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Art & Science of natural therapy for total well-being |
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By Corrine Tan
Cucumber – commonly know as a vegetable but is actually classified scientifically as a fruit belongs to the gourd family Cucurbitaceae with the likes of melons and squash.
Eaten as a vegetable, cucumbers are juicy and crunchy. They taste good and can be eaten in a variety of ways including raw, pickled, stir fried or boiled in soup. The skin, which is high in fiber content and also rich in minerals, should be eaten whenever possible. Adding a crunchy cucumber to your daily meal or salad is an easy way to increase your consumption of water and fiber – two very important elements toward achieving great health. Along with that, cucumbers also contain lots of vitamins (C, A, K and B6) as well as nutrients like molybdenum, potassium, manganese, folate, trypotohan, magnesium, copper, pantothenic acid phosphrus etc.
The health benefits gained by consuming cucumbers are numerous due to the fibers and the minerals it contains. For example, a person who is suffering from hypertension can better control their blood pressure by eating more cucumbers. The high fiber, potassium and magnesium can help lower a person high blood pressure.
Anyone who wants to lose weight can also add more cucumber to their diet. Cucumber’s high fiber helps cut down the food intake by giving the person a ‘full’ feeling. Cucumber also has high detoxification effects which aids in weight control; cucumber can also help control the glucose in the body with which when left unused will be transformed into fat.
The Chinese believe in nature everything must be well balance commonly know as ‘yin’ and ‘yang’. When it comes to food, certain food raises the temperature of the body (eg. Raise the metabolism of the body) and are classified as Yang or Heaty food; while other food that decrease the body heat are classified as Yin or non-heaty food – Cucumbers are classified in the latter category.
Most of the food we take today in our everyday lives are ‘heaty’ food; eg. Fried Food, Chilies, Peppers, Meat and certain fruits like Cherries and Mangos. Cucumber is also able to reduce or balance the ‘heatiness’ caused by these type of food. Some symptoms of the body being too ‘heaty’ are sore throats, nose bleed, chapped lips, dark colored phlegm, acne outbreak and constipation. With the reduction of ‘heatiness’, the cucumber also helps cleanse the urinal tract and thus have been know to have a urine cleansing effect.
Beauty Cucumber when juiced is a rich source for silicon. Silicon in it natural form can help improves the complexion and the state of health of a person’s skin. Cucumber also has a hydrating effect on skin and this make the skin glow. . With its high concentration of Vitamin C (5 times higher than that of a Watermelon), cucumber is great for skin whitening. Cucumber also can help to tighten pores and reduce eye puffiness as well.
Below are some common skin problems and the remedies using cucumbers:
Reduction of fine lines - cucumber slices, add lemon juice, add flour and mix, apply onto face for 20 minutes.
Reduce dark circles under eyes – Apply grated cucumber with an equal measure of carrot juice to area beneath eyes for 20 minutes, then rinse with cool water.
Radiant Face Treatment for dull and oily skin – Add 1 teaspoon of cucumber into 20 ml of rosewater, apply to face for 20 minutes, then rinse with warm water.
Sunburn, Swelling skin – grind the cucumber down to a paste and apply onto the skin. About The
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