Can Eggplant Be Eaten Raw? Learn the Facts Before You Eat for Peace of Mind

Eating eggplant raw has become popular recently, because some health experts believe that eating raw eggplant can not only absorb the oil and fat in the stomach and intestines, but also help with weight loss, lower blood pressure and lower blood lipids. But does eating eggplant raw really have such great effects? Let's hear what the experts say below.

Eating Eggplant Raw May Cause Poisoning

Experts believe that eating eggplant raw should be avoided, because eating it raw can easily cause poisoning.

Raw eggplant contains a toxin called solanine, the same toxin found in sprouted potatoes, which is why eating sprouted potatoes causes poisoning. But solanine is not only present in potato sprouts; raw eggplant contains it too, which is why solanine is also called "eggplant base." Some people may cite their own experience of eating raw eggplant without getting poisoned to refute this. But note that eating a very small amount of solanine does not necessarily produce obvious harm in the human body. If you take in 200 to 300 mg of solanine at one time, within 15 minutes to 3 hours you may experience itching in the mouth and throat, upper abdominal pain, and symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea; in severe cases there may also be symptoms such as dilated pupils, sensitivity to light, tinnitus, convulsions, difficulty breathing and a drop in blood pressure. In very rare cases, a person may die from respiratory paralysis.

In addition, pregnant women especially should not eat eggplant raw. It has been reported that if a pregnant woman takes in too much solanine, the fetus may develop deformities.

What Are the Benefits of Eggplant?

1. It has the effects of clearing heat and stopping bleeding, reducing swelling and relieving pain.

2. It is used for heat-toxin boils and sores, skin ulcers, mouth and tongue sores, hemorrhoids with bleeding, blood in the stool, nosebleeds, and so on.

Traditional Chinese medicine holds that eggplant is a cold and cooling food. Therefore, eating it in summer helps clear heat and relieve summer heat, and it is especially suitable for people who are prone to prickly heat and boils. People with indigestion who are prone to diarrhea, however, should not eat much of it, just as Li Shizhen said in the Compendium of Materia Medica: "Eggplant is cold in nature and purgative; eating much of it will surely cause abdominal pain and diarrhea." The Yunnan Materia Medica records that eggplant can disperse blood, reduce swelling and relax the intestines. Therefore, for people with dry bound stool, bleeding hemorrhoids, and damp-heat jaundice, eating more eggplant is also helpful, and one may choose purple eggplant cooked as porridge with rice. The Compendium of Materia Medica introduces baking eggplant with its stem attached until dry, grinding it into a fine powder, and taking it mixed with wine to treat intestinal-wind bleeding; the Yunnan Materia Medica advocates taking it mixed with rice water, which is more appropriate, because for intestinal-wind bleeding and hemorrhoid bleeding, wine should not be used. Baking eggplant with its stem attached until dry and grinding it into a fine powder is more often used externally.

3. Treating chilblains. Take two or three eggplant plants from the field in winter (with roots) and simmer them in water; after the water boils, cook for another 20 minutes. Use this water to soak and wash the affected areas of chilblains, and at the same time rub and wash the affected areas with the eggplant plants; two to three times can cure it.

4. Eggplant has good effects in lowering high blood lipids and high blood pressure. The specific method is as follows:

Choose dark-colored long strip varieties, cut them into sections or shreds, and mix them with sesame paste seasoned with soy sauce. Taking it at dinner time can effectively lower these levels and bring about self-recovery.

5. Protecting the cardiovascular system and fighting scurvy: Eggplant is rich in vitamin P. This substance can strengthen the adhesion between human cells, enhance the elasticity of capillaries, reduce the fragility and permeability of capillaries, prevent microvessel rupture and bleeding, and keep the cardiovascular system functioning normally. In addition, eggplant also has the effect of preventing and treating scurvy and promoting wound healing.

A way of eating eggplant raw is popular online:

Cut the eggplant into shreds, then add shredded green pepper, shredded cucumber, shredded lettuce, and so on according to personal preference, and mix with soy sauce, vinegar and sesame paste before eating. Online rumors say that eating it this way every day can have the effect of cleansing the intestines and can treat constipation. Is eating eggplant raw really effective for weight loss?

Wang Changjun, a vegetable expert from the Provincial Ecological Society, says that eggplant is cold and cooling in nature, and since eggplant contains solanine, people with poor constitutions or allergies to these foods are not suited to eating much eggplant, otherwise they will feel unwell. In addition, eating eggplant raw may cause abdominal pain and diarrhea. Some people also experience numbness of the lips after eating raw eggplant, and at this point one needs to be alert, because it may be a sign of poisoning. Wang Changjun says the claim that eating eggplant raw helps with weight loss is incorrect.