A man in China’s Fujian province developed acute liver failure after eating just half of a bitter homegrown cucumber contaminated with a naturally occurring toxin, prompting doctors to warn the public never to consume unusually bitter cucumbers.
According to local media reports, the man prepared a cold cucumber salad using cucumbers grown in his own garden. Although he noticed the cucumber tasted unusually bitter, he consumed about half of it before stopping.
Within an hour, he developed severe nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhoea, and was rushed to hospital, where doctors diagnosed him with cucurbitacin poisoning. His condition later progressed to liver failure.
Medical experts from Fujian Provincial Second People’s Hospital said the cucumber had likely produced high levels of cucurbitacin B, a highly toxic compound that can develop when cucumber plants undergo genetic mutations or suffer damage from insect attacks.
Doctors explained that cucurbitacin is heat-stable, meaning it cannot be destroyed through normal cooking methods. The toxin can severely irritate the digestive system and damage liver cells, with severe cases potentially leading to acute poisoning or even death.
Health experts stressed that cucumbers, gourds and other members of the cucurbit family should never taste bitter. A bitter flavour is considered a warning sign that the vegetable may contain dangerous levels of cucurbitacins.
They advised the public to discard any cucumber or gourd immediately if it has an unusually bitter taste and avoid attempting to cook or eat it, as the toxin remains active even after heating.
Doctors said prompt medical attention should be sought if symptoms such as vomiting, severe stomach pain or diarrhoea develop after consuming bitter cucumbers or gourds.
