Why To Keep A Cucumber Handy At All Times

If you want to know why you should keep a cucumber, here are a bunch of good uses for them.

The humble cucumber is popularly known as ‘khira/kheera’ or ‘kakdi’ in Hindi.

It is one of the oldest cultivated crops, believed to have originated in the Indian subcontinent.

It is also known as ‘Dosakaya’ in Telugu, ‘Kakkarikkari‘ in Tamil, ‘Kani Vellarikka‘ in Malayalam, ‘Kakdi‘ in Gujarati, ‘Sosha‘ in Bengali, ‘Kakadi‘ in Marathi, and ‘Tar‘ in Punjabi.

Cucumber or Cucumis sativus is a creeper that belongs to the Cucurbitaceous family.

Cucumbers have a light to dark green colour, thin skin, moisture-rich flesh with tiny edible seeds inside, and is enjoyed best in salads, sandwiches, or as a juice.

Cucumbers have a multitude of other uses too, which is why you always need to keep a cucumber close at hand.

Cucumber are also really simple to grow if you are interested in planting your own.

20 Reasons Why To Keep A Cucumber?

One:

Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, including Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

Two:

Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, including Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

Three:

Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the coffee or cola, and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

Four:

Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror. It will eliminate the fog, and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance. Another good reason to keep a cucumber.

Five:

Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small baking tin, and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumbers react with the aluminium to give off a scent undetectable to humans, but which drive garden pests crazy, thus making them flee the area.

Six:

Looking for a fast and easy way to diminish the appearance of cellulite? Try rubbing a slice or two along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer, reducing the visibility of cellulite. It works well on wrinkles too!

Seven:

Want to avoid a hangover or a terrible headache the next day? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed, and wake up refreshed and headache-free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body has lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!

Eight:

Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries, and often used by European trappers, traders and explorers, for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

Nine:

Have an important meeting or job interview, and you realise you don’t have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe. Its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.

Ten:

Out of the oil needed to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice, and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

Eleven:

Stressed out? Cut up an entire cucumber, and place it in a pot of boiling water. The chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber will react with the boiling water, and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown to reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.

Twelve:

Just finished lunch, and realise you don’t have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber, and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for about 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemicals will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

Thirteen:

Cucumbers make a ‘green’ way to clean your taps, sinks and stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber, and rub it on the surface you want to clean. Not only will it remove years of tarnish, and bring back the shine, but it won’t leave streaks, and won’t harm your fingers or fingernails while you clean.

Fourteen:

Cucumbers have a high water content that helps keep your body hydrated. The low-calorie content makes it a great choice for a weight loss diet amongst slimmers.

Fifteen:

Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the ink. It also works well on children’s crayon and marker drawings on the walls!

Sixteen:

A cucumber has mild astringent properties. You can use it as a toner as it is great for reducing pore size. You can also use cucumbers to help to fade out a tan. Simply grate, use a wash cloth to squeeze the water out and apply to your skin with cotton wool. Your skin will look brighter and glow.

Seventeen:

Use slices over your eyes to get rid of puffy eyes.

Cucumber is a natural moisturiser.  The skin around our eyes is the thinnest in our body. Placing cold cucumber slices on your eyes can hydrate your eyes and the skin around the area. This, in turn, can help reduce lines and wrinkles around eyes. Hydrated skin means smoother skin. You can actually call cucumber an eye moisturiser.

Eighteen:

Cucumber is great to use on sunburn. Place slices on top of the burn and the cucumber will help to draw the latent heat out of your body.

Nineteen:

Drinking the juice of cucumber regularly is great for your hair.The most important benefit of cucumber for hair is primarily due to its content of silicon,

The most important benefit of cucumber for hair is primarily due to its content of silicon, sulphur, sodium, phosphorus, and calcium that are some of the most needed nutrients required for hair growth. Massage your scalp with the juice of a cucumber. Leave it on for an hour and then shampoo out.

Twenty:

Daily consumption of cucumbers can be regarded as an effective laxative and relieve constipation.

 

Any other ideas and reasons why to keep a cucumber handy at all times? Feel free to add to the list by commenting below.

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