Practical
Plants

Ecballium elaterium

Squirting Cucumber

a perennial member of the Ecballium genus in the family Cucurbitaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Height
0.3 m
Spread
1 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Insects
Flower type
monoecious
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Poisonous in large quantities[13] (this probably refers to the fruit). The juice of the fruit is irritative to some skins[2].

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

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 has little use in modern herbalism[6][8]. The juice of the fruit is antirheumatic, cardiac and purgative[1][13][12][14][15]. The plant is a very powerful purgative that causes evacuation of water from the bowels[6]. It is used internally in the treatment of oedema associated with kidney complaints, heart problems, rheumatism, paralysis and shingles[14][6]. Externally, it has been used to treat sinusitis and painful joints[6]. It should be used with great caution and only under the supervision of a qualified practitioner[9][6]. Excessive doses have caused gastro-enteritis and even death[13]. It should not be used by pregnant women since it can cause an abortion[13]. 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[11][6]. The root contains an analgesic principle[7].

Product or use
Abortifacient
Product or use
Analgesic
Product or use
Antirheumatic
Product or use
Cardiac
Product or use
Kidney
Product or use
Purgative

Environment

Range
Europe - Mediterranean. Naturalized in Britain at a few locations along the south coast[3].
Habitat
Hot dry places on waste ground and roadsides[10][14], usually close to the coast[13].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 9+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

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[4]. Grow the plants on fast and plant them out after the last expected frosts.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Prefers a moist well-drained soil in a sunny position[14][5]. Grows best in a rich soil[1]. Another report says that it succeeds in poor soils[6]. The foliage is fairly frost-tender, though the roots are much hardier and plants can survive quite cold winters in Britain[14]. They are more likely to be killed by excessive winter wet[14]. The squirting cucumber is sometimes cultivated for its use as a medicinal plant[11]. 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. The plant occasionally self-sows in our Cornwall trial ground[K] and can become a weed in warmer climates than Britain[K]. It is subject to statutory control as a weed in Australia[6].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  2. Niebuhr. A. D. Herbs of Greece. Herb Society of America. 1970-00-00

    ↩

  3. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

    ↩

  4. Bird. R. (Editor) Focus on Plants. Volume 5. (formerly 'Growing from seed') Thompson and Morgan. 1991-00-00

    ↩

  5. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩

  6. Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7513-020-31

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8

  7. Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986-00-00

    ↩

  8. Stuart. M. (Editor) The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism Orbis Publishing. London. 1979-00-00 ISBN 0-85613-067-2

    ↩

  9. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩

  10. Polunin. O. Flowers of Greece and the Balkans. Oxford University Press 1980-00-00 ISBN 0-19-217626-9

    ↩

  11. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  12. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩

  13. Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-356-10541-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  14. Organ. J. Gourds. Faber 1963-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  15. Polunin. O. and Huxley. A. Flowers of the Mediterranean. Hogarth Press 1987-00-00 ISBN 0-7012-0784-1

    ↩

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