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Cucurbitaceae
General information
The genera in the family of Cucurbitaceae ( Table 1 ) include cucumbers, gourds, and melons.
Table 1
Genera of Cucurbitaceae
| Apodanthera (apodanthera) |
| Benincasa (benincasa) |
| Brandegea (starvine) |
| Bryonia (bryony) |
| Cayaponia (melonleaf) |
| Citrullus (watermelon) |
| Coccinia (coccinia) |
| Ctenolepis (ctenolepis) |
| Cucumis (melon) |
| Cucumeropsis (cucumeropsis) |
| Cucurbita (gourd) |
| Cyclanthera (cyclanthera) |
| Doyerea (doyeria) |
| Ecballium (squirting cucumber) |
| Echinocystis (echinocystis) |
| Echinopepon (balsam apple) |
| Fevillea (fevillea) |
| Hodgsonia (hodgsonia) |
| Ibervillea (globeberry) |
| Lagenaria (lagenaria) |
| Luffa (luffa) |
| Marah (manroot) |
| Melothria (melothria) |
| Momordica (momordica) |
| Psiguria (pygmymelon) |
| Sechium (sechium) |
| Sicana (sicana) |
| Sicyos (burr cucumber) |
| Sicyosperma (sicyosperma) |
| Telfairia (telfairia) |
| Thladiantha (thladiantha) |
| Trichosanthes (trichosanthes) |
| Tumamoca (tumamoca) |
Bryonia alba
Bryonia alba (white bryony) contains toxic triterpenoids called cucurbitacins, which are drastic laxatives and emetics and can cause the symptoms of food poisoning [ ].
Citrullus colocynthis
The dried pulp of the fruit of Citrullus colocynthis (colocynth) is a drastic laxative, which contains toxic cucurbitacins.
A man experienced vomiting, colicky pain, and bloody diarrhea after self-medication with C. colocynthis [ ]. Hemorrhagic colitis secondary to ingestion of colocynth has been reported [ ]. In three cases of toxic acute colitis 8–12 hours after ingestion of colocynth for ritual purposes, the prominent clinical feature was dysenteric diarrhea; colonoscopic changes included congestion and hyperemia of the mucosa with abundant exudates but no ulceration or pseudopolyp formation; there was rapid recovery within 3–6 days, with normal endoscopy at day 14 [ ].
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