Interesting, so it’s just the amount but the type of cucurbitacin that makes the Toxicity difference. Isn’t each type of Cucurbitacin still not healthy to consume? Also do all Cucurbita spp. share the same type of Cucurbitacin? It’s not like they have the exact cucurbitacin that cucumbers have, right?
No, there are some types of Cucurbitican that are extremely bad for you in relatively small doses. Some others in small doses are extremely good for you. Not all cucurbits contain the same cucurbitican compound group. Some contain more groups than one. Cucumbers tend to share the same cucurbitican compound group. I’m going to write a substack article about cucurbitican in a few weeks, I’ll be sure to share it here.
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Thank you for the Valuable Info! So do all Non Bitter Forms of Cucurbita & cucumis melo have Cucurbitacins too? How are they suppressed?
Are they present but reduced to levels that are undetectable by taste? or does the cucurbitacin they contain actually taste good?
Didn’t our ancestors breed out the bitterness when we Domesticated them? and does cooking destroy the cucurbitacin or render it harmless? if so How much so?
Also don’t different parts of the plant contain different levels of cucurbitacin?, like for example Leaves vs Flowers vs Fruits vs Seeds? or explain why some Kabocha Squash have bitter seed strings while buttercup squash doesn’t? or why Acorn Squash Ovaries aren’t bitter but Kabocha Squash Ovaries are?
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If you don’t mind, I’ll use these as a prompt to write my article.
But your questions really indicate that most people have a very simplistic understanding of cucurbitican.
To answer just one of your questions for now, as far as I know from my research, even in domestic species this cucurbitican isn’t completely removed but just removed to trace levels. Under certain poorly understood situations it can revert back to toxic levels in certain cucurbits.
I believe cucurbitican is the plant’s natural pesticide so it’s very deeply embedded into the genetics of the plant. Not easy to breed out.
I’m still doing my research about this but will summarise my findings on my substack article and ping you when it’s done.
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Does this mean we can theoretically reach zero cucurbitacin? Or will the plant just get eaten by every insect out there? Also why do some parts of the plant have more cucurbitacin than others? It seems like Seed Strings of Kabocha Squash are bitter because the flower Ovaries are (These were the only bitter parts I’ve Noticed & I tasted Leaves, Petals, Fruit cooked & Raw, Seeds, etc).
Also I’ve always thought that every Squash (Cucurbita spp.) species was edible if it didn’t taste bitter. If we can’t taste the bitterness, than it’s safe to eat. Am I wrong to assume this? Because I remember Joseth Lofthouse saying Cucurbitacin is a Well behaved toxin, in that it’s very Bitter & easy to taste.
Thank you, YOU ARE AWESOME!!!
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