I’ve heard a bitter zucchini can be poisonous. Is that really so?
Gerda
Patricia Schutte, nutritionist†
A pumpkin or zucchini from your own garden can be poisonous if it tastes bitter. It is then best to spit it out and not eat it any further. It may contain a toxic substance, also called cucurbitacins.
When is a zucchini or pumpkin safe to eat?
Pumpkins or zucchini that can be bought at the store or at the market are safe to eat. Problems can arise with pumpkins or courgettes from your own cultivation. There are known cases where people have become ill by eating bitter gourds or courgettes with complaints such as vomiting and diarrhea. Ornamental pumpkins are also poisonous and cannot be eaten.
How can they be poisonous?
When growing pumpkins or courgettes from your own garden (vegetable garden, allotment garden), bitter substances can be produced in exceptional cases. The cause of the problem is often that in the garden both pumpkins and ornamental gourds are grown. The bees can provide cross fertilization here. The resulting fruits may contain cucurbitacins. The fruits are often indistinguishable from the harmless edible pumpkin or zucchini.
How do you recognize symptoms of poisoning?
Symptoms appear quickly after ingesting only a small amount. It often starts with nausea, abdominal pain, abdominal cramps, vomiting and diarrhea (possibly even bloody). This can lead to dehydration symptoms if you don’t drink enough.
Do you suffer from these symptoms? Then go to the doctor.
Do you also have a question? Then ask one of our experts. Always go to your doctor with urgent questions, the experts are not the right person for that. Nor do they make diagnoses. The other conditions can be found here†
Patricia Schutte has been working as an information officer at the Nutrition Center in The Hague for more than 25 years. She answers questions about healthy, sustainable and safe food.
