Let's talk about nightshades!

I've heard from a lot of different places it's eventually better to go without them. What are some great arguments for and against this statement? =)

Eggplant? Tomatoes? Peppers? ...POTATOES? Oh, and, according to Wikipedia--GOJI BERRIES!!!! AHHHH!!!!!

Has anyone quit nightshades altogether and felt noticeably better? How, precisely, are they supposed to affect you? What about long-term raw tomato-eaters? (I'm sure there are a bunch of you here!) How do you feel? Do you ever experience any of the negative inflammatory effects associated with the nightshade family?

Since belladonna was mentioned in another thread, I have one interesting bit of information regarding solanaceous plants (that may shatter some traditional, deceptively innocent cultural imagery in a very fun way!!). A lot of other members of this plant family have strong roots in European witchcraft/plant medicine, being used to communicate with the spirit world and other such things--the side effects from toxicity including feelings of flying. Rectal administration was apparently the favorable method of administration... So next time you see little kids dressed up for Halloween like witches with brooms, or see witches flying on brooms anywhere... now you know what that's REALLY about. :O It's funny how symbols survive, and yet we can be so oblivious to them.

Anyway, I'm quite curious about the dietary impact of nightshades, but had no other interesting information to bring to the table besides that. ^

I like all the nightshades that can be eaten raw.

I've come to love raw eggplant (especially the long oriental kind with few seeds) smashed up in a suribachi and mixed with chopped tomatoes and cucumbers, combined with avocado and lemon juice, and sprinkled with paprika.

mmmm.

There are claims that raw eggplant and devil's apple (a nightshade from Australia) have healing properties if applied to non-melanoma skin cancers. I tried applying raw eggplant to a long-lasting spot of dermatitis. It went away in a few days, and never came back. (Now that I've had the mercury removed from my tooth, I don't get dermatitis.)

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Do you ever experience any of the negative inflammatory effects associated with the nightshade family?

I'm going to have to admit to ignorance about the negative effects of eating nightshades. What happens if you eat some ?

I'm very food sensitive, but never have inflammatory responses to nightshade that are severe enough for me to be aware of.

Others might respond differently.

Turmeric is extremely noninflammatory and tastes great in salads. Eating turmeric might counteract any inflammatory effects from eating nightshades (check turmeric on www.nutritiondata.com). Also, some researchers claim it has anticancer properties. It's available dried/powdered and sometimes fresh/raw. Or you can grow it yourself. It has a pretty flower.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/30/2008 11:27PM by suncloud.

I have not noticed any ill effects from nightshades. Except this one time I ate like 4 pounds of tomatoes at once. Ugh!

Narz, you are so funny!

LOL!

I used to eat tons of the items you mentioned with no ill effects. Later, I moved to more of a fruit-based diet....avoiding the non-sweet fruits like tomatoes and peppers. I didn't notice a difference eschewing such items one way or another. Just my experience.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

Nightshades have a class of chemicals called solanine(you know this as the toxic greenish growth under the peels of old potatoes). It is just like a little nanobot that invades your muscle and joint tissues, and impairs various enzymes, sulfur distribution, iron and copper intake, and in general causes lots of inflammation. Well, not "just" like a little nanobot, but almost as nasty. Also, some of the nightshades can be acidifying after digestion, which directly causes inflammation on a cellular level. In the past, after eating a lot of potatoes or eggplant; both ostensibly yummy and comforting, I'd end up with symptoms of rheumatism and gout. Seriously. It was quite a revelation. Luckily for all of y'all, not everyone is sensitive to solanine. Caveat emptor!

As far as I know solanine is found in the green parts of nightshades (tomato vines, potato greens (the part that grows above ground). Those can make one sick, whereas the edible parts of the night shade plants are fine to eat.

Nope, solanine is found in all parts of the nightshade plant. You know, like that green tinge on a potato tuber, which grows underground. What I'm appalled by is that goji berries are considered a nightshade. WHAT?! Hopefully, this is just botanical semantics . . .

[science.jrank.org]

"In fact, there are toxins in the potato plant, but only in its leaves and flowers-not in the tuber. "

Yes.

I experience swelling in my face especially under my eyes, and it makes me feel tired when I consume these fruits, mainly tomatoes. It makes me feel heavy in my eyelids and makes me feel drowsy when I eat them. When I don't eat them I feel a lot better. Tomatoes are still my favorite food, and I still eat them, however, I try not to because I feel a lot better when I don't.

I am pretty surprised by the goji berry thing, too. It's kind of ironic!

Does anyone know what happens to the solanine when one cooks a potato?

Solanine is neutralized by cooking the potato. The toxins in the leaves of nightshades are a more potent poison from which digitalis used to be derived. You ought not to eat a solanine-laced raw potato tuber, but it's up to you, so that's my word on it.