Indeed the potato plant is toxic. It contains an alkaloid named solanine ( C45H73NO15) that appears in all the external parts of the plant (leaves, stems , flowers and fruits) and also in the tender buds of the tubers when they germinate. The ingestion of the plant produces gastrointestinal, hepatic and heart damages that can be , in case that the ingestion is high, deathly. ( More information in" Toxicity of potato" )

It is one the vegetables that contains more starch, a product with emollient properties, soothing the skin. This property makes that the potato or its juice can be used in external use to combat the stomach problems, since it has antacid properties.( Just peel several potatoes and mash them. Filter the juice with a cloth and take half cup twice a day) The same preparation is considered appropriate to combat the hepatic problems. Equally, in external use, the same liquid can be applied as an ointment on the areas of the aching body to combat the pain, to reduce the inflammations or to heal the wounds, being interesting in cases of blows, twists, bladders, burns, included sunburns, etc. Also apply the slices of peeled potato on the part of the affected body. Very habitual homemade remedies are the placement of a slice of peeled fresh potato on a solar burn or on the tired or aching eyes to alleviate them. In a same way this treatment ca be applied on the aching articulations affected by rheumatism in order to calm the pain.

The plant that presents a bigger content in starch is the exotic durian (Durio zibethinus L), a tree of the bombaceae family that is cultivated in Indonesia and Malaysia with a very distinctive fruit considering its size that can achieve 25 cm and whose roasted seeds are eaten as if they were chestnuts. Other plants with a great richness are tapioca (Manihot esculenta), rice (Oryza sativa L) or mango (Mangifera L. indica) or chestnut (Castanea sativa)

Given the possible toxicity of the raw potato, the homemade elaboration of medicinal products with raw potato is dissuaded , especially those of internal use.

Apart from these considerations that always compels us to use this food cooked, we should think that the tubers of the potato plant , the potatoes, constitute a very appropriate food that should habitually be present in our meals . They are very rich in potassium, component that is very good to combat high blood pressure for its vasodilator and diuretic properties . Equally it has been proved to be a good help in the treatment of the depression and especially very interesting to those people who present rheumatic problems, acidosis, cystitis (inflammation of the urinary bladder ), prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate) or lithiasis (formation of calculus). Nevertheless one has to keep in mind that its use makes us eliminate a lot of water so that people with hypotension problems or renal affections should use cautiously . Equally, considering it has a big amount of carbohydrates, people with problems of obesity and diabetics should not abuse of its consumption.

Eating potatoes favors a gentle dream and they help to calm the spasms and cramps, exercising a sedative function of the organism. Equally it is very useful to alleviate cough, when this has a nervous origin.

They are rich in vitamin C with antiscorbutic and detoxifying properties, although, since this vitamin is located under the skin, many of it gets lost after cooking. It contains calcium and phosphorous and smaller quantities of betacarotenes whose properties were already highlighted in the study of the carrot. But, they are specially rich in carbohydrates that are, together with sugar , the energy source for the correct working of our body. For a correct assimilation of all these properties the should be taken boiled, or steamed cooked . Always using a slow cooking that avoids the destruction of the vitamin C to the minimum. It is very appropriate to drink the liquid resulting from boiling potatoes because most of the minerals are found in it. It is not appropriate to combine it with other starchy foods as legumes, cereals, bread or pastas, to avoid that the whose meal presents too many calories. The best combination is potatoes with other vegetables.

Many of the alimentary properties of this food are in the skin. Whenever possible they should be cooked without peeling them , keeping in mind that this should only be done in case of potatoes recently harvested , also called new potatoes. A good form of preparing them is baking them during 20 minutes with the skin, after having cleaned them appropriately or cook them roasted in the oven, with some drops of oil.. Other recommended combinations are the following ones:

- Puree of potatoes and carrots.

-Potatoes and onion.

- Potatoes with cauliflower and onion.

- Potatoes grated in the oven with aromatic herbs, especially parsley, basil or oregano.

Source: USDA Nutrient Data Base

Conservation of potatoes:

To maintain their alimentary properties in good state they should be stored under certain conditions. The main conditions to keep in mind when conserving the potatoes are the following ones:

- Not to pile them too much to avoid them to germinate. The heaps should never overcome a height of 50 cm.

- To maintain them inside a fresh temperature .

- To provide them a good ventilation ,

- To avoid to store them in a totally dark place, a fact which would make them germinate, neither they should be placed in full light. The best thing is to provide them a certain degree of dimness.

- Those that are in not well state should be removed to avoid them to ruin the rest.