I search on PubMed for solanine and blueberry(ies), strawberries, okra, and artichokes and no results come up. I then search for potato or tomato and there's loads of links. Can someone here provide a credible link to research which confirms that these do indeed contain Solanine and that it is harmful in these foods as well? Why do Paleo authors not mention them when discussing nightshades? Is there any evidence that we are adapted to eating some quantity of it? I imagine Paleo man ate quite a lot of berries. I know I've seen on TV that at least Bears do.
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According to a review article published in 1998 by the National Toxicology Program of the US government's Department of Health and Human Services (reference below), solanine has been found in the following plants (not necessarily in the part we normally eat):
In addition, susumber berries (Solanum torvum) can contain solanine. I can't find any scholarly book or paper that says solanine has been found in blueberries, strawberries, okra, or artichokes.
Some berries are poisonous and some aren't. Some are nightshades, and some do contain solanine. In fact, solanine was first extracted from the berries of the European black nightshade (Solanum nigrum). People have died from eating solanine in berries in modern times, and no doubt the same thing happened in paleo times as well. Here's a case study of a girl who died in 1948 from solanine poisoning after eating nightshade berries. They were growing together with blackberries and she probably ate both kinds together: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2091497/?page=1 Reference: Tice, R. a-Caconine [20562-03-2] and a-Solanine [20562-02-1]: Review of Toxicological Literature. National Institute of Health Sciences. 1998. http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/15334 |
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I also have no idea where these "facts" come from. I have also looked in the past and found nothing. I suspect someone in the past, somewhere on the internet, stated that blueberries strawberries, okra, and artichokes contain solanine. Then people repeat this without bothering to check its validity until it becomes widely stated and people assume it must be true. I am prepared to be convinced if anyone can find any evidence of this. It is not impossible as particular plant compounds are often widely found in the plant kingdom. However if solanine has ever been found in blueberries it is probably in such minute amounts that no one ever bothered to make a note of it again. I also don't think that solanine in potatoes is a problem. |
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