Some meats are delicious, but their internal organs contain deadly toxins.

Carp are very nutritious, but even a small amount of their bile can be deadly because it contains toxins.

Carp bile

According to Associate Professor Dr. Tran Dang (former Director of the Food Safety and Hygiene Department, Ministry of Health), carp bile is highly toxic, yet many people, due to misconceptions, have used this part of the fish to treat illnesses, leading to poisoning and even death.

Illustrative image.

The reason is that fish bile contains alcohol, which causes bleeding and damage to internal organs, especially the renal tubules. The larger the fish, the higher the concentration of toxins.

Not only grass carp, but other fish such as common carp, silver carp, and snakehead fish can also cause acute kidney failure, but the most severe is grass carp bile. Furthermore, folk remedies are only used for grass carp bile, so emergency cases related to this type of fish are the most frequent, with many dangerous complications including septic shock, acute bleeding, cerebral edema, pulmonary edema, and tubular nephritis.

Symptoms of poisoning after consuming fish bile often include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, sluggish reflexes, jaundice, decreased urination, leg swelling, and convulsions. Without prompt medical attention, the patient will die.

Associate Professor Tran Dang stated that the Food Safety Department has issued numerous warnings to the public to absolutely not use carp bile in any form or for any purpose, yet many people still disregard this.

Sharing the same view, Dr. Cao Thi Thanh Huong, Deputy Director of the Center for Applied Traditional Medicine of the Hanoi Traditional Medicine Association and Head of the Traditional Medicine Clinic at the Agricultural General Hospital, also stated that currently there is no medical literature confirming that carp bile can improve health or cure diseases in humans. Therefore, using this part is pointless and exposes consumers to many risks of poisoning.

According to experts, carp is very good for the body, but when preparing it, it is important to remove all of the fish's gallbladder to avoid breaking it and spreading the bile to the flesh.

Toad liver and eggs

According to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Lam, Deputy Director of the National Institute of Nutrition, toad meat is very good for the elderly, malnourished children, and those with stunted growth and rickets. However, toad venom (from glands behind the ears, above the eyes, and on the skin), liver, and ovaries can cause poisoning due to the presence of bufotoxine – an extremely toxic substance that can cause death in a very short time.

Therefore, experts strongly advise against eating toad liver and eggs. Furthermore, it is extremely dangerous if these parts come into contact with the toad meat during the butchering process.

Regarding the dangers of toad toxin poisoning, Dr. Lam Quoc Hung, Head of the Food Poisoning Surveillance Department, also stated that symptoms of poisoning can appear 1-2 hours after eating (possibly sooner if alcohol is consumed) with manifestations such as bloating, upper abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, palpitations, and rapid heartbeat.

Subsequently, the victim may experience cardiovascular collapse, sensory disturbances, dizziness, hallucinations, cold sweats, shortness of breath, respiratory arrest, cardiac arrest; urinary retention, oliguria, anuria, and in severe cases, acute renal failure. If toad venom comes into direct contact with the mucous membranes of the eyes, it will cause burning and swelling.

"The Food Safety Department has advised people to only use processed toad products in the form of food or medicine that have been approved for circulation by the authorities," Mr. Hung said.

Pufferfish liver and eggs

Associate Professor Tran Dang further informed that among aquatic species, pufferfish contain the most toxins. These include tetrodotoxin (C11H17O8N3) – a highly toxic neurotoxin with a high mortality rate. Notably, tetrodotoxin is water-soluble and not destroyed by heat; cooking, drying, or other methods do not eliminate the toxin.

The blood, eyes, ovaries, liver, genitals, and skin of pufferfish contain this toxin. Although the flesh itself is not poisonous, when the fish dies, spoils, or is damaged, the toxin from these parts seeps into the body, causing systemic poisoning.

"Eating pufferfish is very dangerous to human health and life. This type of fish contains one of the five toxins found in seafood, tetrodotoxin - a neurotoxin. In addition, it also contains toxins that cause diarrhea, muscle paralysis, neurological disorders, and memory loss."

For safety reasons, many countries around the world, especially Japan, pay close attention to instructing people on how to prepare this type of fish. Immediately after catching, consumers must remove the internal organs of the pufferfish, and when eating it, they should avoid dead or spoiled fish. Therefore, those without experience should ideally stay away from this type of fish,” Associate Professor Tran Dang said.

According to Tri Thuc Online