CAROLINA NIGHTSHADE

Solanum carolinense Assuming that the name Horse Nettle is meant for this plant, there are a number of uses that R B Browne lists from Alabama. It is recommended for

1) retention of virility in old age (eat a quarter-inch of the stalk),
2) a cough medicine,
3) neuralgia (leaf tea and leaf poultice),
4) toothache (chew it, or put it in the cavity).

It was good for teething, too, as well as for toothache – they were
strung on a thread and left round a baby’s neck until they wore out (Puckett).