Common Name: Squirting Cucumber

General Information

Ecballium elaterium is a herbaceous perennial plant producing one or more stems from a woody rootstock. The stems can grow up to 100cm or more long, usually trailing along the ground.
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine. It is sometimes cultivated for medicinal use and is also sometimes grown in gardens as a curiosity.
The plant occasionally self-sows in our Cornwall trial ground[] and can become a weed in warmer climates than Britain[]. It is subject to statutory control as a weed in Australia[].

Known Hazards

Poisonous in large quantities[] (this probably refers to the fruit). The juice of the fruit is irritative to some skins[].
The fruit juice is considered to be toxic, affecting the respiratory, cardiac and gastric systems plus any mucous membranes it makes contact with[].

Botanical References

,

Range

Throughout the Mediterranean, except Egypt, and east to Moldova, Ukraine and the Caucasus

Habitat

Hot dry places on waste ground and roadsides[, ], usually close to the coast[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.30 m
Pollinators	Insects
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Ecballium elaterium is a plant mainly of Mediterranean climates and can only be grown outdoors in the milder regions of the temperate zone. The foliage is fairly frost-tender, though the roots are considerably hardier and can tolerate several degrees of frost. Giving the roots a thick, organic mulch when the plant dies down in the autumn can help it survive in hardiness zones as low as 7 or perhaps even 6. Plants are more likely to be killed by excessive winter wet[].
Requires a moist well-drained soil in a sunny position[, ]. Grows best in a rich soil[]. Another report says that it succeeds in poor soils[].
The squirting cucumber has a history of cultivation for its use as a medicinal plant, though it is probably little, if at all, cultivated at present[, ].
The ripening fruit becomes pumped full of liquid, leading to an increase in pressure. As the seed becomes ripe, this pressure forces the fruit to break away explosively from the plant, ejecting its seed to a considerable distance in the opposite direction[].
There are two main forms of this plant, distinguised by their flowers. One produces monoecious flowers (male and female flowers are separate but both are on the same plant), whilst the other produces dioecious flowers (each plant produces either all male or all female flowers)[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The squirting cucumber has been used as a medicinal plant for over 2,000 years, though it has a very violent effect upon the body and currently has little use in modern herbalism[, ].
Medicinally, the plant is mostly known for its high content of cucurbitacins, which can provide the species with various biological activities. The highest concentration of cucurbitacins is found in the fruits, followed by stems and leaves. Besides cucurbitacins, the species contains other important compounds, which can also enhance its biological activities.
There has been considerable research interest in the potential of this plant for medicinal use. Studies suggest it has various beneficial effects, including hepatoprotective and neuroprotective activities plus a beneficial effect on sepsis-induced lung injury. The protective activity may be due to its ability to reduce abdominal adhesion and may be a useful tool for the antiinflammatory activity in the prevention of postoperative peritoneal adhesion[].
The seeds contain a specific polypeptide, actually a protease inhibitor, which specifically acts against trypsin, being one of the most potent trypsin inhibitors[].
Cucurbitacin E is not studied only for its cytotoxic effect, but also for its ability to stimulate the immune system, which can be vital for the possible anti-cancer activity. At the same time, it seems to have minor cytotoxic effects on normal cell lines[].

The juice of the fruit is antimicrobial, antiinflammatory, antioxidant, antirheumatic, cardiac, cytotoxic and purgative[, , , , , ]. The plant is a very powerful purgative that causes evacuation of water from the bowels[]. It is used internally in the treatment of oedema associated with kidney complaints, heart problems, rheumatism, paralysis and shingles[, ]. The plant is also traditionally used as a treatment for otitis, sinusitis, malarial fever, headaches or sinusitis and rheumatism[].
Applied externally, the juice has been used to treat sinusitis and painful joints[].
This remedy should be used with great caution and only under the supervision of a qualified practitioner[, ]. Excessive doses have caused gastro-enteritis and even death[]. It should not be used by pregnant women since it can cause an abortion[].
The fully grown but unripe fruits are harvested during the summer, they are left in containers until the contents are expelled and the juice is then dried for later use[, ].

The root contains an analgesic principle[].

Other Uses

Cucurbitacins that are present in the composition of this species (mostly cucurbitacin D and cucurbitacin I) may perform an important role in the defence mechanisms of the plant. For example, they are active against Botrytis cinerea Pers., due to the inhibition of laccase formation[].
Leaf extracts exhibit a potent anti-insect activity, which can be the result of the internal defence mechanisms of the plant. This is also the main reason for the possibility of using the extracts of the plant to inhibit the germination of growth of some other plant species[].

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring in rich compost in a greenhouse. Place 2 - 3 seeds per pot and thin to the strongest plant. The seed usually germinates in 10 - 21 days at 25°c[]. Grow the plants on fast and plant them out after the last expected frosts.