Is
the tomato toxic?
Ms H
The tomato plant belongs to the Solanaceae family. The whole
of the plant is poisonous, other than fruit, the tomato. The plant is toxic because it contains
poisonous chemicals: solanine, glycoalcaloid tomatine and glycoprotein.
Solanine is found in the main parts of the plant, stems, leaves and green
fruits. Yes the green tomato contains solanine
and tomatine as it matures it loses them gradually. In the ripe fruit the
amount of these chemicals are too small to be considered toxic.
The symptoms of poisoning are the followings; vomiting,
diarrhea, increased heart rate, respiratory problems, cardiac arrhythmias and in
a fatal case death.
Keep these in your mind, the tomato has great health
benefits. It contains carotenoids, lycopene, lutein, vitamin C, vitamin A,
vitamin E, potassium and antioxidants. It has its anti-cancer effect. It is
important part of a healthy diet.
The conclusion is that you cannot eat the stems, leaves, stems
of the fruit or the green tomato in order not to become poisoned but eat the
ripe tomato.
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