Today, let’s learn more about the properties and benefits of cucumber – a commonly seen but underrated food – from the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective.
I believe most people are familiar with cucumber, yet not many people are aware of its health benefits, especially its anti-inflammation property!
The thermal nature of cucumber is cooling, thus it is very suitable to be consumed if you’re having sore throat, dry mouth, etc.
Cucumber has good benefits for the lungs, spleen and stomach organs.
One of the TCM classics,《中华本草》, says this about cucumber:
“主热病口渴；小便短赤；水肿尿少” and
“清热；利水；解毒”
The above phrases mean that cucumber has the following three main properties, namely:
Reduce heatiness – Cucumber can reduce heatiness in the body, especially in the lungs and stomach. It is an ideal food to eat if you have sore throat and keep having an urge to drink water.
Increase urination frequency – Consuming cucumber will increase one’s urination frequency, which is helpful for people who experience a warm (or hot) sensation when they urinate. This property will also help to remove water retention in a person’s body.
Detox and reduce inflammation – One of the most important properties of cucumber is that it can help to reduce inflammation in the body. This is also one of the reasons why chicken/duck rice (or satay in Southeast Asia) is typically served with cucumber. The purpose of cucumber in this case is to help to reduce the inflammation caused by the meat we eat.
Because of the heatiness-reduction and anti-inflammation properties that cucumber has, it is therefore a very suitable food for people with dampness and heat body constitution. Not only does cucumber help to remove excessive dampness in the body, it can also reduce the heatiness and inflammation for people with this body constitution.
How To Consume Cucumber?
Cucumber can be eaten raw or cooked. For convenience, most people like to eat cucumber raw, especially after they consume meats (chicken, duck, or mutton).
If you prefer to eat softer foods, you can cook cucumber just like other vegetables and it will be softer in texture.
In summary, if you are eating meat or any other foods that can cause inflammation, it will be a good idea to include cucumber in your diet.
If you have dampness and heat body constitution, cucumber is one of the foods you must eat regularly!
Hope you find this post useful!