This article summarizes the toxicity of the food that comes from species of Solanum genus, focusing on potatoes, tomatoes and eggplant (or aubergine if you will). I still cannot believe that these food sources have become so popular over the hundreds of years even though the studies regarding their extracts are so limited (or I can’t seem to be able to find any good ones). Let’s just say these food sources are certainly not the most appealing to my eyes, but a majority of people would argue their points how brilliant these are even though that’s far from reality.
One of the main concerns for the nightshade family is the presence of steroidal glycoalkaloids. These alkaloids are present in all parts of the plants in varying concentrations. They serve as a defense against pathogens and predators that quickly regret considering eating them. This is interesting because it has been shown that glycoalkaloids are less toxic to animals than they are to humans and yet humans seem to love consuming food containing them. They are the reason why your meal might taste bitter, so that should dissuade you to eat it, just like curcurbitacins in overripe or decorative squashes. Sadly, this is not always the case and people continue to eat them despite the bitter flavor.