The Plant Kingdom

Detailed book about the Irish Famine

History of the Tomato:

Tomatoes originated in the Americas and were introduced to Europe after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire in 1521.

Pietro Andrea Mattioli (tomato
Illustration image above in 1/1) published one of the first European descriptions of the tomato, helping document this unfamiliar “New World” plant.

Italy and Spain adopted tomatoes as a food source earlier than many northern European countries. However, some Europeans were cautious of tomatoes because they belonged to the nightshade family, which includes several toxic plant species.

There is also a historical theory that some people avoided tomatoes because their acidity could potentially leach lead from pewter plates, contributing to concerns about lead poisoning. This explanation remains debated among historians.

For many years, tomatoes were viewed more as exotic ornamental plants than as a food. Their bright red and yellow fruits made them popular additions to aristocratic gardens and botanical collections. Over time, this once mistrusted plant transformed from a decorative curiosity into one of the world’s most widely consumed foods.

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TOMATOES (Solanum lycopersicum) Nightshade Family (Solanaceae)

Toxins & Defense Compounds:

Tomatine (glycoalkaloid)
Tomatoes contain tomatine, a glycoalkaloid that acts as a natural defense compound to help protect the plant from pests, fungi, bacteria, and other threats.

Tomatine is found in higher concentrations in:

Leaves
Stems
Unripe (green) tomatoes

In excessive amounts, tomatine exposure may cause symptoms such as:

Nausea
Vomiting
Stomach cramps
Diarrhea

Tomatine has also been discussed as a possible contributor to worsening symptoms in some individuals with

laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR). Because tomatoes are naturally acidic, eliminating or reducing tomato intake may improve symptoms for some people with reflux-related conditions.

Tomato Lectins:
Tomatoes also contain lectins, including tomato agglutinin, which are found in higher amounts in the skin and seeds. Experimental studies have shown that tomato lectin can bind to intestinal epithelial cells and interact with carbohydrate structures on the intestinal surface.

This fruit also made its way into one of America’s most abominable condiments:

Ketchup
- Loaded with sugar and vinegar to keep it shelf- stable and more appetizing it was also used as a replacement for marinara (ketchup on pasta) to feed the plebs during the Great Depression.

In Eastern European countries, due to food shortages this same practice became common under communist rule. For some families, it has persisted across generations, rooted by the lasting effects of historical famines and generational trauma, which I’ll cover later.

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History:

THE IRISH FAMINE

The Irish will always be linked to the potato. There is still controversy over the export of their most nutrient dense food (animal sources) while millions faced starvation during the famine. The point of this post is to illustrate the devastating consequences of relying so heavily on a single staple crop. Many Irish families depended on potatoes because they were poor and had very little land, making potatoes the most practical way to feed their households. And a simple mold took it out (blight).

The Irish were also healthier before the dependency of the potato which was originally used as food for the animals.

Years 1845-1852 (7 years). Some believed it was divine punishment.

One of the most disastrous dependency on this crop was demonstrated through The Irish Famine.

The Irish Famine demonstrates how dependence on a single staple crop (destroyed by blight), combined with poverty and poor conditions, can create a major health crisis.

The Irish famine was so catastrophic with their demographic collapse that their population has still not returned to its pre-famine peak due to the famine deaths and mass emigration.

Irish immigrants helped spread potato cultivation and farming traditions in the United States, carrying with them the cultural importance of a crop that had shaped Irish survival and tragedy.

Here’s a very detailed book about the Irish Famine regarding politics, economics, medicine, demography, religion, and contemporary accounts.

Below are videos regarding the famine:

Ireland’s Great Hunger and the Irish Diaspora

The Great Irish Famine- Short History

𝕋ℍ𝔼 ℙ𝕆𝕋𝔸𝕋𝕆
-(Solanum tuberosum) Nightshade family (Solanaceae)

Toxins:
- Solanine-(glycoalkaloid)
- Chaconine-(glycoalkaloid)

Glycoalkaloids are plant defense chemicals to protect the potato from insects and diseases.

A crop that has helped prevent millions from starving and became a symbol of survival during history's greatest famines somehow found its way into the food pyramid (of course) guidelines as a "staple."

It's almost as if we don't know any better. The elites considered it a novelty while making sure the plebeians got their fill along with the pigs. Anyway, due to the toxins called glycoalkaloids, potatoes can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, which are sometimes accompanied by a bitter taste.

I also mentioned earlier how glycoalkaloids are heat-resistant and are not completely destroyed by cooking. Additionally, the countries with the highest consumption of fried potatoes also have the highest rates of IBD (Irritable Bowel Disease).

Beyond these natural plant chemicals, your ultimate comfort food is quietly triggering metabolic effects.

To simplify, potatoes are rich in starch, especially amylopectin, which the body can rapidly break down into glucose. This can cause a quick rise in blood sugar, followed by an increase in insulin release from the pancreas. When repeated frequently over time, frequent blood sugar spikes may contribute to metabolic problems such as insulin resistance and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

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Capsaicin also…

- Acts as a natural antifungal and have a survival advantage in places where there are more insect feeding (creating feeding wounds on the pepper which introduces fungus). The majority of animals avoid them, except birds eat them and disperse the seeds.

- Capsaicin can:

- Loosen the tight junctions on the gut lining (leaky gut).

- Trigger heartburn/reflux and make GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease) worse.

- Activate pain sensory nerves which can cause esophageal hypersensitivty and make LPR (silent reflux) worse.

- Cause inflammation and cell death in the respiratory system (with the use of pepper spray).

Given that the toxin triggers the TrpV1 receptor and produces these effects, I would conclude that peppers have significant potential for use in both chemical warfare and medicine (which we'll discuss later).

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ℙ𝕖𝕡𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕤 (𝕔𝕒𝕡𝕤𝕒𝕚𝕔𝕚𝕟)

Honestly, if there was one plant in nature that screamed, "Don't eat me!" it would be a pepper. While the majority of animals and insects avoid them, humans purposely seek them out. Which crazy fool was frolicking in the woods, spotted one, and thought, "That looks like a good idea to eat!"?

- Capsaicin-toxin (active compound) binds to the pain and temperature receptor (TrpV1). This tricks the nervous system and alerts the body. This creates a burning sensation even tough there's no temperature heat. This affects mostly the mucus membranes.

To simplify… pretend your mouth, eyes and nose have tiny little signals all over them (receptors). Usually these goes off when you touch something hot. The chemical compound capsaicin tricks these little signals and alerts the nervous system into thinking it's literally burning. The body begins to send massive amounts of mucus to protect the delicate tissue.

Humans figured out this plant activates pain and irritation pathways and is effective as chemical warfare, and with that knowledge, concentrated capsaicin was formed into OC spray (Oleoresin Capsicum), also known as "pepper spray”. It's also effectively used to deter predators (such as bears).

Modern pepper spray was developed in the 1970's and officialy being implemented by law enforcemet in the 1980s. A study showed that OC spray as an effective deterrent for a less-than-lethal option and incapacitated individuals around 90%. The use-of-force also decreased by 53%.

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ℕ𝕀𝔾ℍ𝕋𝕊ℍ𝔸𝔻𝔼𝕊 (Solanaceae)

Most commonly consumed:

Peppers: Capsaicin-toxin

Potatoes: Solanine-(glycoalkaloid)-toxin

Tomatoes: Tomatine-(glycoalkaloid)-toxin

Eggplant: Solasonine-(glycoalkaloid)-toxin

Nightshade toxins (particularly glycoalkaloids) act as a natural pesticide and antifungal agent. They bind to the intestinal epithelial cells (thin layer of cells on the gut barrier). This can disrupt the cell membranes and create leaky gut which can cascade into digestive disease and autoimmunity.

Glycoalkaloids are heat-resistant, so they are not completely destroyed by cooking. Frying can particularly increase the concentration of glycoalkaloids, and countries with highest consumption of fried potatoes also have highest rates of IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease).

"Health experts" agree that the consumption of these long term is unknown. The argument that millions of people have been consuming these for years as evidence for being "non-toxic" is poor understanding. Disease progression can manifest slowly and take years. So again, what's the dose?

Below is a video about Nightshades and their harmful effects:

Hidden Dangers of Nightshade Vegetables

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A lectin found in kidney beans are so toxic that just a few made children in the UK very sick due to the toxic lectin phytohemagglutinin (PHA). Soaking and cooking beans well can reduce the toxin, however, if only a few uncooked was the poisonous dose then what actually is it cooked?

Parkinson’s Disease- A study was done where rats were given a chemical to cause leaky gut and a pea lectin was introduced. The vagus nerve became florescent by a “chemical tag,” and showed the brain infected with the disease.

A Danish study was done where the vagus nerve was severed and reduced Parkinson’s disease by 47% over a period of 20 years.

Below is an interesting video I would encourage you to watch discussing lectins:

How Lectins Impact Your Health- From Obesity to Autoimmune Disease- Dr. Paul Mason

𝕃𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕤-

- Proteins that bind to carbohydrates. They are found the highest in legumes, grains and nightshades.

Lectins act as anti-nutrients affecting the absorption of minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, iron and zinc.

These proteins (such as gluten) can stick to the intestinal lining causing cell damage and creating intestinal permeability (leaky gut). This can potentially create a chain reaction of inflammation within the body which can cause disease through molecular mimicry. This can trigger autoimmune issues such rheumatoid arthritis, hashimoto’s (The Effect of Gluten-Free Diet on Thyroid Autoimmunity in Drug-Naïve Women with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis - PubMed) and metabolic disease.

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Defining the terms of some of the biological mechanisms for better understanding:

- Inflammation:
The body’s natural immune response to send out an army of white blood cells to attack invaders. This can include viruses, bacteria, environmental factors, toxins and injuries.

- Anti-nutrients:
A naturally occurring substance (such as saponin or tannin) found in plant derived foods that interferes with absorption or proper functioning of nutrients in the body. A substance (such as refined sugar or alcohol) that has little nutritive value that typically deplete the body of more nutrients than it provides when metabolized.

- Intestinal permeability (leaky gut):
Compromised intestinal lining where substances/pathogens can slip through into the bloodstream. This can trigger a widespread immune response resulting in systemic inflammation, infections, and metabolic disease.

- Molecular mimicry:
When a foreign antigen (from a pathogen like a virus or bacteria, or sometimes dietary proteins) shares structural similarities with human proteins, causing antibodies or immune cells to cross-react and attack the human proteins, resulting in autoimmunity.

- Hormone/endocrine disruptors:
Chemicals (EDCs) that are natural or human-made that may mimic, block, or interfere with the body’s hormones.

ℙ𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕥 𝕥𝕠𝕩𝕚𝕟𝕤/𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕞𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕝 𝕨𝕒𝕣𝕗𝕒𝕣𝕖

Plants simply want to survive. They can't run away, so they unleash an invisible arsenal of defensive chemicals to deter animals and insects. But what effect does this have on humans? In this exploration we'll examine plant toxins, and their physiological consequences on the human body with the alternative perspective that they're a threat to our health.

Only a vegan would be this unhinged.

Some random channel owner decided to put a sword to my neck and call me out for not posting. Unbelievable. I’ll be posting soon.

Moving forward I’ll be going over plant toxins so topics will be easier to understand. I will never use AI to write my posts. You will get an authentic tiny brain.

Roses are the “Queen of the Flowers.”

Art:
I have a particular love for oil paintings. One thing that has always caught my eye is the preference for roses throughout different time periods

They are the most painted flower throughout history, dominating European art due to their varied symbolism of love, beauty, sacrifice, purity, and more

In antiquity Greek/Roman art the rose symbolized love, beauty and mortality

The Medieval era (especially religious paintings) Christian art used the red rose to symbolize Christ’s sacrifice and Martyrs while the white rose symbolized Mary

Renaissance art the rose symbolized realism, romance, botanical studies and mythology

Medicinal properties:
The Dog Rose (Rosa Canina) was thought to prevent rabies by botanists, old medicinal books and folklore

It also prevented scurvy during WW2 for its high vitamin C content

Roses & Women:
Flowers, but particularly roses produce Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that when inhaled can influence the nervous system

There were studies done that the natural rose scent activate the same reward pathways in the brain as music and romantic attraction, and increased brain gray matter. Rose scent also made faces more attractive

Happy Mother’s Day. Hug your mother and tell her you love her.

When Jack passed he was denied into heaven. He tried to go to hell only to be denied due to the deal he made. He was cursed to eternal wandering and to roam the Earth as a shadow among the living. The devil threw him a coal from hellfire to light his way. Jack found a turnip and carved it to place the coal in it to create his own lantern (Jack of the Lantern).

The Irish locals would carve their own turnips with grotesque faces to keep Stingy Jack and the other spirits away. When the Irish arrived in The New World due to the potato famine (I’ll cover this at some point) they brought their traditions with them; however, pumpkins were abundant and easier to carve. This created the new tradition of Jack of the Lantern to The Jack O’Lantern. (3/3)

When Jack saw the devil he asked if he could get a drink before going to hell. After several drinks at the bar Stingy Jack had no intention of paying, and he asked the devil if he could turn into a piece of silver to cover. The devil turned into a coin and Stingy Jack placed him in his pocket to keep instead of paying the tab… but there was also a crucifix in Jack’s pocket, and the devil couldn’t turn himself back to his original form. Jack made a deal with the devil that he would release him if he gave him 10 more years to be left alone. The devil agreed.

10 years later the devil returned to collect his soul. Stingy Jack asked the devil if he would climb a tree for him to retrieve an apple to eat on the way to hell. The devil agreed and when he was up the tree Stingy Jack carved a cross into the trunk which trapped the devil in the tree. Jack made another deal and said he would release him if he didn’t collect his soul. The devil agreed. (2/3)