Good old 'lauki' juice, can be lethal

Believed to have medicinal value that can cure many ailments such as diabetes, urinary disorders, aid weight loss and digestion, the good-old lauki (bottle gourd) may not be so good after all.

According to scientists, a bitter lauki when consumed with any other juice can be lethal. The Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry (MoHWF) has issued an advisory based on recommendations of an expert committee warning people from consuming bitter lauki, or mixing it up with any other juice. The advisory has been issued following cases of serious health problems cropping up after consumption of lauki juice, popularised by Baba Ramdev.

According to Ramdev, lauki juice mixed with aloe vera, amla, karela, jamun, lemon is as an effective ayurvedic remedy for many ailments including diabetes and blood pressure. Following his call for this ayurvedic concoction, lauki juice became the household remedy for many ailments and many even believed it to be a tonic, aid digestion, prevent acidity, prevent urinary disorders, and excessive sodium loss from the body, till a man died last year after consuming lauki juice.

His death led to suspicions about the efficacy and reliability of lauki juice. The matter was even raised in Parliament prompting government to set up an expert committee to examine the issue. Now following an intensive study on the toxicity of the vegetable juices, the Union Health Ministry has said that lauki juice should not be mixed with any juice.

In fact, it has warned people saying lauki should always be tasted first even before being consumed even as vegetable. If found bitter it should be discarded immediately as bitter lauki juice has the potential to be toxic. The same is the case with other fruits and vegetables from the cucumber family as they are believed to have harmful toxins that give bitter taste. And in case there is any discomfort following its consumption, it is best to rush to hospital.

The advisory is based on recommendations of an expert committee comprising of doctors from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The committee was set up to investigate the issue of safety of consumption of lauki juice after a Member of Parliament raised the issue following death of an official with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in June last year. The official had died shortly after consuming lauki juice mixed with karela (bitter gourd) juice to control diabetes. Despite being bitter the official drank the concoction. Earlier this month about 16 trainee of Haryana police fell ill due to food poisoning after eating lauki for dinner.

To the doctors, the expert committee has recommended conducting tests including prothrombin time and platelet counts, serum amylase, blood sugar along with X-Ray chest, ECG, Ultrasound and Endoscopy. Since there is no specific antidote available, the general supportive care such IV fluids/ crystalloids / blood products/ fresh frozen plasma has to be given to maintain the hemodynamics and electrolyte balance.