Bottle gourd and bitter melon juice - A herbal diabetic cure proved fatal

Lagenaria siceraria known as ‘Bottle gourd’, ‘Lauki’, or ‘Ghea’ and Momordica charantia known as ‘bitter melon’, ‘bitter gourd’, ‘bitter squash’, ‘Karela’, which are common vegetables used in the Indian household, have been used as antihyperglycemic agents in the treatment of diabetes. They both belong to Cucurbitaceae family and contain Triterpenoid cucurbitacins, which are responsible for bitter taste, are cytotoxic and can cause toxic effects on consumption. We report a case of a diabetic couple who collapsed with hemetemesis and bloody diarrhea after consuming the combination of bottle gourd and bitter melon. They started using the same daily after watching a TV program 4 years back. The husband died and the wife survived. Similar cases have been reported in the past, where self medication by the similar juices have resulted in the toxicity and poisoning of the patients.