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I have just been reading an article from The New York Times by Harold McGee dated July 28 2009 which suggests that tomato leaves are edible. Anyone tried it? And lived??!! In fact the articles raises questions about whether eating basil leaves is in the same league.

If you look on this list, then the answer is no, although it doesn't say they are poisonous. I don't particularly like the smell of tomato plants so I don't think I'll be trying it.

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/newsletters/hortupdate/may02/art4may.html

"Tomatoes are a member of the nightshade family, and the leaves and stems are quite poisonous. If you rub a tomato leaf between your fingers, the sharp, "bitter" odor you smell is the poisonous alkaloids it produces. Potatoes, peppers, and other well-known plants also produce these; one of the best-known is belladonna, which is a source of atropine."

so say a number of internet sites. I'd always heard it was a nightshade plant and therefore
dangerous leaves and stems. I wouldn't eat them.

According to PFAF all green parts of the plant are poisonous.  It mentions that the leaves can be used to make an insecticide particularly effective against ants but advises caution as it is toxic if ingested.

Sorry, can't get the UK PFAF up, it seems to have disappeared but here is the international version:

http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Lycopersicon+esculentum&CAN=COMIND

Don't even go there....  :o

I've read repeatedlyt that 'all green parts' of the Solanaceae are poisonous. However, we do eat green tomatoes with no ill effects. These statement sometimes need qualifying!

,,,  a point that is made in the article ...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/29/dining/29curi.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper

interesting article!

Edible or not, the smell is enough to put me off eating them! :o

very interesting article