Raw asparagus safe?

Hmmm, I am interested to know this myself, as I have been putting slices of raw asparagus into my salads, and so far, no definite toxic effects.... although I have taken to bouncing and singing silly songs, does that count?

It is perfectly safe. I eat raw asparagus all the time and have seem numerous recipes for thinly shaved, raw asparagus salad.
How can you not nibble on the stems when prepping it? So sweet!

i've heard (from mushroom experts) that mushrooms contain a small amount of a carcinogen that is destroyed when the mushrooms are cooked. be that as it may, i eat mushrooms raw on occasion. could be the same for asparagus, i suppose. then again, i also eat grilled meat, which folks say will kill ya. (the grilled part, AND the meat part...) so i guess the end result is that i will die sometime...;->

I've been eating it raw since I was a little kid. Never gotten sick. Super sweet spring asparagus (eaten raw) is one of the joys of life.

Maybe the reason you have been unable to confirm this is because that person was wrong. Even a quick Google search will turn up thousands of recipes for raw asparagus.

They might be referring to purines in asparagus that can cause gout in people who are suseptable. However, that is just is true of cooked asparagus as raw. Also the components of asparagus can cause 'asparagus odor' in urine ... but again ... that happens to some people raw or cooked.

If you can trust the Michegan Asparagus board, they answered the question as follows:

"Although most people prefer asparagus cooked in some way, it is perfectly safe to eat asparagus raw. Just rinse it well in warm water to remove any sand and serve cold with a dip."

http://www.asparagus.org/maab/faq.html

Actually, I've heard that raw asparagus is healthier than cooked because it loses fewer nutriants ... also has a nice, sweet nutty taste.

We used to have a small asparagus patch in the garden. It was deemed a failure after a number of years. We'd send to kids out to pick some for dinner, and it would never make it into the house.;-) The kids have grown up fine and healthy. Raw veggies are fine. Unless you are from the South, then you have to way over cook them.

Doug

They would be refering to the inulin content. For example the eddo (root of the taro) contains inulin and is extremely toxic uncooked. You have to peel them with gloves on, soak in water overnight, throw out the gloopy/gel water, cook like a potato and then it is perfect, and safe to consume. The body can't digest inulin, it passes through to the colon, where it ferments...