Potatoes that grow at the top of a hill can especially be affected by chlorophyll which is why in the store some are green. The chlorophyll then turns the white of the tuber green under the skin. The more light, the greener they become.
The green part of a potato should be discarded. It is bitter, and more than that, it contains solanine, which eaten in great quantities can cause illness. Solanine is an alkaloid which is colorless.
Symptoms of solanine poisoning include:
Diarrhea
Fever or lower than normal body temperature (hypothermia)
Headache
Slow pulse and/or breathing
Stomach or abdominal pain
Vomiting
Because it’s bitter, most people have learned to scrape the green part off before eating the potato. Michigan State University Extension urges you to wash all produce before preparing and eating in order to avoid illness from bacteria and pesticides. Also be sure to peel the green and “eyes” off a potato before cooking to avoid solanine poisoning.
Giving credit where credit is due:
Potato vines are very poisonous to just about everything except certain bugs. This is what makes the Colorado Potato Beetle such a tough pest to control - it eats poison every day. Just not Iocaine Powder.
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