A Chinese man who had an aubergine stuck in his body claimed he inserted the vegetable into his rectum in a bid to cure his constipation.
The 30cm vegetable had apparently moved up along the 50-year-old man's intestines before reaching his upper abdomen, according to the hospital.
Doctors claimed when they found the Japanese aubergine it had nearly reached the patient's heart by the time they found it.
According to Kan Kan News, the man went to the hospital on May 30, two days after he had put the vegetable into his body, the Daily Mail reports.
He said he had been unable to retrieve it himself.
He claimed to have suffered constipation for four days before he tried to cure it with the vegetable, also known as an eggplant.
He told the doctors he thought the vegetable could act as a laxative to increase his bowel movement.
Surgeons operated and removed the aubergine whole.
The report also claimed that the unnamed man had suffered swelling and pain in his stomach for two days before being admitted to hospital.
An X-ray showed the object had got stuck in a diagonal position. The man's lungs were inflamed as a result.
The man is reportedly recovering after the surgery.