The loofah is smooth and refreshing
Rich in a variety of nutrients
Whether it is cold or stir-fried, it is a good choice
Recently, a circle of friends sent me asking for help
I heard that bitter gourds are poisonous, even more poisonous than arsenic!
Is this true?
Jia Kai
Beijing Chaoyang Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University
Chief Physician of Nutrition Department
The poisoning of bitter loofah is due to alkali glycoside alkaloids, which are a class of toxic substances that cannot be removed by rinsing and adding salt, and are also difficult to decompose at high temperatures.
At the same time, the claim that bitter gourd is poisonous to arsenic is not very accurate. Arsenic is arsenic trioxide, while alkali glycoside alkaloids are a class of substances. Different alkaloids have different toxicity, so they cannot be compared simply.
Different people have different tolerances to alkali glycoalkaloids. People with low tolerance may experience symptoms such as dry mouth, dizziness, and nausea in mild cases, and nausea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps in severe cases. Pain, diarrhea, dehydration and other symptoms, and even life-threatening.
Generally, the onset occurs 30 minutes to 7 hours after consumption. Once symptoms of poisoning appear, seek medical attention immediately.
Are all bitter gourds poisonous?
There are two main reasons for the bitterness of the loofah: one is the bitterness caused by the clusters of powder produced when the loofah is pollinated, which is poisonous; Bitter, this loofah is non-toxic.
That means not all bitter gourds are poisonous.
Tips: Loofah belongs to the cucurbit family. Other cucurbit fruits and vegetables that people often eat include cucurbits, zucchini, pumpkins, cucumbers, and cantaloupes. Alkaline glycoalkaloids are also bitter and toxic if they accumulate in these fruits and vegetables.
How to tell if a loofah is poisonous?
Bitter loofah and normal loofah have no obvious difference in appearance and cannot be distinguished with the naked eye. However, bitter gourd will have a distinct bitter taste whether it is eaten raw or cooked.
Because we can’t tell whether a bitter gourd is poisonous or not just by taste, so if you eat a bitter gourd, you must spit it out as soon as possible, and then throw away the bitter gourd that you haven’t eaten, and don’t take your own Healthy jokes!
Don’t worry too much if you accidentally eat a bitter loofah but don’t swallow it.
Why is bitter gourd bitter but not poisonous?
The bitter taste of bitter melon comes from a substance called balsam, which is non-toxic.
Not all vegetables are bitter and poisonous, a simple way to judge ⬇️
As long as the taste of the vegetables is the original and there is no abnormality, in this case, they are usually non-toxic, such as bitter gourd; and some abnormal bitterness is very likely to be poisonous, such as loofah, cucumber, etc. bitter.
Which other fruits and vegetables are at risk of poisoning?
Greening or sprouting potatoes: Potatoes are easy to germinate in a humid and slightly hot environment. Once sprouted or green, the toxin such as solanine will accumulate in large quantities, and the toxin content in the non-germinating area is also high. So as long as you see the potatoes sprouting, you must throw them away, and don’t eat them after cutting them off!
In addition, it is recommended that potatoes be stored at low temperature, protected from light, and not stored for a long time.
Agaric fungus soaked for a long time: After being soaked for a long time, the fungus will cause a large number of bacteria to multiply, produce bacterial toxins, and easily cause food poisoning. The fungus is soaked quickly, generally half an hour, and must not be soaked for a long time.
Green tomatoes: Unripe green tomatoes also contain solanine, the same toxic compound found in green sprouted potatoes.
Note that some varieties of tomatoes are green when they are ripe, which is edible; ordinary tomatoes are green when they are not ripe!
Uncooked green beans: raw green beans contain saponin, phytohemagglutinin and trypsin inhibitors, etc., which can strongly stimulate the digestive tract, but high temperature can destroy the structure of these substances, so green beans must be Fully fried before eating.
Moldy nuts: Nuts are easily contaminated by Aspergillus flavus and become moldy, and are prone to produce highly toxic substances – aflatoxins. Aflatoxins have strong liver toxicity and are first-class carcinogens , so moldy nuts must not be eaten.
Wild mushrooms: There are many species of wild mushrooms, many of which are poisonousThere are a lot of reports of poisoning from eating wild mushrooms, so you must not try wild mushrooms that you don’t know.
Fresh daylily: Fresh daylily contains colchicine. Colchicine itself is non-toxic, but it is easily oxidized to form highly toxic dicolchicine after entering the human body. Fortunately, colchicine is easily soluble in water and easily destroyed by high temperature, so it can be eaten with confidence as long as it is properly cooked.
Ginkgo: Ginkgo contains ginkgolic acid and other toxins, which are highly toxic. The general poisoning dose is 10 to 50. The symptoms of poisoning occur 1 to 12 hours after eating ginkgo, mainly gastrointestinal symptoms. of food poisoning.
The toxicity of ginkgo fruit is reduced when exposed to heat, so raw ginkgo fruit is more susceptible to poisoning.
Eating Guide
1. The poisoning of bitter gourd is due to alkali glycoside alkaloids, which cannot be removed by rinsing and adding salt, and it is difficult to decompose under high temperature
2. If you eat a bitter gourd, you should spit it out and throw away the bitter gourd that you haven’t eaten
3. These fruits and vegetables are also at risk of poisoning: green or sprouted potatoes; green tomatoes; unripe green beans; moldy nuts; wild mushrooms; fresh daylily; ginkgo fruit
(CCTV Life Circle)