Fatal Cardiac and Renal Failure Due to Ecbalium Elaterium (Squirting Cucumber)

Ecbalium (Ecballium) elaterium (EE), known as the wild or squirting cucumber, is a hairy, perennial herbaceous vine of the cucurbitaceae family endemic to the Mediterranean region. All parts of the plant are toxic particularly the gherkin-like green fruits described as ovoid, 3-5 cm long and exploding when ripe. A case of lethal poisoning from an unusual therapeutic application of the fruit is described. A 54-year-old woman from Crete used the juice of the EE fruit for treatment of a chronic sinusitis.