Solanum torvum Sw.

Tekokak (Solanum torvum) is an upright shrub up to 3 meters tall of the Solanaceae family, native to the Antilles islands, now distributed across tropical countries including Indonesia. Its calcium-rich fruit is commonly eaten as a raw side dish or cooked vegetable across the archipelago. Tekokak is traditionally believed to relieve toothache, malaria, and gout.

Grows in lowlands up to 1,600 m above sea level. Prefers places with full sunlight or shaded conditions. Average rainfall 1,000-2,000 mm/year, fertile, moist and well-drained soil, soil pH range 5-6.

• Root a taproot, pale yellow in color.
• Stem round woody, branched, hairy and thorny.
• Leaves single, green in color, alternate, ovate-shaped, lobed base, tapering tip, 7-20 cm long, 4-18 cm wide, leaf surface thinly hairy and petiole densely hairy with some thorns.
• Flowers compound, star-shaped, green sepals numbering 5, white corolla numbering 5, yellow stamens numbering 5.
• Fruit a berry, round, young fruit green, mature fruit yellow, smooth.
• Seeds flat, small, smooth, brownish.

• Propagated vegetatively (separating offsets from the root) and generatively (seed).
• Once seedling height reaches 10 cm, transplant to the field with a plant spacing of 70 x 80 cm.

Leaves: saponin, alkaloid, tannin, flavonoid, neo-chlorogenine, panicolugenin. Raw fruit: chlorogenine, sisalogenone, torvogenin. Dried fruit: solasonin. Root: jurubine.

Has antibacterial, sedative, antioxidant, cardiovascular, antiplatelet (blood thinner), antimicrobial, digestive, hemostatic and diuretic (urine promoter) activity, relieves toothache, remedy for malaria, headache, gout, and maintains body fitness.

• Pick and wet-sort tekokak fruit from dirt.
• Wash the tekokak fruit thoroughly with running water, then slice thinly to ease the drying process.
• Dry the fruit in direct sunlight.
• Once dry, store in an airtight package.

Rimbang (West Sumatra and Malay), Takokak (West Java), and Terong cepoka (Central Java), Cepokak (North Sumatra).