Rahi Bhattacharya
Popularly known as ‘khira/kheera’ or ‘kakdi’ in Hindi, cucumber is one of the oldest cultivated crops, believed to have originated in the Indian subcontinent. It is also known as ‘Dosakaya’ in Telugu, ‘Kakkarikkari‘ in Tamil, ‘Kani Vellarikka‘ in Malayalam, ‘Kakdi‘ in Gujarati, ‘Sosha‘ in Bengali, ‘Kakadi‘ in Marathi, and ‘Tar‘ in Punjabi. Cucumber or Cucumis sativus is a creeper that belongs to the Cucurbitaceous family.
It has a light to dark green color, thin skin, moisture-rich flesh with tiny edible seeds inside, and is enjoyed best in salads, sandwiches, or as a juice. It has a high water content that helps keep your body hydrated, and the low calorie content makes it a great choice for a weight loss diet. So let us try and understand how cucumbers help maintain our bodies in top shape.
Benefits Of Cucumber
Skin Benefits
- Revitalizes Skin
- Reverses Skin Tanning
- Controls Puffiness Of The Eyes
- Helps Soothe Sunburn
- Rejuvenates Skin
- Treats Open Pores
- Fights Cellulite
- Reduces Dark Circles
- Treats Blemishes
- Reduces Eye Wrinkles
- Removing Excess Water
- Under Eye Bags
Hair Benefits
Health Benefits
- Relieves Constipation
- Keeps Your Renal System Healthy
- Aids Digestion
- Fights Intestinal Worms
- Maintains Electrolyte Balance
- Reduces Inflammation
- Beneficial For Diabetics
- Is A Cancer Preventive
- Good For Dental Health
- Cures Hangover
- Good For Treating Blood Pressure Issues
- Detoxifies Your Body
- Strengthens Bones
- Treats Alzheimer’s
- Aids In Weight Loss
- Benefits To The Nervous System
Other Benefits
Skin Benefits Of Cucumber
1. Revitalizes Skin
The greatest and most important skin benefit of cucumber is that it helps in revitalizing the skin.
What You Need
- 2 ¼-inch slices of cucumber
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon aloe vera gel
- 1teaspoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
What You Need To Do
- Puree the cucumber in a blender and then add the other ingredients to it.
- Then, apply one layer of the mask on damp skin and leave it on for five minutes.
- Follow it up with the remaining mask another one or two times for a total of 15-20 minutes.
- Once dry, rinse it off with lukewarm water. Follow it up by splashing your face with cold water to close your skin pores.
Why Does It Work
Facial masks containing cucumber juice are beneficial for skin tightening (1).
2. Reverses Skin Tanning
Cucumber is a mild astringent that helps get rid of skin tan.
What Do You Need
Juice of a grated cucumber
What You Need To Do
- After grating the cucumber, take a clean washcloth and use it to squeeze the juice out.
- Then, apply the juice on your face.
Why Does It Work
It has a mild bleaching property that can help even skin tone and give you a youthful and glowing skin (2).
3. Controls Puffiness Of The Eyes
If you are worried about eye puffiness, then cucumbers can provide you with instant relief.
What You Need
A sliced cucumber
What You Need To Do
Put two slices of cucumber on your eyes and let it stay for as long as you want.
Why Does It Work
The ascorbic acid and caffeic acid in cucumber brings down the water retention rate which, in turn, diminishes the swelling and puffiness around the eyes (3).Cucumber can easily reduce the puffiness in your eyes. Simply cut slices of cucumber, refrigerate it for a while and place it on your closed eyelids every day. This will not only bring down the puffiness, but also help you relax. It actually hydrates your eyes and lessens puffiness.
4. Helps Soothe Sunburn
Cucumber also heals sunburnt skin and brings instant relief.
What You Need
Sliced or pureed cucumber
What You Need To Do
Carefully apply pureed cucumber or slices carefully and generously on the affected area and allow it to sit for as long as you want.
Why Does It Work
Cucumber is a natural and gentle way to treat sunburn since it helps draw the latent heat out of your body (4).
5. Rejuvenates Skin
The most common use of cucumber is to improve and rejuvenate your skin.
What You Need
- Cucumber juice
- Lemon Juice
What You Need To Do
- Mix cucumber juice with a few drop of lemon juice. Apply the mixture as a facial mask.
- Let it sit for a while and then, use a wet towel to pat your skin dry.
Why Does It Work
Application of this mask will improve the complexion and will add a glow to the skin since cucumber is both a mild astringent and contains a lot of water (5).
6. Treats Open Pores
You can also use cucumber to treat open pores and heat bumps on legs.
What You Need
- Cucumber juice
- Apple cider vinegar (optional)
- Tomato pulp (optional)
- Aloe vera gel (optional)
What You Need To Do
1. Blend the cucumber to get the juice and use it as a toner.
2. You can also mix it with apple cider vinegar, tomato pulp, and aloe vera gel to make it more effective
Why Does It Work
Cucumber juice can absorb the heat, rendering coolness and closing open pores (6).
7. Fights Cellulite
Cucumber can also help banish cellulite from the thighs.
What You Need
- Cucumber juice
- Ground coffee
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
What You Need To Do
- Mix some ground coffee with cucumber juice and raw honey to make a thick paste.
- Apply this on the affected areas, wrap it in a muslin cloth and exfoliate gently after 30 minutes.
Why Does It Work
Cucumber juice contains phytochemicals that help in the production of collagen, the fiber-like protein responsible for skin elasticity and remove cellulite (7).
8. Reduces Dark Circles
Using cucumber slices around the eyes also reduces the appearance of dark circles quickly.
What You Need
- Sliced cucumber
Or - Cotton balls soaked in cucumber juice
What You Need To Do
- Place two slices of cucumbers on the eyes and leave them for 20 minutes.
- Alternatively, you can also soak two cotton balls in cucumber juice and place them on your eyes.
Why Does It Work
The abundance of antioxidants and silica in cucumber can help in slowly fading dark circles (8).Though cucumber cannot permanently cure your dark circles, it sure can make the skin around your eyes appear lighter on a temporary basis. The skin around our eyes is often found discolored, and these dark circles spoil the prettiest of faces. Cucumber comforts vessels around your eyes; hence helps bring back its normal tinge.
9. Treats Blemishes
You can use grated cucumber to treat freckles and blemishes.
What You Need
- Cucumber juice or pulp
- 1 teaspoon of oats
What You Need To Do
- Mix the oatmeal in the cucumber pulp and let it sit for half an hour.
- Apply it over the face and leave it on for 20 minutes.
- Then, wash your face with lukewarm water and follow it up by splashing cold water.
Why Does It Work
Cucumber contains anti-inflammatory properties that help soothe your skin (9).
10. Reduces Eye Wrinkles
Cucumber is a natural moisturizer. The skin around our eyes is the thinnest in our body. Placing cold cucumber slices on your eyes can hydrate your eyes and the skin around. This, in turn, can help reduce lines and wrinkles around eyes. Hydrated skin means smoother skin. You can actually call cucumber an eye moisturizer.
11. Removing Excess Water
Cold cucumber slices on eyes helps remove excess water. This is a great way of drawing excess moisture out of the skin cells around eyes. This is believed to reduce swelling of the eyes.
12. Under Eye Bags
Cucumber also helps toning down of under eye bags. Take a small inch of a cold cucumber and make a fine paste by grinding it. Now add either lavender oil or chamomile oil to it along with some honey. Blend it well and make it into a fine paste. Now apply this under your eyes using your fingers lightly. Leave this on for around 10-15 minutes and wipe using a damp cloth. This will help a lot in reducing the under eye bags.
Hair Benefits Of Cucumber
13. Reduces Hair Fall
Drink cucumber juice daily to control hair fall.
What Do You Need
Cucumber juice
What You Need To Do
Apply cucumber juice to your hair and scalp. Leave it on for an hour and then shampoo.
Why Does It Work
The most important benefit of cucumber for hair is primarily due to its content of silicon, sulfur, sodium, phosphorus, and calcium that are some of the most needed nutrients required for hair growth (10).
14. Gives Shiny Hair
Cucumber juice can also be used as a hair rinse to get silky and shiny hair.
Why Does It Work
It conditions the hair owing to the presence of silica and makes it more beautiful (11).
Health Benefits Of Cucumber
15. Relieves Constipation
Daily consumption of cucumbers can be regarded as an effective laxative.
Why Does It Work
The amount of calories in cucumber is very low, but its fiber content adds to your bowel bulk and relieves problems like constipation (12).
16. Keeps Your Renal System Healthy
Cucumbers help treat problems arising in your urinary system.
What You Need
Cucumber juice
What You Need To Do
Drink cucumber juice twice, daily.
Why Does It Work
Cucumber juice is a potent diuretic food that helps flush out toxins from your body. It also eases the pressure on your kidneys and keeps them healthy (13).
17. Aids Digestion
Digestive problems like heartburn, acidity, gastritis, and ulcers can be cured by consuming cucumber.
What You Need
Sliced cucumber or cucumber juice
What You Need To Do
Include cucumber in your daily diet.
Why Does It Work
Cucumber contains a high amount of fiber that helps in digestion (14).
18. Fights Intestinal Worms
Cucumber is considered as a natural remedy to eliminate tapeworm from the intestinal tracts.
Why does It Work
Cucumber contains the enzyme erepsin that is known to kill tapeworms (15).
19. Maintains Electrolyte Balance
Cucumbers regulate the blood pressure level in your body at the optimum.
Why Does It Work
Cucumbers are one of the best sources of potassium and contain 136 milligrams of potassium per 100 grams (16). Potassium in blood neutralizes the effects of sodium and helps maintain electrolyte balance (17).
20. Reduces Inflammation
Fresh cucumber extracts are also known to reduce unwanted inflammation.
Why Does It Work
It accomplishes the task by inhibiting the production of prostaglandin, the inflammatory compound (18). Cucumber has a substance called beta-carotene. This acts as an anti-oxidant. It helps fight free radicals and controls damage. It also promotes healing. Cucumbers are also rich in flavonoids which are great for reducing inflammation.
21. Beneficial For Diabetics
Cucumbers are also an effective treatment for diabetes.
Why Does It Work
Cucumber juice contains hormones that are needed by the pancreas for producing insulin (19).
22. Is A Cancer Preventive
A recent study has found cucumber to be an effective remedy to fight different kinds of cancer.
Why Does It Work
Cucumbers are known to contain lignans that are found to reduce the risks of developing breast cancer, uterine cancer, and prostate cancer (20). It has some of the most important ingredients such as lariciresinol, pinoresinol, secoisolariciresinol that help in reducing the risk of all types of cancer. It has got photo-nutrients known as lignans that help in preventing cancer. Vitamin C found in cucumber seeds acts as an antioxidant and also improves the immunity system.
23. Good For Dental Health
Cucumber also combats bad breath.
What You Need
Cucumber slice
What You Need To Do
Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of the mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds.
Why Does It Work
The fruit releases phytochemicals that kill the bad breath causing bacteria (21). Cucumber juice can effectively treat gum diseases like pyorrhoea and weak gums (22). Cucumber keeps gums and teeth healthy as it removes bad odor from the mouth. The photochemical present in it kills the bacteria in the mouth. Regular consumption of cucumber with the seeds neutralizes acids in the mouth and promotes salivation.
24. Cures Hangover
Cucumber can also be used to cure a hangover and the headache associated with it.
What You Need
Few slices of cucumber
What You Need To Do
Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed.
Why Does It Work
This is because they help to rehydrate the body’s nutrients and eliminate the toxins that are present due to the intake of alcohol. The sugar, vitamin B, and electrolytes in the cucumber will reduce the intensity of the hangover and the headache (23).
25. Good For Treating Blood Pressure Issues
Cucumber can also help lower blood pressure.
Why Does It Work
Cucumber has mild diuretic properties owing to its high potassium and water content that regulate the blood pressure and treat both high and low blood pressure (24).
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26. Detoxifies Your Body
One of the most common benefits of cucumber is that it is a great detox.
Why Does It Work
Cucumber contains 95 percent water that hydrates and replenishes the body by eliminating the toxins. The high water content in cucumber acts as a system cleanser and sweeps the waste products out of the system (25).
27. Strengthens Bones
Cucumber is also known as a great remedy to strengthen your bones.
Why Does It Work
Vitamin K in cucumbers plays a very important role in strengthening bones by promoting orthotropic activity (26). Also, the high amount of silica in it promotes joint health by strengthening the connective tissue (27).
28. Treats Alzheimer’s
Another benefit of cucumber is its ability to treat cognitive disabilities like Alzheimer’s disease.
Why Does It Work
Cucumbers contain a flavonoid called fisetin that is neuroprotective and enhances cognitive abilities, thereby delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s (28).
29. Aids In Weight Loss
Cucumber seeds also help in losing weight and prevent indigestion, as the seeds and pulp have a low calorie count, high water content and replete with vitamins and fiber.
30. Benefits To The Nervous System
Cucumber has copper minerals that help in creating neurotransmitters that are essential for proper communication in the brain.
Other Benefits
31. Acts As A Stain Remover
Cucumber can also be used to remove stubborn stains and tarnish from stainless steel tools, countertops, and walls in the house as well as restore the lost shine.
What You Need
Slices of cucumber
What You Need to Do
Polish your vessels with slices of cucumber.
Why Does It Work
The chemicals found in cucumber prove to be very useful in making your pots and pans shine (29).
32. Controls Pests
Cucumber is also known to help get rid of pests.
What You Need
Cucumber slices
What You Need To Do
Place slices of cucumbers in containers around the garden to control slugs and pests in the area.
Why Does It Work
The chemical in these vegetables releases a scent that wards of the pests and insects (30).
Side Effects Of Cucumber
Sometimes, cucumbers have side effects that manifest differently in different people. Some of these reactions are discussed along with the precautions that should be practiced:
- Allergies, especially around the oral cavity, itchiness, and swelling may also develop. This can be avoided by cooking the fruit rather than eating it in its raw form.
- Cucumber can also lead to gastritis problems in some people that are mainly caused due to a compound known as cucurbitacin. This can be avoided by eating cucumbers that have undergone breeding or whose compound has been removed.
- Cucumber can also cause toxicity and baldness caused by the chemicals found in them. This usually happens when one consumes excess cucumber.
Nutritional Value Of Cucumber
Here is the nutritional overview of cucumber:
| Principle | Nutrient Value | Percentage of RDA |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 15 Kcal | <1% |
| Carbohydrates | 3.63 g | 3% |
| Protein | 0.65 g | 1% |
| Total Fat | 0.11 g | 0.5% |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0% |
| Dietary Fibre | 0.5 g | 1% |
| Vitamins | ||
| Folates | 7 µg | 2% |
| Niacin | 0.098 mg | <1% |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.259 mg | 5% |
| Pyridoxine | 0.040 mg | 3% |
| Riboflavin | 0.033 mg | 3% |
| Thiamin | 0.027 mg | 2% |
| Vitamin A | 105 IU | 3.5% |
| Vitamin C | 2.8 mg | 4.5% |
| Vitamin E | 0.03 mg | 0% |
| Vitamin K | 16.4 µg | 13.6% |
| Electrolytes | ||
| Sodium | 2 mg | 0% |
| Potassium | 147 mg | 3% |
| Minerals | ||
| Calcium | 16 mg | 1.6% |
| Iron | 0.28 mg | 3.5% |
| Magnesium | 13 mg | 3% |
| Manganese | 0.079 mg | 3.5% |
| Phosphorus | 24 mg | 3% |
| Phosphorus | ||
| Zinc | 0.20 mg | 2% |
| Phyto-nutrients | ||
| Carotene-ß | 45 µg | — |
| Crypto-xanthin-ß | 26 µg | — |
| Lutein-zeaxanthin | 23 µg | — |
Selection
When buying cucumbers, make sure that they are fresh. The color of the cucumbers should be light to dark green, and they should be firm in texture. Avoid buying cucumbers that have spots or cuts and are yellow in color. Also, wash them thoroughly before eating to remove pesticides and other harmful chemicals.
Storage
Cucumbers can be stored in the refrigerator for almost a week. If you have peeled the cucumber, then you can store it in an airtight container to prevent moisture from escaping. For optimum nutrition, a cucumber should be eaten within two to three days of purchasing. Also, they should not be left at room temperature for a long time as this can make them limp and wilt.
This wonderful low-calorie vegetable has more nutrients to offer than just water and electrolytes. It contains almost all the nutrients required for a balanced diet that not only help to maintain a healthy body, but also boost many other processes. So enjoy its many benefits and live a healthy life.
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