Solanaceae is one of the most studied among all plant families. Plants of this family are very rich with medicinally active natural products, some of them, with nutritional importance. Some of these compounds are psychoactive and mind altering. Alkaloids, physalins and withanolides are the major notable active natural products present in these plants. In this review article, we will present the vast majority of published research about these plants. This work will include biological and medicinal activities, extended presentation of natural products, their activities and in some cases, their synthesis, biosynthesis and production, along with other chemical aspects. Despite all the wideness of this article, we have introduced limited (but not ignored. presentations of two important aspects of this plant family, mainly due to the large size of this article. One, ethnobotany and ethnomedicine uses of these plants, and two, the influence of various cultivation conditions on these plants, and the results of these conditions.
Key words: Solanaceae; alkaloids; physalins; withanolides; medicinal activity; psychoactive; poisoning.
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