# Are carrots or celery poisonous? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 13, 2003, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-carrots-or-celery-poisonous/188091 "2003-07-13T02:30:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-carrots-or-celery-poisonous/188091/21 "2003-07-15T05:34:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jomo Mojo \* > \*\*TCarrot is not toxic; in fact it helps the liver function. It actually helps the liver to detoxify. \*\* Cite? I can’t find anything on Medline or PubMed to this effect. ---
**Author:** ![Strychnos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Strychnos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strychnos)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2003, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-carrots-or-celery-poisonous/188091/22 "2003-07-16T01:29:46Z")
Apart from the fruit (or tuber) tomato as well as potato are poisonous. I won’t cite, since my reference books are in a language none of you understand. This is common knowledge. I’ve read the reason Europeans used to think these plants are poisonous is because they ate the green parts which ARE poisonous. Cicuta virosa, the water hemlock, is possibly the deadliest plant in Europe (America?) There are reports of people getting severe poisoning from skinning an animal that died after eating the plant. That’s pretty potent IMHO. There are dozens of poisonous plants in the Apiaceae family. The edible ones like the carrot are more like an exception. ---
**Author:** ![luce\_gilmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@luce\_gilmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/luce_gilmore)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-carrots-or-celery-poisonous/188091/23 "2010-03-01T18:32:07Z")
Scientific American had an article on tomatoes back in the 70s (I guess) that mentions this. Most Old-world solonaceae are poisonous. Many New-world solonaceae are hallucinogenic. It’s one Hell of a family. I wonder whether it’s just a coincidence that ‘tomato’ ‘potato’ and ‘tobacco’ are such similar-sounding words. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-carrots-or-celery-poisonous/188091/24 "2010-03-01T18:38:48Z")
Zombie fruits and vegetables!?! ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-carrots-or-celery-poisonous/188091/25 "2010-03-01T18:46:36Z")
> [@qadgop the mercotan](#): > > zombie fruits and vegetables!?! g-r-r-a-a-a-i-i-i-n-s ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-carrots-or-celery-poisonous/188091/26 "2010-03-01T18:48:37Z")
Eating _any_ kind of produce left out since 2003 would be a bad idea. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-carrots-or-celery-poisonous/188091/27 "2010-03-01T19:03:11Z")
> [@luce\_gilmore](#): > > I wonder whether it’s just a coincidence that ‘tomato’ ‘potato’ and ‘tobacco’ are such similar-sounding words. Yes. It’s a coincidence. ---
**Author:** ![LiveOnAPlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@LiveOnAPlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveOnAPlane)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-carrots-or-celery-poisonous/188091/28 "2010-03-01T20:03:01Z")
((pulls up chair, waits to see The Zombie Stomp)) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-carrots-or-celery-poisonous/188091/29 "2010-03-01T20:04:07Z")
Potatoes are named (mostly) after sweet potatoes, whose latin name is _Ipomea batata_. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-carrots-or-celery-poisonous/188091/30 "2010-03-01T20:56:31Z")
> [@LiveOnAPlane](#): > > ((pulls up chair, waits to see The Zombie Stomp)) [Moderating] Actually, there is no rule against zombies in GQ, as long as relevant information is being added to the thread. Given that **luce\_gilmore’s** post provides new information, it’s OK. (So everyone can stop reporting it.;)) Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-carrots-or-celery-poisonous/188091/31 "2010-03-01T22:46:20Z")
> [@luce\_gilmore](#): > > I wonder whether it’s just a coincidence that ‘tomato’ ‘potato’ and ‘tobacco’ are such similar-sounding words. THey’re all descended from the ancestral **pomacco** plant. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-carrots-or-celery-poisonous/188091/32 "2010-03-01T22:50:21Z")
…You say _to- **back** -oh_ and I say _to- **bake** -oh_… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-carrots-or-celery-poisonous/188091.md?page=1)