Wild cucumber Ecballium elaterium is a wild plant whose fruits explode when ripe. It is used in folk medicine as a diuretic and laxative.
The plant is poisonous!
Use in traditional medicine
In the traditional In medicine, wild cucumber is used to treat: malaria, hepatitis , liver and kidney diseases, edema and watery diseases, hemorrhoids, gout and rheumatism, intestinal pain and cramps, diarrhea and amenorrhea. In small doses, cucumber helps with sinusitis, skin ulcers, open sores on the skin, problems with fungus on the legs and body.
Contraindications and side effects.
Wild cucumber – this is a poisonous plant , which is not recommended for unattended use. The juice and pulp of the plant can cause vomiting and nausea, bloody diarrhea, headache, dizziness, fever and nausea. If the juice comes in contact with the skin, it causes burns and ulcers.
An experienced herbalist can choose the right proportions. Taking traditional medicine can only be done under the supervision of the herbalist who prescribes it.
Classification
Crazy cucumber (Ecballium elaterium) is an annual plant , which belongs to the order of zucchini. It belongs to the genus Ecballium, species – Common mad cucumber. There are no other representatives of this species in nature.
The special feature of the plant is the ejection of seeds at a distance of up to 20 meters when they mature. They are popularly called: prickly fruit, echinocyst lobes or prickly echinocyst, Indian pomegranate, sea cucumber, wild cucumber.
Botanical description
Wild cucumber is an annual herbaceous plant up to 50 cm tall, the stem lying on the ground is creeping. The edge of the leaf is green and the base is covered with white hairs, it looks grayish on the outside.
The flowers of the plant are complex, unisexual petals with slightly yellowish shades. Yellow, funnel-shaped or bell-shaped wreath of five parts, up to 2 cm long. Occasionally the plant may be dioecious. Male flowers with three anthers are collected in beautiful brushes, which are located on long stalks. Crazy Cucumber Flower Formula: ♂ * H (5) L (5) T (2 + 2) +1 P0; ♀ * H (5) L5 TP (3).
The root of the mad cucumber is central, thick, white, slightly branched and fleshy. The fruit of the plant is yellowish-green in color and looks like a fleshy cucumber with thorns all over the surface. During ripening, the fruit leaves the stem and throws the seeds through a hole in the surface. The explosion occurs due to the creation of very strong pressure inside the fruit, the internal activity accumulates during the growth process, it begins to ferment, which creates an accumulation of gas. The fruit is up to 8 cm long and 2.5-5 cm wide, the seeds are elongated, compressed, small, smooth and with narrow edges. Crazy cucumber blooms in July-September, and the fruits ripen in August-September. It spreads over large areas, it is difficult to eliminate weeds.
Habitat
Crazy cucumber is found in Asia Minor and the Mediterranean, it grows in the southern territories of Russia. Prefers sandy soils with minimal moisture. It grows on the edges of roads, on dry slopes, along ravines.
Collection of raw materials
The stems are harvested in the spring during the flowering of the plant. They are cut and divided into small pieces. The pieces are placed on paper or canvas under the canopy , away from direct contact with the sun’s rays … It takes 6 to 8 days to prepare the raw material, the stems should become brittle. Then the stalks should be kept in a closed glass container. Shelf life is not more than 12 months.
The roots of the mad cucumber are dug in the fall. It is taken out of the ground and washed with running water … They are then dried in an oven or oven. A temperature of 50 to 60 degrees is required to prepare the ideal product. In 2 days the raw material reaches its optimal state. Storage is possible in glass or in a paid bag.
Immature fruits are stored dry. Harvest is done in June. Cucumbers are plucked from the plant and left to dry for 2-3 days in the sun. Then they are changed under the canopy for another 5 days until they are completely dry. Shelf life is 1 year.
Chemical composition
The chemical composition of wild cucumber has not been fully studied. But stems and roots contain carotenoids, triterpenoids, alkaloids, as well as steroids, vitamin C, B1, organic acids, fatty acids and nitrogen compounds.
The fruit contains elasericin A and B, vitamins C, A, group B, elatericin, as well as various alkaloids.
Pharmacological properties
Crazy cucumber is a poisonous plant, but at the same time it has a laxative and diuretic effect. On a small scale, it helps fight water in the body and swelling. It has anthelmintic properties.
The juice from the stem and leaves of the plant is an antibacterial agent, it can be used in small quantities. Tif it has antitumor components, but this property is not fully expressed in traditional medicine.
Application in traditional medicine
This herb was very popular among ancient physicians and is still used by traditional healers … The juice is extracted from the withered plant, dried and used to treat migraines, to improve sinus function.
Stems and fruits of wild cucumber help with lichen, psoriasis and diathesis. The mass is diluted in water and applied to the affected area. But it is important to use it in combination with other plants to reduce the possibility of disease recurrence.
The oil, soaked in dried cucumber, helps remove worms, and also helps treat sinusitis. The infusion mixed with milk helps to treat runny nose, reduces inflammation of the nasopharynx.
An enema is made from an infusion of mad cucumber. Exact proportion Infusion of crazy cucumber, water and vinegar helps with gout, relieves pain.
Hemorrhoids are treated with a mixture of sesame oil and dried wild cucumber. The mixture is heated and then applied externally.
The diuretic effect of this plant is also known. In watery diseases, edema, you can use a tincture of mad cucumber.
In Chinese folk medicine, decoctions of the roots and fruits of the plant are used to treat small tumors. The plant is actively studied in eastern countries. Experiments are being conducted to treat people with HIV and experiments are being examined to examine the possibility of using mad cucumber as an anticancer agent.
Historical reference
The plant was named “crazy cucumber” not by chance. Inside the fetus, a large pressure of up to 6 atmospheres is formed. At every touch, the cucumber breaks the stem and the seed explodes and z small holes at very high speed, releasing mucus, which contaminates everything around. As soon as the animal accidentally touches a mature plant, the contents of the fruit are sprayed in a split second. Little by little, the mucus dries and the seeds fall to the ground. This special method of reproduction led to the name crazy or spraying cucumber.
Avicenna first mentioned him in her writings, where she said that he was used to treat jaundice and gout.
It is used by gardeners for decorative purposes and in folk medicine. This is a poisonous plant, so you have to be very careful with it.
Variety characteristics
The culture was named after an interesting way of reproduction. It is also called echinocystis or prickly fruit. Crazy cucumber is an annual plant. It is the only representative of this species. Momordica is the most famous variety from North America , in 19. century was brought to Europe. It is now widespread in the Azores, the Mediterranean, southern Russia and Ukraine, in the Lesser and Central Asia .
What do wild cucumber fruits contain?
In addition, the crazy cucumber plant is used in the medical practice of traditional medicine. After all, it has useful properties due to its valuable composition. Scientists are studying them to this day. These wild fruits are known to contain:
- alkaloids;
- glycosides (elaterins, elatericins A and B);
- sterols;
- nitrogen-containing compounds;
- fatty and organic acids;
- proteins.
The presence of carotenoids, triterpenoids, vitamins C and B1 was determined.
Our ancestors used not only green fruits for medical purposes , but also stable ones with juice. It is used for diseases such as worms, water sickness, hepatitis and joint pain. It also has antineoplastic, diuretic, decongestant and resorptive bactericidal properties … Fresh plant juice is useful for abscesses, fistulas and hemorrhoids. When preparing it, you should wear gloves to avoid burns.
It is necessary to use medicines made from crazy cucumber under the supervision of a doctor and follow their monitoring. Do not take them if you are busy or come. Overdose before nausea, dizziness, vomiting, abdominal pain, rapid pulse.
Medicinal value
It has been used in medicine for more than a century. Even ancient healers used green fruits, juices and stems for intestinal problems, water sickness, hepatitis and joint pain.
Centuries-old folk practice has also noted that wild sea or crazy cucumber has diuretic, decongestant properties. Fresh juice of the plant is used to treat abscesses, fistulas and hemorrhoids.
And in ancient China, decoctions of stems, ripe fruits and roots successfully fought against various against various. It is successfully used internally and externally.
Healers prepare preparations from this plant and they also recommend their internal use in the treatment of kidneys, edema, malaria, jaundice, viral hepatitis, and some women’s diseases . Decoction of stable wild cucumber relieves headaches, gastrointestinal cramps and diarrhea.
External use is recommended for skin diseases , rheumatism, gout, sciatica, sinuses. Oil is prepared from the fruits of Ecballium elaterium, which lubricates varicose veins and hemorrhoids. Recent pharmacological studies of the plant have shown encouraging results in the treatment of AIDS. There are many recipes for traditional medicine. Let’s take a look at some of them.
Recipes for the treatment of various diseases.
1. Squeeze the juice from the green fruit and mix it with the barley flour. Dosage form of the pill refers to abscesses and acne. The skin will soon be cleansed.
2. The juice is mixed with apple cider vinegar in a ratio of 2: 1, wrapped in a bandage, squeezed a little and applied to the sore spot.
3. Green fruit juice mixed with milk relieves persistent rhinitis, cures sinusitis and relieves headaches.
4. The juice is used to treat otitis media. Relieves pain and has an antibacterial effect. To do this, use the juice from the stem.
5. The juice is mixed in equal parts with unrefined vegetable oil and honey. In case of sore throat, purulent sore throat, gum disease, inflammation of the oral cavity and tongue, it is recommended to apply this composition to the palate and diseased tissues during the day .
6. When you have sinusitis it is treated like this. The juice is diluted with water in the calculation: for 2 drops of juice – 8 drops of cold boiled water. A few drops of the composition are injected into each nostril only once or twice a day.
7. In case of inflammation in the kidneys, bladder and edema, drink herbal tea. For this problem, dried and crushed stems of the plant are used, which are poured into boiling water in the calculation: 1 teaspoon – a cup. Take one teaspoon 20 minutes before eating.
8. Herbal infusion cures helminth infection. Drink one tablespoon 3 times a day on an empty stomach. The same drug is used to treat fever, malignant tumors and fibroids.
9. A strong infusion of wild cucumber stalks is used externally for joint pain, rheumatism ,.
10. Green fruit oil, ie. The fruit is used in the treatment of hemorrhoids. Pour a spoonful of fresh “cucumbers” chopped together with vegetable oil (80 ml). Heat for 15 minutes in a steam bath. Allow to cool. Lubricate the external nodes near the anus. Also, this drug can successfully treat. varicose veins veins in the legs.
11. Alcoholic tincture of nuts is used for rubbing joints and muscles. Relieves pain in rheumatism, arthritis, sciatica. For 30 grams of plant mass, take 500 ml of water. This mixture was allowed to stand. After two weeks, filter the liquid and apply no more than 3 times a day.
Caution, poison!
When mad cucumber is used in medicine, you should know that this plant is poisonous. You should be very careful with this when using dosage forms . It is forbidden to use in pregnant women.
It is also recommended to wear rubber gloves when preparing with fresh plant preparations. The juice can burn the skin.
Medicinal properties
Means prepared from the above-ground part of mad cucumber have a pronounced laxative, anthelmintic, antibacterial, antitumor and diuretic effect. They are actively used in traditional medicine to treat the following diseases:
- dropsy, edema;
- inflammatory liver disease;
- stroke;
- hepatitis;
- helminthiasis;
- neuralgia, rheumatism, sciatica;
- intestinal polyps;
- inflammation of the urinary system;
- malignant neoplasms of the uterus;
- menstrual irregularities;
- intermittent fever
Externally, herbal remedies are used to treat skin with fungal infections, trophic ulcers and abscesses. They also help with hemorrhoids, inflammation of the nasal mucosa, sinusitis.
Methods of application
In folk medicine, infusions, decoctions, powder and juice are prepared from various parts of the plant.
Decoction for the treatment of skin diseases.
Pour 1 teaspoon of dried herbs into an enamel pot, add 1 liter of boiling water, put in a water bath and keep for 20 minutes. Then, while still hot, filter.
Remedies for sinusitis.
A small amount of juice is squeezed from the freshly picked green fruits of the crazy cucumber. Take 2 drops of juice and add 8 drops of cold boiling water. The resulting composition is instilled into the nose once a day in the amount of 3-4 drops in each nasal passage. The next application can be done only after three days. If there is no effect after the second instillation, the treatment is stopped.
Infusion for edema and worms
Wild cucumber ground dry plant in the amount of 1 tbsp pour in 200 g of boiling water. The vial containing the infusion is wrapped and insisted for 45 minutes, and then the liquid is filtered. Take 20 minutes before meals, 5 ml three times a day for edema of various origins, for worms and as a laxative.
Tincture for neuralgia, sciatica and rheumatism.
In a dark glass bowl, mix fresh or dried crazy cucumber fruits and 70% alcohol in a ratio of 1 to 20. The vessel is left for two weeks and then filtered. The tincture is used externally to rub painful places in rheumatism, sciatica, neuralgia.
Treatment with this plant is contraindicated in people suffering from pancreatitis, stomach and heart diseases, who have a tendency to fecal deposition, as well as in pregnant and breastfeeding women.
The chemical compounds that make up the fruits and seeds of wild cucumber can cause acute intoxication of the organism and death. Its preparation indoors is strictly forbidden. It has been determined that only 0.5 g of fresh fruit juice, taken internally, can lead to deadly poisoning for humans.
In case of overdose, symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and rapid heartbeat occur.
