Identity & origin
BOTANICAL IDENTITY
The right name is the first step.
Perennial or rhizomatous geophyte in the Solanaceae family. Recorded native range: Southeastern Europe to China. The listed pharmacopoeial material is fruit. Kew places the inventory name under Alkekengi officinarum.
Also known as: Alkekengi officinarum
Check the species, plant part and complete botanical name together. A photograph alone cannot identify a harvest safely for consumption.
An illustration is not enough to identify a plant for consumption. Do not forage for a species based solely on this profile.
Uses & evidence
UNDERSTANDING THE USES
Properties & uses.
Pharmacopoeial material: fruit
Kew accepts Alkekengi officinarum. The inventory concerns the fruit; leaves, the surrounding calyx and other Physalis species cannot be treated as equivalent. This notice infers no therapeutic indication.
The references do not establish a benefit. Lack of evidence is not assurance of safety.
Read the sourceThe traditional uses described are not clinical proof of effectiveness. Evidence for one preparation cannot automatically be applied to another.
Precautions before use
BEFORE ANY USE
Precautions & contraindications.
This guidance does not cover every individual situation. Missing information is not a guarantee of safety.
The following warnings do not constitute a complete review of interactions or contraindications. An unstudied combination cannot be considered compatible.
Contraindications & precautions
- This botanical dossier does not establish medicinal-use safety. Anyone with a medical condition or taking medicine needs professional assessment of the specific product.
Medicine interactions
- Interactions are not assessed here; compatibility with medicines cannot be inferred.
“Reported” does not prove causality; “possible” may reflect indirect evidence. “None reported” means none in the cited source, not that all combinations have been studied. Do not stop a prescribed treatment based on this profile.
Adverse effects
- Adverse effects are insufficiently documented in this notice; an incomplete assessment does not mean no risk.
Pregnancy & breastfeeding
No medicinal use is offered during pregnancy or breastfeeding; this dossier cannot establish safety in these situations.
Children & adolescents
No paediatric preparation or dose is offered in this notice.
If symptoms persist, worsen or are unusual, consult a healthcare professional. In an emergency, contact the emergency services.
Sources & last review
CHECKING REFERENCES
Sources for this profile.
- ANSM — French Pharmacopoeia, List A, January 2026, p. 3Accessed on 09/10/2026
- Kew POWO — Physalis alkekengi L.Accessed on 09/10/2026
- Kew POWO — Alkekengi officinarumAccessed on 09/10/2026
Image: Ondřej Křivan · CC BY 4.0. View the original image and its licence. Image resized and converted to WebP.