From: "Jay D Mann" <mannj@caverock.co.nz>
Newsgroups: rec.food.veg.cooking,sci.med.nutrition
Subject: Re: Toxicity of Juices
Date: Fri, 23 Jul 1999 03:38:07 GMT

Squash and other members of the cucumber family have cucurbitacins, which I
think can give the reaction you describe.  Are you using commercial zucchini
or home-grown stuff kept from last-year's seeds?  Commercial breeders try to
keep the levels of cucurbitacins low, but that's assuming the fruit will be
cooked instead of being eaten raw.

There was one case here in NZ where a young chap was invited to his
girlfriend's parents' house for a meal.  No one else ate the bitter
homegrown squash, except this chap who was trying to be on his best
behaviour.  He wound up in hospital, which wasn't a particularly nice end to
the dinner.

Jay Mann
Christchurch, NZ

Randall Parker <rgparker@west.net> wrote ...(mod snip)
>
> I have noticed that when I juice fresh zucchini squash and drink it my
> throat feels rather odd. Its almost like it feels swollen. I haven't seen
> that effect with any other juiced vegetable.