kilty ] wrote:
> Perhaps you are unaware but Eggplant, rhubarb, tomatoes,potatoes and
> artichokes contain a toxin and are not safe to eat.
> No one should eat these plants especially children, elderly adults and
> those with life threatening disease.
>
>
Snipped

Kitty,

Could I ask for your source of this information please so that I can see
what toxins they contain?

With rhubarb, the stalk is ok but the leaves should not be eaten - as for
the others...

Brian

Tanner-'op wrote:
> kilty ] wrote:
>> Perhaps you are unaware but Eggplant, rhubarb, tomatoes,potatoes and
>> artichokes contain a toxin and are not safe to eat.
>> No one should eat these plants especially children, elderly adults and
>> those with life threatening disease.
>>
>>
> Snipped
>
> Kitty,
>
> Could I ask for your source of this information please so that I can see
> what toxins they contain?
>
> With rhubarb, the stalk is ok but the leaves should not be eaten - as for
> the others...
>
> Brian

Well, all except the artichoke are Nightshade family plants, and parts
of them do contain some toxins. That ain't keeping me from eating them,
though!

Dave

In article >, "Tanner-'op" > wrote:
>kilty ] wrote:
>> Perhaps you are unaware but Eggplant, rhubarb, tomatoes,potatoes and
>> artichokes contain a toxin and are not safe to eat.
>> No one should eat these plants especially children, elderly adults and
>> those with life threatening disease.
>>
>Snipped
>
>Could I ask for your source of this information please so that I can see
>what toxins they contain?

Dunno about about "children, elderly ..." but the heat-stable
glycoside solanine has long been warned against in both green and
sprouting spuds. I think it also occurs in other Solanaceous species
(some of which are pretty nasty in fact) but until I saw this thread I
wasn't aware of a problem with immature eggplant fruit.

I was never a fan of eggplant until about a year ago. Now I'm
addicted to crumbed eggplant slices fried in bacon fat (and the bacon
bits too, of course . Moreover, I find that immature eggplant is
*much* preferable to the ripe ones. In fact a couple of gourmands
that I know won't eat the things once the seeds have turned brownish.

I also like eggplant simply zapped for 3 to 3.5 minutes then opened
lengthwise, pepper added, and eaten with a spoon to scoop the flesh.
(*Always* stab it a few times before zapping or it will explode!)

Here's a bit of stuff on solanine stolen from
<http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O39-solanine.html>

<quoting>
solanine
From: A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition | Date: 2005 | Author:
DAVID A. BENDER

solanine Heat-stable toxic compound (a glycoside of the alkaloid
solanidine), found in small amounts in potatoes, and larger and
sometimes toxic amounts in sprouted potatoes and when they become
green through exposure to light. Causes gastrointestinal disturbances
and neurological disorders; 20 mg solanine per 100 g fresh weight of
potato tissue is the upper acceptable limit.

"A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition" 2005, originally published by
Oxford University Press 2005.
</quoting>

I might add that, because one of the common symptoms is that
"gastrointestinal disturbances", it's quite likely many of us may
suffer the effects of poisoning from solanine occasionally but just
pass it off as "A touch of the shits" without further thought.

Cheers, Phred.

--
LID