The potato plant is a nightshade, closely related to the tomato. All nightshades contain poisonous alkaloids, including small amounts in tomato fruits and green potato skins.
The potato is still a vegetable though… Vegetable is a culinary term and can apply to any part of a plant, including roots and tubers.
All nightshade plants contain poisonous alkaloids in some parts under some conditions. That doesn’t mean that a properly grown and stored potato can kill you.
The main toxin in most nightshades is solanine. Tomatoes produce a less toxic variant called tomatine. Ripe tomatoes have minuscule amounts of it. The leaves have a much higher amount, which is why people don’t eat the leaves.
The potato plant is a nightshade, closely related to the tomato. All nightshades contain poisonous alkaloids, including small amounts in tomato fruits and green potato skins.
The potato is still a vegetable though… Vegetable is a culinary term and can apply to any part of a plant, including roots and tubers.
All nightshade plants contain poisonous alkaloids in some parts under some conditions. That doesn’t mean that a properly grown and stored potato can kill you.
The main toxin in most nightshades is solanine. Tomatoes produce a less toxic variant called tomatine. Ripe tomatoes have minuscule amounts of it. The leaves have a much higher amount, which is why people don’t eat the leaves.