Two women in France started losing their hair due to "toxic squash syndrome" - a poisoning caused by eating bitter-tasting gourds like pumpkins, squash, melons and cucumbers, scientists say. However, these are the first two reported cases linking the consumption of bitter-tasting gourds with hair loss, said Philippe Assouly, dermatologist at Saint-Louis Hospital in Paris. About a week later, the woman experienced substantial hair loss that affected a large part of her scalp. In a separate case, another woman had severe vomiting about an hour after eating a bitter-tasting squash, but no one else who ate the vegetable got sick. This creates a potentially toxic, bitter-tasting food.

Source: dna March 29, 2018 11:15 UTC