Cucumber is crisp, tender, and juicy with a sweet taste. When eaten raw, it promotes the secretion of saliva to quench thirst and is a rare food for detoxification and beauty. Wang Yi, director of the Nutrition Department at Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, says that cucumber acid contained in cucumber can promote human metabolism and expel toxins. Cucumber is rich in vitamin C, which can whiten the skin, maintain skin elasticity, and inhibit the formation of melanin.
Actually, the "Compendium of Materia Medica" has long recorded that cucumber has the effects of clearing heat, quenching thirst, promoting urination, and reducing swelling. That is to say, cucumber is very beneficial to the lungs, stomach, heart, liver, and excretory system. It can keep the body smooth and avoid excessive accumulation of internal waste. Eating it raw can play a role in detoxifying and cleansing the intestines, and can also relieve symptoms such as thirst and irritability.
Director Wang introduced that the cucumber peel contains more bitter elements, which is the essence of cucumber's nutrition. The nutritional advantage of cucumber is mainly determined by the nature of the cucumber peel being "sweet in taste and neutral in nature", so it can clear heat and detoxify, promote the production of body fluids to quench thirst, especially detoxify, cleanse the intestines, and nourish the skin. Therefore, it is best to eat cucumber raw with the peel on. Not only does it have the above benefits, but it also allows for the full absorption of vitamin C, promotes human metabolism, and thus effectively detoxifies. It can also be stir-fried with meat to achieve a balanced nutrition.
Because cucumber contains a high amount of vitamin C, it is best not to eat it with other vegetables when eaten raw, so as to avoid the decline of its nutritional value. In addition, when eating with the peel, be sure to wash it with salt water. Cucumber also has the effect of lowering blood sugar. For diabetic patients, cucumber is also a good food that is both a vegetable and a fruit. However, people with weak spleen and stomach, abdominal pain and diarrhea, or lung-cold cough should not eat too much.