Cucumbers are delicious. They are a popular addition to many salads. But they are also medicinal.
Botanically speaking, like tomatoes and squash, cucumbers are a fruit, not a vegetable, even though we tend to refer to them as a vegetable.
They are thought to have originated in Western Asia, specifically, India or parts of the Middle East. They have been cultivated for at least 3,000 years and are believed to have been introduced to Europe by the Greeks and Romans. China produces two-thirds of the world’s cucumbers.
In TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), cucumbers are known for their cooling properties that can help reduce inflammation and Clear Heat from the system.
Did you know that…
- Cucumbers are one of the top alkaline foods for helping to rebalance the body’s natural pH levels and countering the effects of a too acidic diet (one full of fried foods, sugars, and refined carbohydrates.)
- The word, “gherkin” describes two different varieties of cucumbers: Cucumis sativus or Cucumis anguiria.
- The lignan constituents found in cucumbers have been shown in research to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer (including breast, uterine, ovarian, and prostate cancers).
There’s a lot more to cucumbers than you may have thought!
