Question
I had a surplus of tomato plant seedlings in my planter (on a condo balcony) and I was thinning them out.  I was wondering if the leaves are harmful to humans.  I was hoping to add them to a salad.  The plants are only several weeks old and there haven't been any bugs yet.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!

Answer
Mary, from what I've read, tomato leaves are generally not toxic to adults, but are definitely poisonous to dogs and cats. Although some varieties' leaves are high in lycopene, a nutrient found in many multi-vitamins,none of the articles recommended digesting the leaves directly.  As a matter of fact, several of the articles did say that the leaves could cause some vomiting and cramps.  

I actually read a study being done by a Dr. Mercola, where he claims that tomato leaves may be used in the future as an edible vaccine for various illnesses.  I've attached a link to his study for your review if interested.

http://www.mercola.com/fcgi/pf/2004/sep/4/tomato_vaccine.htm

I hope this answered your question.  Have a nice week.

Regards,

Mike