
Botanical nameSolanum nigrum
FamilySolanaceae · other entries in this family
OrderSolanales
Taxon identifiersGBIF 9150405 · Wikidata Q146400 · NCBI Taxonomy 4112
Names in other languages
Sanskritकाकमाची (kākamācī)
Hindiमकोय (makoya)
Tamilமணத்தக்காளி

Sources: Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, KAKAMACI (Whole Plant) monograph on Solanum nigrum, Hindi "Makoya" (Punjabi "Mako", Urdu "Makoh"); India Flora Online / MMPND Tamil-Hindi indexes give Hindi "Mokoi मोकोय" for Solanum nigrum L.; Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, KAKAMACI monograph, Tamil "Manarthakkali, Manaththakkali, Manitakkali, Maniththakkali"; India Flora Online, Solanum nigrum sheet, "மணத்தக்காளி Manatakkali".; Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, monograph title KAKAMACI for Solanum nigrum, Sanskrit synonym "Dhvanksamaci".. How we source.

The evidence at a glance

12papers on this site for this drug, published 2004 to 2024, every one with a DOI.

  • 6Other clinical studies and reviews
  • 6Laboratory and animal studies

A count is not a conclusion and a tier is a study design, not a verdict. Everything listed here is laboratory or animal work, which does not show an effect in people. Each paper is listed with what it measured on the page below. See the research index for how papers are tiered.

This entry and kakamachi describe the same drug, Solanum nigrum, under different names. Both pages are kept because both names are in use, and each is cited as itself.

Names and identification

LanguageName
EnglishMakoy

Ayurvedic pharmacology (Dravyaguna)

PropertyValueDescription
Rasa (Taste)TiktaPrimary taste
Guna (Quality)LaghuPhysical quality
Virya (Potency)SheetaHeating/Cooling effect
Vipaka (Post-digestive)KatuPost-digestive effect

Dosage forms and preparation

Dosage Forms: Svarasa (fresh juice), Churna (whole plant powder), Kwatha (decoction), Capsules, Tablets, Syrup, Topical poultice

Standard Dosage: 10-20 mL fresh juice twice daily; 3-6 g powder per day; 50-100 mL decoction twice daily; 500 mg extract capsules twice daily

Optimal Timing: Traditionally taken in the morning on an empty stomach; before meals in digestive use; fresh juice preferably in morning

Storage: Fresh plant material processed within 6 hours of harvest. Dried powder below 25 deg C in airtight, light-resistant containers. Syrup at room temperature in amber bottles. Capsules/tablets in blister packs with desiccant.

Marker Compounds: Solasonine, Solamargine, Solasodine, Solanine (controlled), Diosgenin, Quercetin, Caffeic acid, Riboflavin

Synergistic Combinations

  • Bhumi Amalaki (hepatoprotective synergy)
  • Kalmegh (liver protection and bitter tonic)
  • Kutki (hepatic combination)
  • Punarnava (hepatorenal protective)
  • Haridra (anti-inflammatory and liver support)

Published research

Literature indexed in PubMed that concerns this subject, grouped by study type. A paper appearing here is a record of what has been published, not evidence that the subject works, and laboratory or animal results do not transfer to people. Study titles link to PubMed so you can read the source rather than take our word.

Other clinical studies and reviews6

  1. Zhao ZD, Hu C, Li L and others. 2024. Main chemical constituents and mechanism of anti-tumor action of Solanum nigrum LCancer medicine. PMID 39155844 · doi:10.1002/cam4.7314
  2. Sharma D, Joshi M, Apparsundaram S and others. 2023. Solanum nigrum L. in COVID-19 and post-COVID complications: a propitious candidateMolecular and cellular biochemistry. PMID 36689040 · doi:10.1007/s11010-022-04654-3
  3. Zhang H, Lv JL, Zheng QS and others. 2023. Active components of Solanum nigrum and their antitumor effects: a literature reviewFrontiers in oncology. PMID 38192621 · doi:10.3389/fonc.2023.1329957
  4. Pei H, Yang J, Li W and others. 2023. Solanum nigrum Linn.: Advances in anti-cancer activity and mechanism in digestive system tumorsMedical oncology (Northwood, London, England). PMID 37775552 · doi:10.1007/s12032-023-02167-7
  5. Chen X, Dai X, Liu Y and others. 2022. Solanum nigrum Linn.: An Insight into Current Research on Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry, and PharmacologyFrontiers in pharmacology. PMID 36052142 · doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.918071
  6. Schmidt DD, Kessler A, Kessler D and others. 2004. Solanum nigrum: a model ecological expression system and its toolsMolecular ecology. PMID 15078438 · doi:10.1111/j.1365-294X.2004.02111.x

Laboratory and animal studies6

  1. Li SW, Zhao YH, Gao WK and others. 2023. Steroidal constituents from Solanum nigrumFitoterapia. PMID 37421992 · doi:10.1016/j.fitote.2023.105603
  2. Zhang J, Cao L, Zhu X and others. 2023. Accumulation and transfer of polystyrene microplastics in Solanum nigrum seedlingsPeerJ. PMID 37667751 · doi:10.7717/peerj.15967
  3. Liu LY, Yang YK, Wang JN and others. 2022. Steroidal alkaloids from Solanum nigrum and their cytotoxic activitiesPhytochemistry. PMID 35820506 · doi:10.1016/j.phytochem.2022.113317
  4. Bai M, Zhang Q, Hou ZL and others. 2022. Chemical constituents from Solanum nigrum and their neuroprotective activitiesJournal of Asian natural products research. PMID 34585635 · doi:10.1080/10286020.2021.1978987
  5. Han R, Dai H, Guo B and others. 2021. The potential of medicinal plant extracts in improving the phytoremediation capacity of Solanum nigrum L. for heavy metal contaminated soilEcotoxicology and environmental safety. PMID 34111661 · doi:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.112411
  6. Oplos C, Eloh K, Spiroudi UM and others. 2018. Nematicidal Weeds, Solanum nigrum and Datura stramoniumJournal of nematology. PMID 30451417 · doi:10.21307/jofnem-2018-017

Reference lists that include it

Quercetin

Reviewed by Dr. Awadesh Pratap Singh, BAMS, on 11 October 2026. What that review covered.

Consult a qualified vaidya before acting on anything here. Ayurvedic practice is prescribed to a person, not to a condition: the same dravya is given, withheld or substituted depending on your constitution, your agni, the season and what else you are already taking. A page cannot know any of that. Self-prescribing from a reference is how the wrong preparation, the wrong dose or the wrong anupana gets used.

Educational reference only. Nothing on this page is medical advice, a diagnosis, or a recommendation to take anything. Traditional uses and research findings are reported as published, not as claims about what any product does. If you take prescribed medication, raise any interaction with the prescriber rather than acting on a page. See our editorial standards.