Tag: Nicotiana rustica

While trace amounts of nicotine exist in many common foods, the most significant concentrations are found in the tobacco family. Native wild species and a specific Australian plant contain substantially higher levels than cultivated tobacco, revealing what plants have the highest nicotine content.

While many plants in the nightshade family contain trace amounts of nicotine, the species known as *Nicotiana rustica* is the most potent, with a nicotine content that can be up to nine times higher than common commercial tobacco. This highly concentrated alkaloid acts as a powerful natural insecticide for the plant.

Nicotine is a naturally occurring alkaloid in plants of the Solanaceae, or nightshade family, but its concentration varies dramatically between species. The specific leaf containing the highest concentration of nicotine comes from a species of tobacco known for its potency, dwarfing the levels found in commercial tobacco and other nightshade relatives.