In Western diet, cucumber is valued for its vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin A, C, and K; magnesium; manganese; pantothenic acid; phosphorus; and potassium. Whereas in Chinese diet, cucumber is also known for its medicinal values.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), cucumber is “cold in nature.” It can remove heat and toxin, facilitate urination and reduce swelling (with the help of ascorbic acid and caffeic acid), relieve thirst and regenerate body fluid (because the flesh of cucumber is mainly composed of water). No wonder cucumber is a popular medicinal food (try this recipe: Cucumber Honey Porridge) for easing sore and ulcer caused by heat-toxin, jaundice and heat stranguria, dark urine, etc.
Nevertheless, as pointed out by TCM Practitioners, despite that cucumber has a lot of merits, its “cold” attribute should keep us from eating too much of them, otherwise our spleen and stomach function will be undermined. In fact, elderly and children who generally have weak stomach/spleen function; pregnant women; people suffer from cold hands and feet, diarrhea due to spleen and stomach coldness (functional disturbance) etc. should avoid over-eating of cucumbers.
Tips:
Since there are some compounds called sterols contained in cucumber that have been shown to lower cholesterol, and the heaviest concentration of sterols is in the skin of the cucumber, we should retain the peel when we eat it, as said by Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners.
Although fresh cucumber is a very good source of the Vitamin C and mineral molybdenum, and also a good source of Vitamin A, dietary fiber, folate, magnesium, manganese, and potassium, it is less nutritious than most fruits and vegetables. Therefore, cucumber lovers should also eat other fruits and vegetables to get sufficient nutrients and vitamins.
Image by Nick Atkins Photography
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