Contains the resin elaterin, a powerful purgative; its sale is restricted in the UK to registered pharmacies.

Oakeley, Dr. H. F. . (2013). The Gardens of the Pharmacopoeia Londinensis. Link

Poison.

Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) at www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/tax_search.pl

Toxicity due to cucurbitacins.

Professor Anthony Dayan, 2021

The plant, especially its fruit, is poisonous (Raikhlin et al., 2000; Vlachos et al., 1994; Eken et al., 2008), containing cucurbitacin, a poisonous triterpene (Attard and Scicluna-Spiteri, 2003

The Journal of Ethnobiology and Traditional Medicine. Photon 119 (2013) 515-537 https://sites.google.com/site/photonfoundationorganization/home/the-journal-of-ethnobiology-and-traditional-medicine

Toxic due to presence of triterpene derivatives that are mucosal irritants and cause violent purgation.

Professor Anthony Dayan, 2022

Ecballium elaterium (L.)A.Rich. Benincaseae Squirting cucumber - when ripe, the seed explodes from its case, squirting some distance. Distribution: Asia, Europe and N. Africa. Contain cucurbitacins which are very bitter, cytotoxic and poisonous. A restricted herbal product, only to be supplied in registered pharmacies or under the supervision of a pharmacist (UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)).

Oakeley, Dr. Henry F. (2013). Wellcome Library notes. Link

Culpeper: ‘Cucumers, or (if you will) cowcumbers, cool the stomach and are good against ulcers in the bladder.’

This plant has at least 292 folk and popular names in European and Middle Eastern languages. They reflect its unusual appearance, the peculiar method of seed dispersal, medicinal uses, role in magic and witchcraft and bitter taste. In some countries they also represent terms of abuse often by reference to ‘lowly animals’ and disgusting habits. The large number of names shows the influence of cultural and societal factors in the formation of popular names and exemplify the problems of identification faced by ethnobotanists and historians in identifying particular species from past records.

The Journal of Ethnobiology and Traditional Medicine. Photon 119 (2013) 515-537 https://sites.google.com/site/photonfoundationorganization/home/the-journal-of-ethnobiology-and-traditional-medicine

Cancer; Cathartic; Dropsy; Nephritis; Purgative. Restricted.

Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) at www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/tax_search.pl

Culpeper: ‘Cucumers, or (if you will) cowcumbers, cool the stomach and are good against ulcers in the bladder.’

Culpeper, Nicholas. (1650). A Physical Directory . London, Peter Cole.

The cucumber of today’s salads is Cucumis sativus.

Restricted medicinal.

The medicinal properties and uses of EE have been well known since the Assyrian Times (Campbell, 1949). Several sources have indicated that the fruit of E. elaterium is the source of the important medical product«_____ __» (elaterion), "Elatir", including: Dioscorides (Materia Medica 4:150 as Sikysagrios – ____ __ __; Gunther, 1959); Theophrastus (Historia Plantarum: II: 476 asSikyos o agrios – _____ _ __ __); Galenus Med. (De simplicium medicamentorum temperamentis ac facultatibus libri xi as Sikyos agrios - _____ __ __) and Pliny (as "elaterium", Natural History, XX, 3. 85). Its properties and uses include: analgesic, laxative, and abortive; treatment for chronic sinusitis, liver cirrhosis, rheumatism, and hemorrhoids; treatment for jaundice, diuretic, emetic, nasal drops, potent cathartic and anti-inflammatory agent (see Latté, 2009 for a recent review).

The Journal of Ethnobiology and Traditional Medicine. Photon 119 (2013) 515-537 https://sites.google.com/site/photonfoundationorganization/home/the-journal-of-ethnobiology-and-traditional-medicine

Africa, Northern Africa, Algeria

Africa, Northern Africa, Libya

Africa, Northern Africa, Morocco

Africa, Northern Africa, Tunisia

Asia-Temperate, Caucasus, North Caucasus

Asia-Temperate, Caucasus, Transcaucasus

Asia-Temperate, Western Asia, Cyprus

Asia-Temperate, Western Asia, Iran

Asia-Temperate, Western Asia, Iraq

Asia-Temperate, Western Asia, Jordan

Asia-Temperate, Western Asia, Lebanon-Syria

Asia-Temperate, Western Asia, Turkey

Europe, Eastern Europe, Baltic States

Europe, Eastern Europe, Ukraine

Europe, Southeastern Europe, Albania

Europe, Southeastern Europe, Bulgaria

Europe, Southeastern Europe, Greece

Europe, Southeastern Europe, Italy

Europe, Southeastern Europe, Romania

Europe, Southeastern Europe, Yugoslavia

Europe, Southwestern Europe, France

Europe, Southwestern Europe, Portugal

Europe, Southwestern Europe, Spain