On Mar 01, 2007, at 1:21 pm, Todd Moody wrote:

> Um, no.  It's not the chemicals added to the tobacco; it's the  
> tobacco.  When tobacco is prepared for smoking or chewing, it is  
> first aged and dried, so in that form it is much more  
> concentrated.  But the raw stuff will still make you sick.  Like  
> potatoes, tobacco is a member of the Solanaceae (nightshade)  
> family.  Nicotine is an alkalloid poison that is lethal to humans  
> and other animals in sufficient quantities, and it is present in  
> the raw plant.


Todd

I was thinking about nightshade plants today then came across this  
thread... what exactly is and isn't safe out of the nightshade  
family?  I've heard that both tomatoes and potatoes were originally  
much smaller and quite poisonous raw.  I don't know if either of  
these are true.

Raw tomatoes always make me feel strange.  Maybe I imagine it  
though.  I can eat cooked tomatoes fine.  (I don't dislike raw tomato  
but I could happily never eat it again).

Also, are peppers a good food?  I love ripe peppers and I can't  
imagine them being poisonous or making anyone ill.  What I don't know  
is why some contain huge amounts of capsaicin but others are really  
sweet.  Were they bred this way separately?

Ashley