The Cape gooseberry (Physalis angulata L.) has a sour taste and a neutral nature. It has properties that help clear heat, promote urination, and dissolve phlegm. It is used to treat symptoms such as fever, sore throat, and throat inflammation.

Also known as "Lantern plant" or "Wild ground cherry," Physalis angulata L. belongs to the nightshade family (Solanaceae). It originates from tropical America and has since spread to other tropical and subtropical regions. The plant grows wild in many places—along field edges, grasslands, wastelands, and rural roadsides. It is also found on forest edges from lowlands up to altitudes of 1,500 meters above sea level. The herb can be used fresh or dried for medicinal purposes.

This is an annual herbaceous plant that grows 50–90 cm tall and branches out a lot. The stem is angular and tends to droop. The leaves are alternate, oval-shaped, sometimes lobed or unlobed, 30–35 mm long and 20–40 mm wide, with petioles 15–30 mm long. Flowers are solitary with slender stalks about 1 cm long. The calyx is bell-shaped with hairs and splits into five lobes; the corolla is bright yellow or pale white, sometimes spotted with purple at the base and slightly five-lobed.

The fruit is a smooth, round berry. When immature, it is green, turning red when ripe. The enlarged calyx forms a pouch around the fruit, about 3–4 cm long and 2 cm wide. The seeds are numerous and kidney-shaped. When the fruit is squeezed, it makes a distinctive "pop" sound. The plant flowers and bears fruit year-round.

The medicinal part used is the entire plant, known in traditional medicine as Herba Physalis Angulatae. According to Eastern medicine, the whole plant is bitter, cool, and non-toxic. It helps to clear heat, drain dampness, dissolve phlegm, relieve cough, and soften hard lumps. The fruit is sour, neutral in nature, and effective in treating fevers, sore throats, phlegmy coughs, restlessness, nausea, and hiccups. Externally, it is used to treat breast abscesses, boils, testicular pain, or as a wash for affected areas.

The fruit is edible and used to treat phlegmy coughs, edema, and skin ulcers. The fresh root, when cooked with pig heart and cinnabar (mercuric sulfide), is used in folk remedies to treat diabetes.

In India, the entire plant is used as a diuretic, and the leaves are used to treat stomach disorders.

To aid in reference and potential application in treatment, here are some medicinal remedies using the Cape gooseberry plant:

1. For colds, sore throat, phlegmy cough, restlessness, nausea, and hiccups:

Boil 20–40 g of dried Cape gooseberry and drink the decoction. Take 1 dose per day, divided into 2–3 portions.

2. For breast abscesses, boils, testicular swelling and pain:

Crush 40–80 g of fresh Cape gooseberry and extract the juice to drink. The remaining pulp can be applied to the affected area or used as a wash.
Alternatively, for boils, crush the fruit and apply directly to the sore, changing the dressing once a day.

3. For phlegm-induced cough:

Boil 30–40 g of the fruit and drink several times throughout the day.

4. For edema (dropsy):

Boil 40–60 g of the fruit and drink the decoction throughout the day.

5. For diabetes:

Cook 30–40 g of fresh root with 1 pig heart and 1 g of cinnabar. Eat both the broth and the ingredients.
Repeat 5–7 times (every other day).

Source: Agriculture