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Does anyone eat the leaves of their chilli plants?

    !!!  I suppose you could, but that seems hard on the plants, unless they really have more than enough leaves to spare...  Also, mine have enough insects trying to eat their leaves occasionally; I think adding a leaf-eating mammal to their list of enemies would be too much.
 
jedisushi06 said:
http://thehotpepper.com/topic/40229-pepper-leaves-edible/
Click to expand...
 

Basically what's stated here. Chilli plants are loosely related to Nightshade and do, therefore, contain small amounts of the same or similar nicotinoids in their foliage.
I have, however, both read about and witnessed several people eating them to no obvious ill effects (to the people at least).
 
I'm pretty sure it's like cinnamon extract where a combination of being techinically poisonous in extremely high doses and being connected to something spicy makes the general populace freak out. So many people still think that chillies actually burn you and can spontaneously combust if they grow too strong.
 
My cats like to nibble on mine, seems to be any except chinense.  I've noticed some of the baccatum leaves smell of peppers but most plants don't seem to have a scent to the leaves that I can detect.
 
Mitzi said:
My cats like to nibble on mine, seems to be any except chinense.  I've noticed some of the baccatum leaves smell of peppers but most plants don't seem to have a scent to the leaves that I can detect.
Click to expand...
 

Interesting that they'd forgo the Chinense. Perhaps there really is something bad in them that isn't present in the Fruitiscens that people who eat the leaves seem to eat.
 
Mitzi said:
My cats like to nibble on mine, seems to be any except chinense.  I've noticed some of the baccatum leaves smell of peppers but most plants don't seem to have a scent to the leaves that I can detect.
Click to expand...
 
 
Can confirm, my cat goes bonkers trying to steal bites from my pepper plants when I'm not looking. So far the only variety she's left alone has been my Rocoto.
 
I've tried some annuum leaves before, wasn't impressed with them, though the younger - the better. I'll have to give it a second try for other varieties I'm growing this year.
 
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