a1135: Re: a1134: Re: Toxins in tomato leaves? (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Rachel Fouche <rachel.fouche@verizon.net>

As tomatoes are part of the nightshade family, I would suppose that they are
capable of carrying toxic substances in various parts of the plant (for example,
you can eat the stalk of the rhubarb without injury, but the leaves are toxic).
Potatoes (another member of the nightshade family) are poisonous when exposed to
the sun during growth -- causing the potato to turn green in color.

In the north of Haiti, there is a plant with green-colored tomatoes and 2-3 inch
spikes which were called "tomate zombi."  No true living person could eat these
tomatoes, I was told by a resident who lived along the road to the Citadel, only
zombies.