All parts of purple nightshade are toxic when ingested, especially the unripened fruit. Symptoms include gastrointestinal (nausea, vomiting), cardiovascular (tachycardia, arrhythmia), and central nervous system issues (paralysis, coma). Poisoning can be fatal. Children are more susceptible due to the plant's attractive flowers. Despite its dangers, purple nightshade is sometimes cultivated ornamentally.

Purple nightshade is a vine weed native to the western United States in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon, and northwest Mexico in Baja California. The plant, which thrives in woodlands and forests, is not listed as being invasive on any state or national list. However, purple nightshade is highly toxic and harmful to humans and animals. For this reason, the plant is often unwanted, and extreme caution should be used if it grows near children and pets. Another weedy characteristic of purple nightshade is that it likes to climb fences, shrubs, and young trees, sometimes blocking sunlight and killing the plant or tree as a result. To eliminate the weed from spreading, dig it out from the soil including the roots or use an herbicide.

Best weeding time: before fruition