Nightshade Vegetables: Should People With Arthritis Avoid Nightshade Foods?

I feel there is a great deal of truth to the idea that potatoes and other nightshade plants are harmful. I am finding that since I cut potatoes and tomatoes almost completely out of my diet, I can no longer tolerate either. They cause excruciating pain in my legs and hips the following day. I do not believe this to be a coincidence. I also do not believe this to be true for all people. If arthritis is a problem it could prove a worthwhile experiment to go without nightshade foods and see if there is any improvement. I have found to be a very beneficial and easy remedy…

I was eating the excess of neighbors’ end of summer gardens – whole tomatoes, green peppers. My fingers became swollen, hot and itchy,painful, and stiff. I am an organist, this was serious. A friend suggested nightshades as the cause. I eliminated them from my diet, the symptoms went away. I eat cooked tomato sauces w/o problems, but potatoes (a favorite food) always cause pain somewhere, not serious, also peppers, so popular in today’s cuisine. So, I say, if you have a problem with pain and stiffness, try eliminating these foods as an easy first thing to do. Hope this helps someone.

My 23 year old son has been dignosed w/ rheumatoid arthritis. He has to give himself a shot that is very costly to him to relieve the pain and alow him to work. I am concerned w/ my son already taking medication at his young age that he will need for the rest of his life. I am looking for some guidence on some alternative suggestions for him. I have herd some about night shade vegetables. If anyone out there has any other info that could help me in my research that would be great.
Thank,
Dawn Case

Try reading “Pain Free in Six Weeks” by Dr. Sherry Rogers, M.D. I am reading it because I am in pain with gout and arthirits, and the things she has said in this book, my orthopedic surgeon has told me also. Do away with the nightshade vegetables. She herself has gone through a lot of pain and used herself as the testee.

Hello my fellow pain relive seekers!
Since I read about nightshade vegees, I stop eating them and I also learned that the artificial sweetener in sodas and other drinks
cause the pain. Name is ASPARTAME. This sweetener is everywhere. And after drinking Crystal Light – sugar free iced tea mix, I was in pain, so I can’r almost walk. Please if you have any pain do not drink any sodas or other drinks with this harmfull sweetener.
For pain free bodies! Regards Dagmar

My mother suffers from excrutiating pain at times from arthritis. After hearing from a store clerk and her step sister about nightshade vegetables and their possible link to the flare-ups, she decided to cut them out of her diet. Now, after 2 weeks, of cutting tomatoes, peppers and potatoes out of her diet entirely the excrutiating pain is completely gone, and she has regained most of her movement back in her trouble spots. She swears by this change in diet, and after all the people we know that have experienced the same results, it’s hard to believe that it’s sheer coincidence. She had tried everything there was out there up until then, even trying prescription pain killers. Nothing worked until this.

After 2 years of many visits to Dr’s and spending thousands of dollars in bills, it all came down to the simplest changes. Removing the nightshades, dairy, cabbage family veggies and sugar sweetner’s it’s eliminated all pain. It really does work and sad to think that the Doctor’s who are paid thousand’s of dollars didn’t figure this out….I did and thanks to the information from the internet.

my husband has been suffering terribly recently with arthritis in his hips. he does not like to take pain killers unless absolutely necessary. he will be visiting an accupuncturist next week. In the mean time, I will remove tomatoes, potatoes and gr/rd peppers from his diet. I sure hopes it helps him and we realize that removal of night shade plants from diet does not help ALL.

Yes, eliminating nightshades has worked for me. Also, eliminating aspartame, splenda and all forms of sugar from my diet relieves all my pain and swelling in 2-3 days. Since I pretty much have kept nightshades out of my diet for years now, it’s the sugar thing that is difficult to control. Stevia is my sweetner of choice and I keep fruit at a bare minimum. Anytime I begin to swell and experience pain I’ve over indulged in sweets, so it’s back to the elimination diet again to get relief. I’m currently not on any medication for my RA other than diet related restrictions.

I appreciate everyone’s input on this. My chiropractor just told me about the nightshades today. I stopped taking all my RA meds (I was on 3 different kinds) about 2.5 weeks ago. My trouble spots are elbows and wrists. It took over a week for the flare to come, but it did… and now with a vengence. I went to her for help. I am getting chiro as well as acupuncture treatment for it and will now cut these things out of my diet as well.

Thank you, again, for the info.

Hi, This is for Dawn Case who’s son is suffering from RA. I also have RA since 2004 and did so much research before starting on medication. My guidance into which direction to go for treatment came from a website called ” Roadback.org” read there for yourself or email them. They have the best information and support for RA patients.
Good Luck

I used to love potatoes and tomatoes so much that I ate them every day since I was a girl. In 2001 at age 45 I suddenly had a lot of pain and was diagnosed with severe RA. Of course the doctor wanted to put me on the latest expensive pharmaceuticals, but my insurance wouldn’t pay for the brand because they considered it experimental so they substituted a powerful form of ibuprofen.

One day I was in too much pain to go to work so I stayed home wondering how I was going to be able to stay in my home because I couldn’t navigate the steps anymore.

I picked up an old financial magazine and noticed a caption beckoning arthritis sufferers. They weren’t trying to sell anything, it was a warning to those with RA that they should avoid the nightshade foods and then listed them.

I immediately removed tomatoes, potatoes, and green pepper – never did eat eggplant. My symptoms improved overnight and then dramatically in the next few weeks. My swollen fingers were no longer in pain and the knees improved. Within 6 months I was in complete remission. That was 3 1/2 years ago.

I will eat a baked potato now and then and am prepared for the inevitable flare up. Don’t eat the skin. Nutritionists will say that’s where all the vitamins are, but it’s also where a lot of the poison is.

I got very angry at my RA “specialist” for constantly greeting me with his prescription pad in hand, yet never uttering a peep about dietary influences in the disease. He
scoffed at my story but he is no longer getting his kickbacks from the drug companies where this former patient is concerned. I am pain and drug free.

Hi all! I am a 31 year old who has had Lupus for 11 years. Everything you all have said has totally hit home for me too. Lupus, if you don’t know, is in the same family as RA and Sclaroderma (sp). For me, potatoes don’t really bother me and tomatoes & anything citris gives me canker sores within 15 mins, but green bell peppers are my biggest enemy! I love them but the next day I swell up like a sponge. Raw or cooked, it doesn’t matter. One isn’t worse than the other. I agree diet plays a huge roll in any life style, healthy or otherwise, having said that, it’s important that people do their research to find the best solution for pain management for them. If you are on meds, as I am, and don’t feel that’s the path for you, research other methods and don’t be afraid to talk to your doctor about your treatment options. It’s YOUR body. I have a great specialist and she said right off the bat, “you know your body better than anyone”. Thanks for listening to part of my story. Take care everyone and I hope your days are pain-free!

Hello All,
My name is Lorena and I have Myastenia Gravis, and psoriatic Arthritis, I have had major trouble with all my joints and tendons in my body and Weakness. I have tried the drug approach with very little benefit. I do believe that diet is a major factor, now for me. I am trying to figure out what all is causing the major flares I have. I do know, I do not tolerate the sun light, molds, trees, common weeds etc.. I can’t take most drugs as they have Magnesium of some form in the coatings or in the liquid form they make me very weak. My SA started with me working for a major Drug company and then I got sick. In only 1 year I could barely stand up the pain was so great. I became allergic and tested positive. I was found to be allergic to over 50% of the drugs produced their, as such can no longer work. So, I have been looking for drug free ways to over come this, and Diet has been a major role in my recovery. I don’t eat Yeast products and generally use, low gluten to no gluten products. I will be trying to take out Night shade next, as I have just found out about it. I wanted to mention though that the biggest break through I had was eating Fish with High fish oil. I also now take Cod liver oil and have had a remarkable improvement in pain and movement. My brain stays nice and clear now right to the end of my day. I do have a business now and work as much as possible. Every day a little brighter then the last, thanks to the help of people sharing on the net! My doctor never mentioned diet nor did he tell me much of anything. The drugs he gave me of course I was allergic. HE never even checked. Information I was handed a brochure. It took 10 months to find out what I had. I Thank you all for the information you share and Hope the Fish oil tip helps!

Nightshade plants are a cause of joint troubles as well as many other problems including migraines and digestive issues. The source of most of the trouble is solanine in nightshades, solanine is in other plants as well such as huckleberries, and blueberries. To see real results you must eliminate them 100% percent. Most, folks will try to reduce them from their diet, and become discourage when results do not follow. All the way is the only way with nightshades!

I just stumbled onto this stuff about nightshade vegetables today and am a little bit concerned that some people may be scared off from eating them. Many of these vegetables do have excellent nutritional benefits. I love many dishes that are prepared with tomato based products and haven’t had any problems whatsoever with the ill effects being talked about here. It sounds like some people might have adverse reactions to nightshade vegetables, just like some are unable to eat peanuts without severe reactions. As with many foods, moderation is probably a good practice.

On May 10th, 2005 I woke up at 4 am and couldn’t move without severe pain. The doctors suggested many frightening diagnosis possiblilities. Finally, after several months, the diagnosis of polymyagia was confirmed. Sometimes I had to be lifted over a step only 8″ high. Both my shoulders froze. I was afraid of living in pain for the rest of my life. Fortunately, blessedly, I learned about nightshade vegetables. It was difficult to give up potatoes. They were a daily staple in my diet. Through research I learned that they are used in many of the toxic drugs I have administered to patients. Within a few months of giving up nighshades, my health improved dramatically and psoriasis (a disease I suffered with for 20 years) began to heal. I no longer have any polymyagia. My shoulders are flexible without having had any medical intervention. I never took steroids usually given for polymyagia, as I know of their tragic effects. I have also cut out most animal products. At age 55, I have never been healthier. I walk/jog 30 minutes 3 times per week. Thank heavens for this information!

I have been troubled all of my life with stomach problems . At the age of 43 I began having severe pain in my legs,swolen joints and a general I dont feel good condition. I had upper gi’s lower gi’s I have been tested for arthritis, IBS, Thyroid, muscles diseases ECT… the list goes on. Finally a diagnosis of Fibromyalga I was heartbroken. A friend told me about a doctor (Holistic in Nature) that I decided to try. I was two weeks away from having my gull bladder taken out even though they could not prove it to be diseased. They preformed what is known as Cellular Immunology blood testing, typing my blood to 93 different food groups. To my horror not only did my blood react to the nightshade foods I also had an RH factor of three.(three being the most severe). to chocolate,vegetable oil, vinegar, spices and coco. Imagine the dissapointment I felt that the foods that I love are making me ill. To anyone that is reading this believe me it was no easy task to remove these things from my diet. IT IS A HUGE LIFESTYLE CHANGE. It took about thirty days to get all of the nasty out of my system but once I stuck to a diet that was suited for me BINGO I felt great. NO MORE PAIN NO MORE DOCTORS NO MORE MEDS. In the begining I would slip eating things I shouldn’t because I did not want to make two meals one for myself and one for my family. Going out to dinner became a nightmare. I struggled emotionally. But I soon figured out that my well being is best for me and my family and they understand MOM FEELS BETTER! So what if I have to eat a salad with no dressing a steak with no potatos these are what I call the little things in life. I am not laying in bed anymore, waiting on some mystery illness to show itself, or waiting on some doctor to call with the results of a blood test. If you are suffering and feel that you have tried everything please give Cellular Immunology a try maybe it can work for you too.

I too love the nightshade veggies but can’t consume them. We grow our own organic veggies so I thought that would be ok but not so much. I eat these only when I do not need to walk the next day. I am very food allergic so am very concious about that but one has to be careful..these are in lots of things..always have trouble with vitamins…can’t have soy or corn (dextrose) or nighshades or seafood…really scary. Just learn to know your body..it will tell you what you need and what you don’t.

Hello all!
I thought I’d never be caught dead reading these articles, less learning from RA or OA. To my surprise, after years of pain which I thought were realated to ther things, I finally got diagnosed with RA and OA,and my RA is pretty severe, at my tender age of 45.Needless to say I hit the interenet. These forums had helped immensely. I started trying to eliminate Nightshade Veggies, since mostly my diet is mediterranean,really hard to do. Then I noticed tomatoes were the worst! I can’t believe I’m accepting this, but such is life! Little by little I’m eliminating all of them, and when I do have them, I have to deal with the consecuences. But from all of them, tomatoes [not cooked] were the worst. It might work on everyone differently, but this is my case.

Thanks all for all your very helpful imput! Peace!

After being treated for Rheumatoid arthritis for 16 years and was on the last drug that had not been used before, I was told that by 2000 I would have my first hip replacement, then the second as soon as possible. It was then I found about Glucosamen and Chondroitin sulfates and MSM. In the next six months, I was able to drop out one pill a day about every third month. Then I found an article about the nighshade plants being a couse for some people. I got off the night shades totally. By the end of one year I was totally off the medication, and at the end of two years, ppain free. My biggest problem is being able to communicate to resturants and stores who seen to have no clue, so I have to give them a list of nightshades. But the food industry insists on putting potato starch in everything. It is almost impossible to find canned soup of any kind without a hidden nightshade in it. The last I read, as many as 85% of us with RA are allergice to nightshades. That was from Dr. Sherry Rogers’ Total Wellness, well worth the price of her monthly newsletter.

After talking with an 85 yr old woman about arthritis she told me she had no signs of it because she used fish oil ! She uses 1 Tablespoon in the morning and another in the evening. I started since the doctors wanted to repair both my knees. I was having extreme pain in both. I begin using 3,000 mg of fish oil in the morning and evening. After 4 days, no pain. The doctors wanted to know what I was doing. I told them, their nurses wrote this info down to share with their relatives who were having pain. My cardiologist informed me it is OK to take fish oil but not cod liver oil because of the HDH it contains. Judy Mc

Judy McInerney,
Cod Liver Oil does interact with certain drugs – notably the commonly used blood thinner warfarin or coumadin, but perhaps others. Check with your pharmacist to see if the CLO will interact with the drugs you are taking.
That said, what if you improved your health naturally, and didn’t need blood thinners anymore? Nobody can make that decision but you and your doctor but the longer I live, the less faith I have in MDs, and the more faith I have in the power of food (avoidance or use) to heal our bodies.
I have PCOS, Chronic Mono, Vit. D deficiency, and probably Fibromyalgia, and recently started avoiding nightshades, along with gluten. I miss tomatoes the most. Ahh salsa. Where I used to tolerate them very well, now the slightest amount gives me…unpleasant GI problems.
I am taking 1 t of Green Pastures’ Blue Ice Raw Fermented CLO each day, and feel better than I have in years. GP CLO is expensive ($44 per 8 oz bottle), but is more concentrated (= swallow less) and ends up running about the same as other, cheaper, falsely manufactured CLO.
JC

I never have had joint pain even with fibromyalgia. All of a sudden I have had terrible pain in my hands and feet and could not figure out why. Then it dawn on me that I have been eating lots of tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers from my garden. I would grab a handful of cherry tomatoes every time I went outside. It has been about two days since I have eaten any of these and the pain is less severe. I will be staying away from these for a while and see if the pain completely goes away.

A few years ago, I developed severe pain in both hands, thought it was carpal tunnel – did not have the right symptoms – was wearing heavy duty braces on both hands due to severe pain from movement. Stopped eating the nightshade vegetables (article in Prevention Magazine) and have not had a pain since!

I also stumbled upon the info about nightshade plants. I was told that about 15% of arthritis suffers might benefit from reduced/eliminated nightshade veggies. I was having pain in my finger joints. It took several weeks, but removing nightshades did the trip. I realized, “heh, I don’t have pain”. Being a scientist, I eventually reintroduced some tomatoes into my diet and in about a week, pain started returning. I stopped eating them and pain went away. I did this several times to “prove” that the regimen was effective. It seems that there is some level of the chemical (solanaceae acid, I think) that triggers inflammation in some people. I has been about 8 years since I made this discovery. I miss the wonderful healthful benefits and flavor of tomatoes and red peppers. However, I will miss them and be pain free. One issue – I’m not sure the form (fresh vs. cooked) or quantity that triggers the inflammation other than by experience. I have heard that cooked tomatoe is less irritating.

Over 30 years ago my mother developed arthritis, I remember that at one point it was so bad that she could not go up and down stairs without a great deal of pain. She has always been the type of person to look for natural remedies before using western medicines and she found help in some articles that were being published by a Dr. Childers (http://www.noarthritis.com/. My mother removed nightshades from her diet 30 years ago, she is now 90 years young, lives on her own, walks a mile or two every day and is pain free.

LEAVING NIGHTSHADES IN THE DUST SAVED ME FROM BEING TOTALLY DEBILITED BY BACK PAIN.

Avoidance of nightshades should be an option offered to every person with pain. Period! Nightshades negatively affect millions of people and should no longer be the little known secret that it is.

If you’re healthy as a horse, with no pain or troubles, God bless you. Follow your nightshade bliss.

But if you’re in pain, stiffness, suffer from migraines, psoriasis or digestive disturbances, eliminating nightshades can be ASTOUNDING in its effectiveness.

Sure there are many other things we need to do for our health, but ELIMINATING NIGHTSHADES IS NOT NEARLY AS HARD AS SUFFERING PAIN AND STIFFNESS IS!

TRY IT! TRY IT! TRY IT!

I get Arthritis, I study Health and Nutrition, and I have heard that Night-Shade plants cause Arthritis, so I tried avoiding night-shades, and it works, then I gave that up and went back to it, and back to aches and pains. So now I am back to avoiding night-shade plants (which are ever so tasty, potatoes are one of my favorte foods, ans spices, and bell peppers, and oooh I love eggplant, but NO MORE). Very glad to see this article with personal testamonials. I was at the Doctors office today, asked the Doctor, but the Doctor claimed she never heard anything about it? Maybe doctors don’t have enough patients?

You folks are right. Nightshade foods are harmful to RA. I’ve had it for years. My brother God Bless him has suffered from it too. We found on the net an article about RA plus eating healthy to cure cancer and many other serious diseases by eating cooked Asparagus ( 4 tablespoons twice daily.) He suffers from colon cancer. His cancer cell count dropped dramitically from dangerous to normal in mere weeks. Of course the doctors had to lower his chemo meds because they were making him deathly illl and gave him heart trouble as well as diabetes! Now we both rely on eating cooked Asparagus to hopefully clear up the RA as well as his cancer. Note: That chemo made his esophagus raw and now as the result he fights with Barrett’s Disease from it. I for one will be happy to get my RA as well as a bladder problem under control by my daily doses of Asparagus. Thanks for listening.

i had a month where i experienced the worst pain i’ve ever had and found out about nightshade/arthritis connenction on the internet and realized i’d been eating a nighshade-centric diet lately due to what was in season at the farmers market. I gave them up started to feel better and had no problems for almost a month and a half. then two days ago tried three potatoes and symptoms have returned. am ready to give them up for good now! will miss the taste but not the pain!

I was told about Nightshade vegetables years ago but forgotten about them. However, a few weeks ago I made cream of potato soup it was so good I ate it for four days consecutively needless to say by the forth day I couldn’t walk. This may not be true for all with arthritis but it certainly was a wake up call for me to cut them out of my diet. Within a few weeks of not eating any nightshade vegetables I was back to normal. I won’t forget the lesson.

I found a long laundry list of foods that are supposedly nightshades. How am I supposed to know which list is correct? I would really like an email from someone listing all of the REAL nightshade plants that are commonly in our food chain.

The list I have is as follows:

Artichoke, Asparagus, Avocado, Bamboo Shoots, Beet, Curly Dock, Eggplant, Erns Ginseng, Fennel, Garden Huckelberry, Ground Cherries, New Zealand Spinach, Okra, Paprika, Pepinos/Pimentos, Peppers (sweet and hot), Plantain, Potato, Purslane, Shepherd’s Purse, Sorrell, Spinach, Sweet Potato, Swiss Chard, Tamarillos/Tomatillo, Tomatoes, Yams, and Zucchini

Which of these are actually nightshades and which are not. There is too much mis-information out there and I am very confused.

I have fibromyalgia, chronic myofascial pain syndrome, and spinal osteo-arthritis. I have enough pain without having to have a headache trying to sort out fact from fiction on something that should be so easy to find, that being a complete list of all nightshade plants commonly found in the food chain.

Please, send me the information. Thank you.

Barb Morghon, My daughter was born with so many food allergys that I had to do alot of research on my own and that was 25 years ago. The foods you are wondering about fall into a lot of different “familys”. Not only do you have the Night Shade but Beet, (Goosefoot) Blueberry,(Heath) Laurel, Myrtle, Morning Glory, and Onion (lilly) listed. It can be confusing, especially if you have hidden food allergys that your not even aware of.
As to your question, Night Shades (Potato Family) are Potato, tomato, egg plant, green peppers (also red, orange and yellow) chili peppers, paprika, cayene pepper, and capsicum. Now it comes down to not only elliminating those foods from your diet but reading every label for hidden spices.
I too have Fibromyalgia and Osteoarthritis. And enough food allergys of my own to make life a challenge. Lyrica has worked wonders for me along with avoiding as many triggers as I can. Good Luck and Happy Sluething.

don’t forget tamarillos and tomatillos as nightshade plants, boy do I get a reaction from the tomatillas, I also avoid all gluten as well as the nightshades, it makes life interesting but I get by.

I gave up all nightshade vegetables years ago, and it has made a tremendous difference in my joint pain. I feel much better. When even a little of these vegetables slip into my food, usually hidden in restaurant foods, I can tell the difference. Giving up these vegetables was hard but really worth it!

After advice from a friend, a doctor, whose both parents were also GPs. to avoid the nightshade (solinacae) family if you had beginnings of arthritis, I cut them out as far as possible, i.e. potatoes, (not sweet potatoes) tomatoes, esp. peppers. I exercise my shoulders under the hot water in the shower evry morning, and walk. So far so good arthritis went away. Try it.

I am interested in what Jamie (18) says about cellular immunology. I am in the UK and suffer from recurring ‘reactive arthritis’ or – pseudo gout as my rheumatologist calls it.
If there is a scientific way of looking at someone’s blood and aligning the results against ‘dangerous foods’ then great – it would presumably take away the guesswork in eliminating foods.
Does anyone know where to get this done?

I’m 60 years old and I was diagnosed with arthritis when I was 32. After a series of doctors and medications, both of which were useless and harmful, I am finally pain-free and med-free.

I had to adopt man’s natural diet, which consists of fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, meat and fish — no grains, no legumes (beans and peas), no dairy products. That was the human diet before the advent of agriculture, 10,000 years ago in the Middle East and 4,000 to 6,000 years ago in most of Europe. Read The Paleo Diet, by Loren Cordain. I eat a low protein version of that diet.

I also avoid nightshades, most of which are native to the Americas and were not eaten by humans elsewhere.

In addition, I eat blended salads made of leafy greens, vegetables and fruit. Also known as green smoothies, they are often mixed with enough water so that they can be drunk. I prefer a thicker mixture, which I eat with a spoon, because guzzling the diluted version sometimes caused indigestion and bloating. The general health benefits of a daily green smoothie can be quite amazing. Read The Green Smoothie Revolution, by Victoria Boutenko.

My best to everyone reading this.

i lov this discussion on the nightshade foods. they are the commonest on food markets with very delicious tastes making it difficult to abandon them. i am glad to hav bumped into ths website bcoz since i abandoned nightshades last december, my headaches have reduced and scales around my nose disappeared. these scales were a way of elimination of toxins from my body/blood. in fact when i eat these foods again, i develop a rush in the face and body itches. to all who have posted here, thanks 4 yo wisdom

Wow! How interesting it is to read all these comments. Its like music to the ears. In 1999 and for the next 4years I had terrible symptoms of joint pain which three times left me hospitalised and many, many days laid up in bed unable to move or even lie still due to the pain. throughout many specialists and doctors failing to be able to diagnose my problem and many medications (some of which may have long lasting negative affects) I eventually stabilised the pain with a high Ibrufen medication. The closest description was Reactive Arthritis which was pretty difficult to nail down the cause. All through this time I would tell doctors that I thought it was reactions to foods such as potatoes and capsicums. I may as well have said it in Swahili from the looks of total disregard I received from many a doctor. Although it sounds obvious that if I noticed these things then I should stop having them but I wasn’t too sure as the reaction times can be several days or an accumulation of foods. Besides as all sufferers would appreciate the state of mind during all this pain and immobility is not completely rational or subjective especially when you are being told by trained professionals that things are not that simple. From advise from a friend nutritionist I began to seriously alter my diet to eliminate nightshades, wheat products, yeast and most dairy products. I lost some weight that needed to be shed and exercised much more. After several months of making the adjustments to diet, which is not easy and is at first very disheartening, but by mid 2003 I had weened myself from all medication and have not returned to it except for the very occasional anti inflammatory after some bad eating choices. In summary most of what i have read above I can concur with in respect to elimination of the Nightshades. It is through dietary control that I attribute to returning to a normal healthy life. AT one stage during those terrible four years I could never have imagined it possible.

I’ve had psoriasis since I was 26. At the age of 54, my psoriasis evolved into psoriatic arthritis. My dermatogist prescribed Humira. I was concerned about supressing my immune system, so did research. I found that the nightshade family is a main culprit in arthritis. After removing them from my diet – voila! I am pain free and most of the lesions are gone. The hardest thing for me to eliminate was potatoes (I’m Irish) but that was necessary. I have two sisters. One has psoriasis but mainly eats only 3 things: rice, chicken and broccoli. She no longer has lesions – and it’s been over 7 years. Another sister has had rosacea and since recently eliminating nightshades after all other strategies were tried (non-gluten, etc.) she is clear. As one doctor said to me (who is steeped in Western medicine), there MAY be something poisonous in the nightshades!

Read Dawn’s RoadBack.org and would have to issue a caution about that website. I have been burned several times from following antibiotic therapies for different issues. THeir reporting of few side effects can be countered in just a few minutes of research on the internet. Many are flouride-based and result in tendon rupture with long term use or use in older adults. Doesn’t seem like that would benefit someone already experiencing joint disorders. I myself suffer from chronic EpstienBarr virus as well as Ehler Danlos Syndrome. I have been nightshade free for over a year and I do understand how hard it is to give up food. But the results were astounding! I went from shuffling my feet to walking in four days and from an inability to pick up a gallon jug of water to having the strength to pick up babies and little children again! Saying goodbye to mashed potatoes and mexican spices was not my favorite thing, but we must realize that man cannot make anything to make us better, when we are not willing to sacrifice our own pleasure to make ourselves well. I am enjoying looking for new, nightshade free recipes for others to enjoy!

I have RA and possibly Lupus. I’m gluten and dairy intolerant. I recently attended a Gluten Free Cooking Class, and the chef was reading a book about gluten intolerance and nightshade vegetables. Going off wheat and dairy is tough enough! I was hoping that the nightshades weren’t going to be a problem. This year, we planted 10 tomato plants and a lot of potatoes. As you can see, I wasn’t even aware that these vegetables could be causing me more problems. Thanks to the internet and your comments, it appears that I am having problems due to the nightshades. I had nice salad with tomatoes on Tuesday, and Wednesday , I made a nice stew with the garden potatoes. Last night, I noticed that my toes were swollen and stiff, and I had other aches as well. Looks like I have to avoid the nightshades, which I will do immediately. I do have one question – are cooked tomatoes okay? I’m Italian, and believe me, I use a lot of tomatoes. If cooked tomatoes, in small amounts, are okay, I would be very happy!!
Thanks for all your comments and help!

Thank you all for the many comments. Your life story were communicated so candid. I have RA in my neck. I have not been able to turn nor lift my head up or down for nearly 4yr. Also I had a fall around the same time which cause my neck whiplash very hard. Three week later my neck stop working all together. Do anybody have RA in their neck and They are having similar problems like me.

I have had osteoarthritis since I was 16. It is a familial thing. But two years ago, I came down with RA. What a shock. Recently, my son began dating a woman who also has RA and she told him about nightshade vegetables. I have been a tomatoholic all of my life! All summer long, when the tomatoes came in, I ate them. Now it seems that my lifelong affair with tomatoes is over. My son came home for Christmas and we did a little experiment.. I would eat tomatoes or something made with tomatoes on one day and wait to see if I had a reaction. Each time I did. Then we tried potatoes. Try having turkey on Christmas without mashed potatoes and gravy. BUT, every time I ate a potato, I had a severe reaction, usually in my hands or my feet. So……moral of the story is that I am going to try to eliminate them all. I really don’t like pain.

I’ve had some chronic intestinal problems, including bloating and also ongoing muscle aches, bad enough to quit exercising many years ago. About three weeks ago I eliminated tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers from my diet and the bloating subsided, now seems only in my upper intestinal tract; my muscles are less tense and achy; and surprisingly, my dandruff is almost gone, and that includes the scaling across my forehead. The intestinal bloating was so bad, I couldn’t completely bend over at times. That is gone. The changes that occurred after eliminating the nightshade group were noticeable after about a week or less. I’m absolutely sure about the results; quite significant and noticeable improvements.

I would like anyone interested in more information to check if your local library or a friend or book store or Natural Food Store has a copy of “The Prescription For Nutritional Healing” by Phyllis Balch 4th edition. In there she gives so much good information about these problems and more…..the true organic and englightened persons bible to better health. although several years old I still read study and other related articles in Better Health, Better Nutrition and other magazines….I get mine free from my Natural food store and Sprouts markets carry one of them. Read all you can. Good luck in finding your food triggers, Mine include, white refined sugar and wheat. Also, nightshade veggies can stir/flare me up if I eat them too often. And absolutely no green potatoes (white potatoes with a green undertinge.The solanine in the nightshade veggies is inflammatory. My mother was allergic to wheat and potatoes also. Tomatoes and green peppers are only 1 item every other day or two in 1 day and then none for 2 days. Flax seed oil capsules with lignans that are 1300mg each and take 3-9 in a 24 period to control inflammation if present.

Wonderful website. Very helpful. Just started with pain in my one knee. I too am addictied to many of the Nightshade Veggies, but due to all the info I just gathered will start eliminating them. Just an FYI for all of you who say your doctor has never told you about diet to control the pain. Doctor’s are NOT taught nutrition as we know it in medical school. They learn about Vitamins and Minerals but not a very extensive nutritional course. That is why they get a blank look on their faces when you mention anything except medication and drugs to eliminate pain.

I have Psoriasis,Psoriatic Arthrits and Fibromyalgia, I am 50 years old. The Psoriasis started 20 years ago. Last year I decided to try a vegan diet (for my health and to benefit the world) and my psoriasis and pain was greatly improved. Then came the holidays.. uh oh! Remembering how good I felt before, I decided to try again and this time during my research I found an article on the nightshade “syndrome”, and so decided to eliminate them from my diet as well as meat and dairy. I have seen dramatic resultls… within 10 days my psoriasis has already started to heal and my joints don’t hurt as much. I went for a walk for the first time in years the other day and it was beautiful. The results this time around are far greater than my previous try because last time I tried a vegan diet I was still eating Tomatoes and peppers, alot of salsa and some baked potatoes. Even then my skin cleared some because I was eating an all vegetable diet. However it was at least 6 weeks before I noticed that my skin had impoved and that my joints and muscles hurt less. This time however, it’s an amazing change and I’m just as happy as a person can be that I may have found a way to clear my skin and lessen my pain. These afflictions have had a severe impact on my daily life for many years and to find any alleviation from them is cause for extreme joy. Hope everyone has great succeess in finding a way to heal. THANKS, R

Night shade vegetable definitely contribute my arthritic pain. I have arthritis in my joints in my neck. last night i made thai food with cayenne pepper and paprika and my neck what hurting within the hour. Do not listen to doctors they just want to prescribe drugs.. Food make my arthritis worse every time. Too much tomatoes and my fingers are stiff…I just had to share because i feel all us honest people who are suffering can so benefit each other with our knowledge. We are our own best doctors. So I will be staying off of night shade plants and I will check back in in three months. Stay tuned for the update.

I have eliminated night shades from my diet and the pain has left. However I started to eat sweet potatoes and parsnips (apparently not a night shade plants) and the pain is back.

Do any of you have problems with sweet potatoes and parsnips?

I recently (within the past year) eliminated potatoes from my diet and have felt much better, but wanted to share another problem with you. The doctor suggested I try capsaicin cream on my feet for relief of pain. Not thinking of what it was made of I tried it and within hours that old familiar pain was in my joints again. As soon as I looked at the ingredients I knew I had exposed myself again by putting “hot pepper” cream on my feet. What was also interesting is that when I applied the cream I felt nothing, now about 12 hours later they are burning like fire.

I was diagnosed with RA in 2004. I was told to avoid nightshades by my future mother in law, and when I cut them out, the improvement was noticeable and immediate. I find it hard to believe that there is no firm evidence that nightshades impact RA.

I just love potatoes but they really make my joints, especially fingers, ACHE. Tomato sauce is much worse for my pain than a few slices of a fresh tomato–guess I am lucky there. Sweet potatoes do not cause me problems with pain and they have more fiber and Vit. A too so I use those rather then those nice white potatoes. I like no pain better than enjoying a meal with potatoes for a few minutes. Pesto is a great alternative for spaghetti sauce as is guacamole for corn chips. There is so much food out there and we just need to make a choice about what is best for each of us.

I have struggled with intermittent aching joints for many years. About 8 years ago a Chiropractic Doc got me off all medications and detoxed my system…the idea being that my chronic pain at that time was due to my inability to process the waste in my body. I cut out all wheat and gluten products and began an intensive regime of nutriotional supplementation. After 3 months I was like new. Over the years however I have noticed continued intermittent pain. My acupuncturist just turned me onto to the idea that Nightshade foods could be a cause. I am going stop eating tomotes and other favorites for a while and see how that goes. Wish me luck!

I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia after several neck and spinal column injuries. The joint and nerve pain resulted in job loss and now inability to work. I have overall stiffness each morning.
In the 16 months of not working I changed my diet to vegetarian(eggs) only and gluten free. The pain has overall improved with a lot less fatigue.
But I was still experiencing days that would immobilize me. A friend suggested I withdraw nightshades from my diet and test myself after a week off them. I did just that, 1 small tomatoe(one of my very favourite veggies), had me in severe overall joint pain with a low fever within an hour. The digestion side effects settled in several hours later with cramping and diarrhea. The effects lasted several days. Requiring a sharp increase in the amount of pain meds I required.
Giving up nightshades will be difficult, but so worth it as my quality of life will improve. Over all the years with so many doctors nightshades were never suggested as a possible source of pain.
It is so simple to test yourself. More people need to know.

Great information. Now all I have to do is try it. Okay, first quit smoking. Second, quit eating most everything I love to eat. Wish me luck! I have tomatoes, peppers and hot sauce with almost every meal. A favorite dish has all three over potatoes. Seriously, my chiropractor told me to avoid nightshades. I really hope this works though. I hurt too much. Worth a try.

Here in the Philippines particularly in the city, people with arthritis dont eat vegetables with beans and seeds like mung beans, string beans, soy beans, red beans, etc. and yes tomatoes because they say there are seeds in it and they are getting along well. Back in the province, an island surrounded by water, where i grew up and where potato is not known (what common is the sweet potato), older people are very active even in their 80s and when they feel that they have arthritis, they just bathe in the sea water very early in the morning and they’re ok! My grandfather died in his late 90s with no arthritis or other illness.

Hi I just read all the comments, and I wanted to share my story. Last year I began to have joint pains. My doctor never asked me any questions about my diet.

I decided to go to a psychic and she told me that this is being caused by the problems in my stomach. she said “you have a constipation problem,” I said “yes.” I have had constipation problems for about 13 yrs . So she told me “you must change the way you eat.” on top of that she gave me something to drink to clear out my stomach. She specifically told me not to eat pizza because of the tomato sauce. I wanted to cry and I still want to cry.

So I did research and I found out about the night shades and gluten intolerance’s and so I decided not to have the following: tomatoes, eggplants, potatoes, wheat,
dairy, meat, sugars not including fruits. I noticed a huge change eliminating the tomatoes and peppers. I slowly began to feel better. It took a few months, but I was getting progressively better.

Then recently I started eating the following: some tomatoes, Taco sauce, Balsamic vinegar, veggie pad thai, which has cayenne pepper, red pepper, eggs, nuts etc, some spelt wheat bread, pastries, soy sauce, which has a lot of sugar, and gluten, chicken, burger, chocolate, and avocado. I had those within the span of three weeks or so and oh my god my bad pains have returned with a vengeance, and so I am back to eliminating all those foods again. If it goes away again than it will prove that these foods need to be avoided. I think it is to much of a coincidence that suddenly after re-introducing these foods I have pain again.

Does anyone know how long it will take to get better again?
It hurts more than before I am afraid now. I thought it would go away quickly cause I stopped as soon as I noticed the pains. But its been about a week back to my previous eliminations and I have not found any reversal. I also wonder does any one know other common triggers?

I have had huge success basically eliminating serious aching and stiffness with a nightshade diet. Since eliminating it and getting relieve, I’ve occasionally cheated and eaten tomatoes or cayenne a few times for various reasons, and tried a tincture that included cayenne in the ingredients. Every time I do this, within one to three days, the pain starts up again. There is no longer any doubt in my mind – I can’t eat these foods.

I believe that coffee and wheat are culprits too, and sugar, but in terms of causing pain and symptoms, nightshades is the number one culprit.

For those testing out the nightshade hypothesis, remember that solanine etc it can build up in your system so it may take weeks before you feel the benefits.

oops I should have said “nightshade free” diet!

also, @ Jadeartista – cayenne and paprika can be hidden in lots of foods. Also potato starch. Be careful with condiments, medications, processed foods, restaurant food…

Personally, I also find caffeine worsens the effect of nightshades – like there is a synergy there.

Like other commenters, I used to eat nightshades daily, especially spicy peppers. After giving them up, now I am usually highly sensitive to them and have muscle & joint pain the next day, which can last a week.

My muscles will feel tight and sore, and stretching is painful but it seems to help some.

Although a couple of times I didn’t seem to suffer the next day, the other 80% was too high a correlation to ignore.

I also have a history of chronic joint pain/tendinitis. It improved some with a gluten-free/dairy-free (GFCF) diet, but I still wasn’t getting healthy. I was heading towards being in a wheelchair, and that was a big enough threat to get me to give up the rest of my favorite foods with the exception of low-sugar desserts.

I also read Dr. Sherry Roger’s book, Pain Free in Six Weeks. I suspect in 10-20 years, nightshade sensitivity will be recognized just like gluten-intolerance is today.

Doctors have a hard time with food sensitivities because the symptoms are not dependably reproduced in a research study. And they don’t know what to test for besides self-reported pain thresholds.

An ALCAT blood test revealed my severe allergies to coconut, lettuce, and turmeric plus mild allergies to chicken and popcorn. It took me a year to believe these could be harmful, then I gave them up and found relief in my joint pain and skin inflammation. I ate a salad to test it and my hip joints were burning with pain.

There is a pattern of disabling joint pain at the end of summer. I am realizing it is nightshades – the jewels of the garden. Currently, I am laid up with a tendon injury and recommitted to a gluten-free/dairy-free vegan, non-nightshade diet. I am unable to walk, so I hope this diet works soon.

The worst part is the social isolation. People often are reluctant to include me for dinners because they don’t know what to prepare. I always tell them I will bring a “potluck” dish that everyone can eat, including me, so they do not have to do anything special.

I have been nightshade free (except for the things that slip in unawares) for almost 2 years. It has helped my joint pain immensly! I have had some more joint pain recently and know that I havn’t eatten any nightshade. After reading these comments, I wonder if it could be something else like lettuce or chicken or coconut! I will try eliminating those to see if I have improvment. I have been taking fish and flaxseed oil, but possibly not enough, so I will up my intake! Thanks everyone!

In addition to nightshades, there are other foods that contain one of the same glycoalkaloids found in nightshades called SOLANINE. Solanine can be found in apples, blueberries, artichoke and okra. Also, nightshades are “hidden” in certain food additives like dextrose, as starch fillers in prescriptions and supplements, Vitamin A Palmitate that is added to milk, many more. The most complete information that I’ve ever seen about nightshades & solanine can be found at the Arthritis Nightshade Research Foundation website, especially on the discussion forums. Michael Fowler has written an excellent book (but only about nightshades, not additional foods with solanine) and a woman named Jenifer has posted a blog journal with a huge list of “hidden” sources. If you want to learn more about food sensitivities, Dr. Neal Barnard’s book, Foods That Fight Pain is very good. He lists top 10 food triggers, and a few others, and each chapter has an appendix of dozens of clinical research papers.

I have also switched to a vegan, no nightshade or solanine diet and my pain has dropped from an 8-9 scale to about 2. It only returns when I accidentally ingest one of my food triggers. I can usually look at my diet log and track it down. Sometimes, I know…if I decide what the heck, and have some of what I used to enjoy.

I am currently trying a new elimination diet, and am restricting soy and other foods that Dr. Bernard recommends, along with nightshades and solanine. I recently used a coconut amino product as a substitute for soy sauce, and felt pain the next day. Hmm?

Something that I need to look into more is whether damage to the digestive tract and intestinal permeability (lignans and glycoalkaloids crossing the intestinal wall) is what is causing these sensitivities. I used to eat all of these foods. For now though, just figuring out all my sensitivities and preparing foods that are safe to eat takes up my time.

From the research I’ve found, the inflammation of arthritis can be caused by food sensitivities so it doesn’t surprise me that some people feel better by avoiding nightshade plants. Also for the one lady who’s son is suffering from arthritis there is a homeopathic remedy that is SAFE to take in conjunction with most allopathic drug treatments called Zeel. Research has shown that after 6 weeks of use it’s efficacy is liken to Celebrex in trials.

I stopped by here about 2 years ago and the information here proved to be a God-send! From July 2007 – July 2010 I was in a wheel chair due to severe joint pain. In January of 2010 I started cutting out nightshades. (nuts, soybeans and refined sugars are also culprits) Doing this, along with the help of the Feldenkrais Method (holistic physical therapy), I was walking by the end of the year. Whenever I indulge in any of the aforementioned I suffer some pain, but it’s not as bad because I know not to overdo. I eat plenty of protein (eggs & sausage seem to work best for me), flavored rice cakes instead of bread, sweet potatoes and other vegetables in the morning gloriy family, and water. A magnesium supplement also keeps calcuim from leeching into soft tissue; goes straight to my bones where it’s needed! Just a few thoughts that I hope will help others.

I too believe that the food you eat can affect your health. I can’t tolerate lactose or soja- not good for a vegetarian. I did the diet to eliminate candida and over acidity – lost 10 kgs. But over time the weight has come back and the health problems too. Even though I would eat really healthy and exercise I would always put weight on and immediately be ill. It is very frustrating and I found myself constantly comparing my body and my diet to everyone else in my social circles and ask myself constantly how do they do it – I live and eat healthier than all of them and look at me!!!!!!! I have recently read an article on a blood type diet – I am “O” positive which could be the answer for me. I always know I was reacting to something but I didn’t know what and where to begin – I figured it must be a food group but my body and mind was so stressed I couldn’t determine what and where to start. I am going to give it a try – although o blood types should eat meat and reduce dairy to a minimum. Nightshades are also a problem for o types along with many nuts, legumes, lentils and a lot more. For me it could mean I don’t have to cut out complete food groups but know which foods I can eat from a particular food group which is a relief as I have been very uncertain for many years. I have ordered the books on this diet and I am looking forward to giving it a try – I hope it will answer the question why some people do well on a particular diet and some don’t

To: Michael Fowler @ nightshadefree.com
I tried ordering your books through Grassmedia, but got an error message. Tried to contact them via their website, but that wouldn’t go through either.
Help!

It’s so nice to hear from so many people from all over the world. Here’s my story….
I’m 25 and was recently diagnosed with RA. I didn’t want to be on medication for life so I went to an Ayurvedic doctor and she told me to avoid …
Potatoes
Raw tomatoes
Brinjal (Eggplant)
Chilies (all kinds except for black pepper)
Brocolli
ALL beans (except for mung bean)
Watermelon
Banana
Cucumber
Pineapple
Tamarind
Fermented food
Canned food
Bakery food (I think it’s the gluten found in flour used in pastries)
Dairy
Raisins
Cashews
Peanuts
Carbonated drinks
Caffinated products
sweets
and finally not a food but she told me to avoid exposure to cold.

Food she told me to eat more of were:
Pumpkin
bottlegourd (I live in Singapore and I’ve never seen it- I think it’s Indian)
Bittergourd (bittermelon)
Spinach
Ladies Finger (Okra)
Asparagus
Carrots
beetroot
onions
garlic
fresh ginger
dry gigner
cuminseed(powdered) turmeric
blacksalt (I think this is Indian too)
black pepper

I’ve been researching on the internet and have found so much talk about cutting out nightshades so I did. I’m already a vegetarian so I cut out eggs and dairy as well as all the stuff I listed earlier. Diary is said to cause inflamation so I cut it out totally. I’m therefore now a vegan…and it’s so much harder than being a vegetairan! But the pain in my knee is managable and hasn’t gotten worse…so I must be doing something right! However, yesterday I ate a handful of potato chips and today my left knee started to hurt (It hurt before too but not as bad as my right knee and today they both hurt the same). I’m cutting out all nightshade veggies! I’m going to try reintroducing potatoes in a few weeks to see if it really does cause pain. If it does then I’m going to have to say bye to potatoes. I’ll miss my curly fries Chilies are the worst as I’m Indian and Indian food always has chilies in it. I’m now substituting with lots of black pepper. It’s the only pepper I was told is fine. God bless!

Wow, this is all so true! My joints have been feeling pretty darn good, my feet (I have plantar fascitis) feeling pretty great and then last night I made oven roasted potatoes and wham, this morning i woke up in agony and so worried about “what the heck happened??” Well, then I figured it out.. the potatoes, and yes, I had a couple grape tomatoes yesterday, too..
So, I have no doubt that the nightshades did it. yesterday I was perfectly fine, then today, wham!
I have noticed this in the past, but I thought ” oh, a little won’t hurt..” NOT! It sure did and today I’m feeling crummy, and now I know why.
Thanks for all the help on here!

I am in such a flare with pain right now…I am going to start this journey of going no Nighshade…..Prayerfully I will feel some relief

Last week I had the STRANGEST experience. I made a potato dish and ate it exclusively for two days. For the next two days, both of my knees hurt so much that I couldn’t bend into a squat without severe pain. I have never had knee pain in my life, and thought – the only thing I have done different in my life is eat all those potatoes!! I finally remembered to research tonight to see if by any tiny chance there was a link between joint pain and potatoes, and now I find this site. Truly amazing. I am ANGRY that this isn’t common knowledge! I wish potatoes would be labeled with warnings for people with arthritis- I have that much sympathy for arthritis sufferers now that I had this experience. I felt crippled. I usually don’t care for testimonials, but these are compelling cases.