We recently discovered that my daughter has a nightshade allergy that causes symptoms similar to how a Celiac responds to gluten. She’s been diagnosed with hyper mobility Ehlers-Danlos syndrome - hEDS, a condition affecting her joints causing her constantly have joint pain and dislocating her joints throughout her body. It has come to our attention that a large amount of people with nightshade sensitivities, including intolerance and allergy, also have EDS. When ingested (some people react to touching it or breathing in powders, too) it causes all types of stomach issues, swollen joints, joint pain, itching, migraines, and some can have anaphylactic symptoms among other symptoms. The problem is, nightshades are in everything and hidden in certain words on ingredient labels (“spices”, “natural ingredients”, “modified food starch”, “maltodextrin”, just to name a few). Nightshades are used as anti-clumping agents, colorings, and preservatives.  They are used in our vitamins and medications that we use every day.  Nightshades are, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, eggplant, paprika, just to name a few and keep in mind, this list is expanded to include a multitude of varieties. 

As of now, the FDA only requires allergens to be listed if they are in the Top 8 list for food allergies. This list includes tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, eggs, dairy, shellfish, fish, and soy. This list, obviously, does not include any ingredients belonging to the nightshade family.

Call to Action: we want the FDA to re-examine how ingredients, especially those in the nightshade family, are labeled on product packaging to make shopping an easier experience for those suffering with these issues.