Nightshade Vegetables: List, Nutrition and Are Nightshades Bad for You?

Nightshade vegetables are edible plants from the Solanaceae family, mainly tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant and peppers, plus tomatillos, goji berries and spices made from chili peppers such as paprika and cayenne. They have a reputation online for causing inflammation and joint pain, but there is no good evidence that nightshades harm most people, and they supply useful vitamin C, potassium and fiber. The real, documented risks are narrower: green or sprouted potatoes, rare allergies, and individual intolerance. Here is the list, the USDA nutrition numbers, and what the research does and does not show.

Peptide Labs does not sell nightshade vegetables or elimination diet kits. This article is general nutrition information, not medical advice.

List of nightshade vegetables

A 2023 review in Digestive Diseases and Sciences (Kuang and colleagues, University of Pittsburgh) notes that the Solanaceae family includes more than 2,000 species, with tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and white potatoes as the familiar foods. The family also includes tobacco and plants that are the source of medicines such as atropine, which is where the poisonous reputation comes from. The edible members include:

• Tomatoes of every kind, plus tomato sauce, paste, ketchup and salsa.
• Potatoes (white, red, yellow and purple), but not sweet potatoes or yams.
• Eggplant (aubergine).
• Peppers: bell peppers, jalapenos and other chili peppers, and pepper-based spices such as paprika, cayenne, chili powder and red pepper flakes.
• Tomatillos, ground cherries and goji berries.
• Ashwagandha, the herb, is also a member of the family; see our ashwagandha guide.

Black pepper comes from an unrelated vine, and sweet potatoes belong to the morning glory family, so neither is a nightshade. Our sweet potato guide and cayenne pepper guide cover those foods in more detail.

Nightshade vegetables nutrition (USDA)

The table uses USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy entries, converted to common servings, with percent Daily Value (%DV) based on the FDA Daily Values. Peppers stand out for vitamin C, and a baked potato with its skin is a large potassium source.

A cup of chopped red bell pepper also supplies about a quarter of the Daily Value for vitamin A in USDA data. Tomatoes are a major food source of lycopene, a pigment covered in our lycopene guide, and potatoes appear in our potassium foods guide. Peppers rank high in our vitamin C foods guide.

Are nightshades bad for you?

For most people, no. The idea that nightshades worsen inflammation or arthritis has been around for decades, usually blamed on solanine and related glycoalkaloids, but the human evidence is thin:

• Arthritis: Harvard Health rheumatologist Robert Shmerling writes that there is no scientific evidence that avoiding these foods will improve rheumatoid arthritis, while saying people may follow a diet they feel helps as long as it is safe. A 2024 published trial plan in the journal Trials (Golmohammadi and colleagues) noted that no randomized trial had tested a nightshade elimination diet in rheumatoid arthritis; its planned 40-person study had not reported results when we checked.
• Gut conditions: the 2023 Kuang review proposes that glycoalkaloids might irritate the gut lining or activate immune cells in some people with inflammatory bowel disease or irritable bowel syndrome. The authors describe the literature as limited, and much of it comes from lab and animal studies, so this is a hypothesis to test, not a finding.
• Inflammation in general: tomatoes, peppers and eggplant are staples of eating patterns studied for heart health, such as the Mediterranean diet; see our anti-inflammatory foods guide for what that research measured.

Green potatoes: the real nightshade risk

Potatoes make glycoalkaloids (solanine and chaconine) as natural pest defenses. Poison Control says fresh potatoes that have not sprouted contain only small, safe amounts, but levels climb in sprouts, eyes and green skin. Cooking by baking, boiling, frying or microwaving does not destroy them, though peeling reduces them. Symptoms of glycoalkaloid poisoning include vomiting, stomach pain, diarrhea, headache, flushing, confusion and fever, appearing within hours or up to a day later. Outbreaks are rare but documented: a 1979 report in the Quarterly Journal of Medicine described 78 schoolboys who fell ill, 17 of them admitted to hospital, after eating potatoes stored over the summer.

• Store potatoes somewhere cool and dark, away from onions.
• Use them before they sprout; Poison Control advises throwing out potatoes that are green or sprouted.
• A bitter taste is a warning sign; do not keep eating a potato that tastes bitter.
• For a suspected poisoning, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222.

Nightshade sensitivity and allergy

None of the nightshades is one of the nine major food allergens the FDA requires on labels, but true allergies to tomato, potato, peppers and other family members do exist, and the Kuang review notes cross-reactions with some pollens. Symptoms such as hives, swelling, wheezing or throat tightness need urgent care and an allergist. Separately, some people report heartburn or loose stools after spicy peppers or tomato sauce, which is a tolerance issue rather than an allergy.

If you think nightshades bother you, the safer approach is a short, structured elimination and reintroduction with a clinician or registered dietitian, so you do not drop vitamin C and potassium sources for nothing. Our guides to the elimination diet and low FODMAP diet explain how those trials work. Note that potatoes and spinach also appear in our sibling guide to oxalates, which matters for people with kidney stone history.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about a label? Contact us or read our Buyer’s Guide. Food comes first; follow the label and ask a healthcare provider before starting a supplement or changing your diet for a medical reason, especially if you take medicines, are pregnant or have kidney disease. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Last reviewed October 2026.

Related guides: Oxalates: High Oxalate Foods, Low Oxalate Foods and Kidney Stones, Anti-Inflammatory Foods: USDA List and What the Research on CRP Shows, Elimination Diet: Food Allergy vs Intolerance and Safe Use.