Be careful with the zucchini in your garden (they can poison you)

When zucchini and pumpkins have a bitter taste, it is better not to eat them. Under certain conditions, zucchini can produce a potentially deadly toxic substance called cucurbitacin.

Why is toxic cucurbitacin formed?

Certain circumstances increase the risk of the appearance of cucurbitacin, a toxic substance that is part of the plant’s defenses against herbivorous animals.

High temperatures and drought they increase the stress of the plant and, with it, the probabilities that it will respond with the production of said toxin.Plant zucchini and squash together, especially of ornamental varieties, because cross reactions can occur that favor the appearance of toxic plants. The most decisive: plant the seeds collected in the garden itself, one year after another. On the other hand, if purchased seeds are sown every year, the risk is practically nil.

Toxic Zucchini They are recognized by their bitter taste and smell. Cooking them does not remove the toxin. Therefore, if you notice a bitter taste when eating a zucchini, spit out the bite and throw away the entire dish.

Cucurbitacin poisoning symptoms

Cucurbitacin is a neurotoxic and the symptoms of intoxication are malaise, dizziness, vomiting and diarrhea, which in very serious cases can be bloody.

You’ve probably never heard of cucurbitacin and the risk it poses, but it’s real. In 2015 a German pensioner died after eating a zucchini that he himself had planted in his garden.

Older people do not usually appreciate flavors with the same intensity, so their risk is greater. In order for it to produce death, a relatively high dose of curbitacin.

The most important fact that you have to remember is that when eating a zucchini, which is normally sweet and pleasant, the bitter taste is very suspicious and you have to reject it.

Of course, this news should not discourage you at all from growing your own food in the garden or on the terrace.