A warm and hearty hale to TFD colleagues as it's been some time since I last posted! So for my first post in 2012 I have a question about eating green potatoes. Many moons ago when I was at school, I remember my Home Economics (cooking) teacher stating that one should not eat potatoes that were going green as they were poisonous. I think this had something to do with excess Chlorophyll. I now question this logic (as I wouldn't have dared argue with Mrs Pritchard back then!), for don't health addicts purchase lots of green things from health food shops to make exotic protein shakes etc? What's the verdict for it would save me a bundle in potatoes!

deebee,without doing a lot of research, I believe that I can reliably inform you that green potatoes are poisonous to some degree.
Having said that a quick google on "green potato toxin' brings up many sites.
Reading this makes one think of what we are told regards peeling, that we are throwing out most of the goodness, vitamins,etc.
Quote:
When people worry about green potatoes being poisonous, they should actually be worried about the toxic effects of all potatoes. Potatoes are, to a certain degree, poisonous, though not in a deadly manner, and usually not enough to make anyone sick. The leaves of potatoes do contain high levels of a certain poison, and are direct relatives of nightshade, a poisonous plant. Green potatoes, the actual spuds, may contain just a little more of this poison than do white ones, and reflect improper storage or growing methods.

The green color is not the issue. This is merely a sign that a potato has been exposed to light, prompting it to produce more chlorophyll, and chlorophyll is not toxic to humans. What creates the problem with green potatoes is that exposure to light also produces a substance called solanine, a glycoalkaloid, which has been shown to be toxic when consumed in great quantities. Scientists have sought to determine exactly what quantity of green potatoes it would take to cause human toxicity, and it turns out that an adult would have to eat about 4.5 pounds of light-exposed potatoes (approximately 2 kg) to reach toxic blood levels of solanine.
There are some theories about whether regular consumption of green potatoes might reduce levels needed to produce poisoning. It is thought that it takes the body over a full day to clear solanine from the body, and so eating potatoes that are green on a daily basis could have some cumulative affect or accumulate toxic levels more quickly. Still, in the US, it has been over 50 years since any one has succumbed to potato poisoning, and it’s generally thought that people are at low risk for solanine toxicity from potato consumption.

This may leave cooks wondering whether they ought to eat green potatoes or discard them. For greatest safety, it is probably best to discard potatoes that are green, to avoid consuming solanine. Though a bite of green potatoes is unlikely to be fatal, consuming poisons on purpose isn't a great plan for healthy living.

Scientists have tried to assess exactly how much poison results from green potatoes, and here people may be in for a surprise. Some potatoes will retain their white color but have been exposed to light, and still have higher than normal solanine levels, and some greener potatoes have lower levels of this toxin. Color isn't necessarily the best indicator of potato toxicity. One study in 2006 published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry found that improperly stored potatoes accumulate most solanine in the peel. This might suggest that peeling the potatoes is the best way to get rid of this toxin, no matter the color of the potato underneath.

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I would just like to make a comment about the solanine being toxic found in potatoes. I regular eat the seeds of apples and which contain small amounts of cyanide. I think anything taken to extreme is unhealthy and possibly fatal. However, in small amounts 'poisons' can be 'good' for you. For example the herb lobellia in small amounts can help you sleep. But a larger amount will cause you to retch violently...which can be a good thing too depending on the need. Another example is that foods that are bitter are often shunned or sweetened with sugar. The body needs the bitterness of these bitter foods and desperately does not need the sugar.

To the tongue, bitterness=warning!

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There is plenty of evidence for the need for some particular elements (like Calcium and Oxygen!) - even 'trace' elements that the body needs in small amounts. However there are 'fads' and 'PR' claims for lots of things.

I have seen a couple of studies on apricot seeds - that they contain something that limits the growth of cancers (and some claims of causing them to shrink and disappear) - which appear quite convincing. You do have to break them open like almonds, they're a bit difficult to chew otherwise!

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Though lovers be lost, love shall not, and Death shall have no dominion. - Dylan Thomas

Hope1 is correct about laetrile, but, it is the cyanide content that is most dangerous. Marissa mentions this in an earlier post.

I suggest that for further information, if you are interested, that you google 'laetrile' and read the Wiki thread. Also google 'cyanide in peach seeds',[for some reason there is more on peach seed that apricot seed? even though apricot seed has the highest natural levels]

The seeds inside the apricot kernel do contain cyanide. In the 1970's there was a quack doctor in NZ who was treating people with concentrated dosages of this seeds chemicals [laetrile +?] with absolutely no success. False hope!!!
He was removed from the medical register, so, moved to one of the groups of islands north of NZ, was deregistered again, so moved to Brisbane [Au] from where he tried again to con the most vulnerable people in our society. Once again he was deregistered and moved on, to where I can no longer recollect.
I would not recommend the eating of apricot seeds in large quantities [or any other stone fruit seed such as plum or peach, apple/grape seeds] even though they do look like almonds and have a unique taste.

Short quote from Wiki thread:
Since the early 1950s, a modified form of amygdalin has been promoted under the names laetrile and "Vitamin B17" as a cancer cure. In reality, laetrile is not a vitamin, and studies have found it to be ineffective, dangerously toxic due to its cyanide content, and potentially lethal. The promotion of laetrile to treat cancer has been described in the medical literature as a canonical example of quackery, and as "the slickest, most sophisticated, and certainly the most remunerative [profitable] cancer quack promotion in medical history.

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RULES ARE FOR THE OBEYENCE OF FOOLS AND FOR THE GUIDENCE OF WISE MEN