Christy ten Broeke asked:

> The only thing I find myself eating that would be unsuitable
>raw is aubergine, or eggplant I think it's called in USA right?
>It's a favourite of us over here and does anyone know if it would be
>wiser to avoid it?

Well, eggplant is a member of the night shade family. On page 131 of the
November 2, 1998 issue of Business Week there is an article titled "You say
tomato, I say anesthesia complication."

It goes on to say that the nightshade vegetables "produce compounds called
SGAs, or solanaceous glycoalkaloids. These ward off bugs and are generally
harmless to humans. But now, a University of Chicago study suggest even
small amounts of these chemicals--ingested several days before an
operation--can delay the speed at which patients break down common
anesthetics. That can impede patients' ability to quickly shake off drugs
after surgery, thus delaying recovery."

"...they inhibit two separate enzymes responsible for breaking down common
anesthetics."

Now, this has nothing to do with this family's reputation for arthritis and
psoriasis, but there is a foreign compound floating around the human system
of people that eat these foods.

Don (at panix com).