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For those of you who are fans of Dragon Ball, what would you call Piccolo’s most defining feature: the turban, the heavy-set brow line, or perhaps the long, pointy ears? If you ask us, the first thing to register when staring at a screen shot of the awesome alien warrior is his undeniable Hulk-like greenness.

Late last month, a man from Western China managed to achieve this startling shade of green skin, though not of his own volition and not without consequence, either. And what was the cause of his seemingly alien ailment? Snails.

It was reported last week in the Guizhou region of China, a 24-year-old man is recovering at home after seeing a doctor when his skin and even the whites of his eyeballs turned completely green. The man did not notice the peculiar coloring himself, but had it pointed out to him by a coworker and sought immediate medical assistance.

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Turning full-body green is not a symptom that’s seen very often, but came as a result of parasites consumed in a plate of ill-prepared snails. Four sheep liver flukes, small centimeter-long parasites, were found swimming through the man’s system. After being removed, they were sent to China’s disease prevention control center to be studied. Failure to remove these parasites could have resulted in inflammation of the gall-bladder, scarring on the liver, and an increased chance of developing liver cancer.

Do be aware that these parasites were not a result of just one unlucky encounter with a plate of tainted escargot. Apparently, the little, green man has a huge affinity for eating snails and had consumed a plate of them every single day for many months. The fact that the man subsequently changed shades just goes to show that you really are what you eat. If allowed to continue in this way, we wonder how long before he’d have grown antenna reminiscent of Dragon Ball‘s Namekian race, to further compliment the pigment of his skin.

That being said, it’s probably better that we humans don’t try to become like Piccolo. He may be a super strong fighter, but he’s also an angry bachelor who died young and never got a girlfriend. It’s no stretch to say that a similar fate probably awaits those of us who spontaneously turn green. If such a thing ever happens to you someday, I suggest taking a quick picture for posterity’s sake and seeking emergency medical assistance.

Source: Xinhua via Jin115 (Japanese)
Top image: Dragon Ball Wiki