Theories/Speculation

Nightshade fruits are thought by some holistic health practitioners to worsen psoriasis by increasing the body's overall level of toxicity. Edible fruits in the nightshade family include tomatoes, potatoes, sweet and hot peppers, eggplant and tomatillos.

Misconceptions

Wild nightshade produces tiny fruits that are extremely poisonous, but tomatoes, potatoes and other edible nightshade relatives contain toxins in very tiny amounts that do no harm to most people. The National Psoriasis Foundation recommends a diet that includes a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, without restriction on nightshade fruits.

Considerations

Cutting out nightshade fruits for awhile to see if psoriasis improves does no harm so long as lots of other fresh fruits and vegetables are still eaten. Try eliminating them one at a time to pinpoint which ones are troublesome.

Benefits

Nightshade vegetables contain high concentrations of Vitamin C and antioxidants that help remove toxins from the body, so eliminating them because of the trace amounts of toxins they contain may not be a good trade off.

Expert Insight

Most experts recommend a healthy and varied diet of lean meats, low-fat dairy and fresh fruits and vegetables of all kinds for psoriasis. Eating too much of any single food can cause problems for almost anyone, even if psoriasis is not an issue.

Source:

Meridian Institute: Systemic Aspects of Psoriasis

National Psoriasis Foundation: Healthy Eating

Medline Plus: Psoriasis Fact Sheet

More Information:

American College of Rheumatology: Patient Education Psoriasis