There are many useful and harmful plants at the same time in gardening and in the wild. One of them is a vegetable with a very funny name - mad cucumber. Why it is so called and how it can be used, you will learn from this article.

Description and chemical composition of the plant

The rabid, or wild, cucumber is a representative of the Pumpkin family.

Did you know? This plant got its name because of the unique process of ejecting seeds: a ripe fruit, especially if it is picked, shoots seeds into the air.

Both ordinary cucumber and rabid practically do not differ in appearance. The length of the stem is 30–85 cm, the leaves are covered with small spines, triangular in shape, but most often heart-shaped. The upper part of the leaf is smooth, green, the lower part is faded, wrinkled, with small hairs.

The flower is pale yellow, unisexual, has 5 stamens (4 paired together and 1 free), a five-parted calyx and a five-parted corolla. Pistillate flowers 1.5 cm in size are placed in the axils of the leaves on the pedicels.

It blooms in July and September. Fruits begin to form in August. The fruit is berry-like, green, elliptical, covered with small spines, located on a vertical stalk. Its length is 3–8 cm.

A rabid cucumber propagates in a peculiar way: in ripened fruits, there is strong pressure, they break away from the stem, while the seeds shoot from the fruit and fly apart. The seed distribution range of this vegetable reaches 12 m around the main bush.

The seeds of the wild cucumber are dark brown, small, smooth, slightly compressed. The length of the seed is 4 mm. During the ripening period, the seeds are in a closed mucous mass.

The chemical composition of the vegetable has not been fully studied; only some components of this plant are known.

The stalk and root of the cucumber contain:

• carotenoids;
• triterpenoids;
• alkaloids;
• steroids;
• vitamins of groups C and B;
• organic and fatty acids.

The composition of the fetus includes:

• elasericin A and B;
• vitamins of groups A, B and C;
• alkaloids.

The distribution area of ​​mad cucumber is southern territories. It grows on the Azores, in the Mediterranean and Asia Minor, in the south of Russia, in the Crimea, as well as in the Caucasus and Central Asia.

Important! Crazy cucumber is a poisonous plant, with its help you can even kill a person .

Beneficial features

This plant, despite the toxic substances in its composition, has useful properties.

• Its fruits have such a positive effect for humans:
• laxative and diuretic;
• antitumor;
• anthelmintic;
• antibacterial.

Harm and contraindications

Do not forget that the plant is very poisonous. Taking in just 0.6 g of wild cucumber juice, you can die.

• The negative effects of a mad cucumber include the occurrence of such ailments:
• pancreatitis
• heart related diseases;
• stomach diseases;
• stool problems.

Important! It is strictly forbidden to use rabid cucumbers during pregnancy.

The use of mad cucumber

In traditional medicine, this vegetable is not used. However, in folk methods of treatment, he gained considerable popularity based on the knowledge of previous generations. As drugs from mad cucumber, they make juice, oil, decoctions and tinctures, dry the stems and leaves of the bush.

For treatment

This type of cucumber is used for the treatment and prevention of various diseases for centuries. Its pharmacological properties include antiseptic and laxative effects. Also, the plant is used to reduce edema and treat liver.

Skin diseases

With psoriasis and diathesis, dried plant stems are used.

Recipe for a decoction for skin diseases:

1. Take 1 tbsp. a spoonful of dried grass and pour 1 liter of boiling water.
2. Put in a water bath for 25 minutes.
3. After the broth has cooled, strain it and add more water.
4. Wipe the affected area on the face and body with a decoction.

Sinusitis

Cucumber juice perfectly copes with sinusitis and nasal congestion.

Important! For the treatment of sinusitis, it is necessary to use only freshly squeezed fruit juice.

Juice preparation:

1. Squeeze juice from the fruit, use protective gloves for this, strain.
2. Combine 2 drops of juice and 8 drops of water. Boil and cool the liquid.
3. Drop 3-4 drops into each nostril.
4. Repeat this procedure no later than 3 days.

Hemorrhoids

Wild vegetable oil is used to treat hemorrhoids.

Oil recipe:

1. Take 1 dessert spoon of chopped unripe fruits. It is allowed to eat both fresh cucumbers and dried.
2. Mix them with 100 ml of vegetable oil.
3. Put the mixture on a small fire and stir for 15 minutes.
4. After the mixture has cooled, strain it.
5. Apply oil to hemorrhoids.

From edema and worms

Mad cucumber has long been known for its ability to kill parasites in the human body. For the treatment of worms, a mixture of dried fruits is used.

Recipe for fighting worms:

1. Pour 1 teaspoon of dry leaves of the plant with 200 ml of boiling water.
2. Cover the container with liquid to prevent heat from escaping.
3. Infuse the mixture for 50 minutes, then strain.
4. Take orally three times a day before meals for 30 minutes. The volume of medicine is 5 ml.

Such a tool helps not only to free the body from helminths, but also to reduce swelling in the body.

With neuralgia, sciatica and rheumatism

To overcome neuralgia and rheumatism, wild cucumber tincture is used as rubbing.

Grinding recipe for neuralgia, sciatica and rheumatism:

1. Measure the right amount of vodka, alcohol 70% or moonshine.
2. Take the fruits of a wild cucumber. You can use both dry and dried vegetables.
3. In order to keep the proportion, the number of fruits should be the 20th part of the taken volume of alcohol
4. Pour them with vodka or moonshine.
5. Leave the mixture to infuse for 2 weeks.
6. Strain the liquid.
7. Rub the affected areas.

In cooking

The fruits of mad cucumber are not eaten due to the presence of toxic substances in them. However, its subspecies - momordica - can be an element of many dishes.

Momordica is torn off while its fruit is still green, so that there is no bitterness when using the product. It tastes like persimmon in taste.

Also, fruits of momordica can be salted or pickled. Subsequently, the peel is removed, and the pulp of the vegetable is used in salads. Leaves, roots and young shoots are added not only to salads, but also to vegetable soups.

Did you know? Momordica has a positive effect on the cardiovascular system, elimination of toxins and increased immunity.

How to grow mad cucumber

To take advantage of all the positive properties of a mad cucumber, you need to know how to properly grow it on a land plot.

Preparation for landing

A seedling begins to be planted in the ground in the spring. The most favorable time is when the apple tree blooms, since by this stage of spring the threat of frost has already passed.

The soil must be warm, light and permeable, so that the plant takes root. The air temperature should be above zero, since at low temperatures the bush will not grow.

Lighting for the plant can be created by anyone: the cucumber is unpretentious and will grow both in the shade and in the sun. It is better to plant it next to fences or the wall, since it has the property of curling on a vertical surface.

The process of planting a mad cucumber:

1. Seeds impassable to leave to soak in a solution of potassium permanganate for 1 day.
2. Make holes 0.5 m apart.
3. Place fertilizer in the wells.
4. Place prepared seeds in a hole in pairs.

Care for him during the cultivation

This plant is very unpretentious and grows in almost any conditions. However, if you want to grow the fruits of a mad cucumber not only to decorate the fence in the country, you need to follow the simple rules for caring for it.

Temperature mode

The roots of the cucumber can not withstand severe cold, so its planting should be scheduled for mid-end of May. The best temperature for the plant is 23–25 ° C in partial shade. High humidity leads to decay of the plant and its death.

Watering

This vegetable does not require a lot of moisture, but it must be watered along with the rest of the plants on the site. Watering the plant needs moderate. In dry weather, the soil near the plants is moistened more often.

Top dressing

Seedlings need to be fed with mineral-organic fertilizers. To do this, use a mixture of humus or bird droppings. 1 spade of the mixture is enough to harvest 1 bucket of fertilizer. Fertilizers are used 1 time in 2 weeks.

Plant Formation and Garter

In order for the bush to grow up and not break, it must be tied up. To do this, equip vertical trellises, or plant a plant near the fence. The bush will quickly begin to braid it and grow higher.

Crazy cucumber is not only an interesting plant that will serve to decorate the fence on the site, but also an opportunity to cure many ailments. The main thing is to always observe precautions when using an unusual vegetable.