Cucumber

Ever wonder how to beat the scorching summer heat? just remember your backyard, humble crunchy cucumber! nonetheless, this wonderful low calorie vegetable indeed has more nutrients to offer than just water and electrolytes. It is one of the oldest cultivated crops, and believed to be originating in the northern sub-himalayan plains of india. The plant is a creeper (vine) akin to other members of cucurbita family such as gourds, squashes, melons, zucchini, etc. Botanically; it belongs to the cucurbitaceae family; and is known scientifically as cucumis sativus.

Cucumber is easy to grow. Varieties, varying in size, shape, and color, are cultivated all around the world, under different climatic zones. In general, the fruit features dark-green skin, crispy, moisture rich flesh, and small edible seeds concentrated at its core.a as in other squash members, cucumbers too are best-harvested young, tender and just short of reaching maturity; at the stage when they taste sweet, have crunchy texture, and unique flavor. If left uninterrupted, the fruit continues to grow in size, its skin becomes tougher and turns yellow, and seeds become hard and inedible. Fresh cucumbers are available throughout the season and can be eaten raw, in vegetable salads or juicing.

Cucumber juice is a good source of vitamin a, c, and k. Also a good source of phosphorus, pantothenic acid, manganese, magnesium and potassium. Cucumber contains two useful compounds called ascorbic acid and caffeic acid, both help prevent water retention and lowers cholestrol level.

Cucumbers are an excellent source of silicon, that the body uses as one of the building blocks for connective tissue, which includes interacellular cement, tendons, cartilafe, muscles, bone and ligaments. But is known as athe beauty minerala, why? it has an ability to improve skin, nails and hair. Giving you youthfull glow and complexion. Its source of silicon and high nutrient water content makes it naturally hydrating for the health of your skin. Ait adds luster to the hair, sparkle to the eye, color to the lips, tone to the skin and spring to the step.a paul bragg.

Armenian cucumbers (cucumis melo var. Flexuosus) are long, crispy, thin-ribbed, curvy, and possess light green color. Although grouped botanically in the melon family, they appear and taste just like in cucumbers. Miniature varieties such as gherkins, american-dills, and french-cornichons are very small in size and usually preferred in pickling.

Dosakayi is a yellow indian curry cucumber. It has sweet taste and neutral flavor. It is used extensively in the preparation of stews and curries, particularly during the summer season in southern parts of india and sri lanka.

It is one of the very low calorie vegetables; provide just 15 calories per 100 g. It contains no saturated fats or cholesterol. Cucumber peel is a good source of dietary fiber that helps reduce constipation, and offer some protection against colon cancers by eliminating toxic compounds from the gut.

It is a very good source of potassium, an important intracellular electrolyte. 100 g of cucumber provides 147 mg of potassium but only 2 mg of sodium. Potassium is a heart friendly electrolyte helps bring a reduction in total blood pressure and heart rates by countering effects of sodium.

Cucumbers contains unique anti-oxidants in moderate ratios such as b-carotene and i plus-minus -carotene, vitamin-c, vitamin-a, zea-xanthin and lutein. These compounds help act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ros) that play a role in aging and various disease processes. Their total antioxidant strength, measured in terms of oxygen radical absorbance capacity (orac value), is 214 amol te/100 g.

Cucumbers have mild diuretic property, which perhaps attributed to their free-water, and potassium and low sodium content. This helps in checking weight gain and high blood pressure.

They surprisingly have a high amount of vitamin k, provides about 17 ag of this vitamin per 100 g. Vitamin-k has been found to have a potential role in bone strength by promoting osteotrophic (bone mass building) activity. It also has established role in the treatment of alzheimer's disease patients by limiting neuronal damage in their brain.

The best of galenists hold them to be cold and moist in the second degree, and then not so hot as either lettuces or purslain; they are good for a hot stomach, and hot liver; the immoderate use of them fills the body full of raw humours. The face being washed with their juice cleanses the skin, and is good for hot rheums in the eyes; the seed is good to provoke urine, and to cleanse the urinary passages when they are stopped. There is not a better remedy for ulcers in the bladder.

The usual course is, to take the cucumbers, bruise them well, and distil the water from them, and let such as are troubled with ulcers in the bladder drink no other drink. The face being washed with the same water, cures redness of the face; it is also good for sun-burns and freckles.