Can green tomatoes be eaten? Are they poisonous?
Aug 30, 2025
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Yu Yongchao
Introduction
Under normal circumstances, green tomatoes should not be consumed as they have a certain level of toxicity. When purchasing and consuming tomatoes, it is important to choose fully ripe fruits with red or pink skin, and avoid buying green, unripe tomatoes. If you have green tomatoes at home, do not eat them raw, nor are they recommended for consumption after simple cooking, because conventional cooking methods cannot completely remove solanine.
Generally speaking, green tomatoes are not edible and have a certain level of toxicity. Detailed analysis is as follows:
Green tomatoes, which are unripe tomatoes, contain a toxic substance called solanine. The content of solanine is relatively high in unripe green tomatoes, while it is present at very low and safe levels in ripe tomatoes. After ingesting solanine, it may irritate the gastrointestinal mucosa and cause discomfort symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea; if consumed in large quantities, it may also affect the nervous system, causing dizziness, headache, fatigue, and in severe cases, even difficulty breathing, confusion, and significant harm to health.
When purchasing and consuming tomatoes, attention should be paid to selecting fully ripe fruits with red or pink skin, and avoiding green, unripe tomatoes. If there are unripe green tomatoes at home, do not eat them raw, nor is it recommended to consume them after simple cooking, as conventional cooking methods cannot completely remove solanine. Green tomatoes can be stored in a warm, well-ventilated place until they ripen naturally and the skin turns red before consumption, at which point the solanine content will be greatly reduced, making them safer to eat.
