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List of Nightshade Foods
Let's start with the list of nightshades. (Scroll down this page to see the complete list.)
This plant family includes popular vegetables, poisonous plants, and drugs. An overview: potatoes, tomatoes, chili peppers, bell peppers, eggplant, tobacco, belladonna, and jimsonweed.
The plants in this family manufacture drug-like chemicals (of a kind called alkaloids) in their tissues--in the leaves, roots, flowers, and fruits. The most well-known of these alkaloids is nicotine.
America's favorite vegetables--potatoes, tomatoes, chili peppers--also contain drug-like alkaloids. They can cause pain or affect the central nervous system in some people.
How to Do a No Nightshades Diet What to do and some tips. Read more.
My Nightshade Diet Experience How I did the diet and what I learned. Read more.
Nightshade Vegetables The good and the bad of the popular vegetables. Read more.
List of Nightshade Foods
Family: Solanaceae
Foods in the same family are related.
A family is subdivided into genera (the plural of "genus.") Foods in the same genus are even more closely related.
Solanum Genus
Potato
Sweet potatoes and yams are not in the nightshade family.
Tomato
Ketchup / Catsup sauce
Eggplant
Pepino dulce
Tamarillo / Tree tomato
Capsicum Genus
Bell peppers / Green peppers / Sweet peppers
Chili peppers / Hot peppers
Examples of varieties:
Anaheim
Ancho (dried Poblano)
Cascabel
Cayenne
Chipotle (smoked Jalapeño)
Fresno
Guajillo
Habañero
Jalapeño
Pasada
Pasilla
Pimiento / Pimento
Poblano
Serrano
Tabasco
Powder blends and sauces:
Chili powder
Paprika
Tabasco sauce
Curry powder - most contain chili pepper
Black pepper (the spice) is not in the nightshade family.
Physalis Genus
Goldenberry / Cape gooseberry / Inca berry
Tomatillo
Lycium Genus
Goji berry / Wolfberry
Drugs and Poisons
Nicotiana Genus
Tobacco
Atropa Genus
Belladonna / Deadly nightshade
Datura Genus
Datura / Jimsonweed
Hyoscyamus Genus
Henbane
Mandragoa Genus
Mandrake