Surprisingly, sweet potatoes are actually not directly related to white potatoes. They are a member of the morning glory family, while white potatoes are members of the night shade family. This means that sweet potatoes lack the potentially toxic traits of white potatoes, which can be caused by the glycoalkaloid solanine. The toxic alkaloid solanine is found in very small quantities through ought the flesh of fresh white potatoes but it has proven to slowly increase to dangerous concentrations when stored improperly for prolonged periods of time.

     Sweet potatoes are also much healthier and more nutritious than white potatoes for a variety of reasons aside from their lack of Solanine. For example, Sweet Potatoes are much higher in certain phytonutrients such as various polyphenols and carotenoids.

     Some of the more notable polyphenols found in sweet potatoes are flavonoids such as quercetin, kaempferol, luteolin, and apigenin. Which have all shown to display potent antioxidant properties that decease inflammation, protect dna replication, improve cardiovascular health, and improve cognitive functioning.

     Furthermore, some of the important carotenoids found in sweet potatoes are beta-carotene, luetein, and, zeaxanthin. Which have proven to improve eye health and protect against age related macular degeneration, amongst other health benefits which including the detoxification of oxidative free radicals.

     Historically, sweet potatoes were originally first cultivated in South America and were estimated to have spread to Europe and then the rest of the world around 750 bc.

     Taxonomically, the sweet potato producing species Ipomoea Batatas is a member of the family Convolvulaceae, which is part of the class Magnoliopsida (Dicotyledonous), under the order of Solanales.