Cucumber Benefits For Skin

A chef is chopping a cucumber. Photo Credit David De Lossy/Photodisc/Getty Images
Cucumbers may do more for your skin than for your palate. These cylindrical fruits, a member of the melon family, have properties that soothe and soften the skin. For an easy do-it-yourself skin treatment, reach into your refrigerator and pull out a cucumber to make a toner or mask or simply lay slices over your eyes to look refreshed.

Antioxidant Power
The older you get, the fewer antioxidants you have in your skin to combat wrinkles and sun damage -- cucumbers can help restore some of these. Your skin has the ability to absorb antioxidants. Cucumbers are a source of several compounds that fight inflammation and aging, including cucurbitacins and cucumerin.

Vitamin Rich

Cucumbers contain vitamin C, an antioxidant. They also have plenty of vitamin K, also an antioxidant, which fights dark circles under the eyes. This is why a couple of cucumber slices placed over tired, puffy eyes in the morning makes you look refreshed. Pantothenic acid, or vitamin B-5, is another compound found in cucumbers that helps your skin retain moisture. The vitamin A, or retinol, in cucumbers fights dark spots and freckles because it helps control your skin's production of melanin.

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Wrinkle Fighter

Cucumbers are a source of silica, which, as a precursor to collagen, can help fight wrinkles. A May 2011 issue of the "Archives of Dermatological Research" published a study concluding that the presence of ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, makes cucumber juice a particular effective ingredient in anti-wrinkle products. You can add cucumber juice to your favorite lotion or make a toner by grating a cucumber, straining out the juice through cheesecloth and mixing it with an equal amount of witch hazel or rose water. Use a cotton ball to apply it to your face.

Cucumbers have high water content and a cooling quality, making them appropriate to help soothe mild burns, particularly sunburn. They can also reduce swelling and relieve minor skin irritations.

Benefits of Cucumber on Skin, Hair and Health

The greatest of health benefits of  cucumber is revitalization of the skin. We also appreciate the tasty salads in which cucumbers are the central ingredients. Cucumbers belong to the family of the pumpkins and the zucchinis. Peeling of the dark green skin reveals a light green fleshy part. Cucumbers appear in two varieties, the pickling and the slicing ones. The pickling variety has a smaller size and measures about 2 to 4 inches in length. We even know that benefits of cucumber includes cooling effect and so they are used in soothing the eyes. But have we ever tried to study the special nutrients present in cucumber which actually contribute to this function?

Skin Benefits of Cucumber are due to its following nutrients:

Dietary fiber
Folate
Vitamin C
Vitamin B1
Vitamin B2
Calcium
Protein
Fat
Carbohydrates
Iron
Phosphorus
Potassium
Sugars
Vitamin B3
Vitamin B5
Magnesium
Zinc
Silica
Manganese

These nutrients attribute to numerous health benefits of cucumber. Let us explore the health areas that benefit with the consumption of cucumbers:


 Some extra Benefits of  Cucumber 



Skin care: 
Cucumber has diuretic, cooling and cleansing effects. These effects are beneficial for the skin. The high water content, Vitamins A, B and C and the presence of minerals like magnesium, potassium, manganese and silica make cucumbers an essential part of skin care. Facial masks containing cucumber juice are beneficial for skin tightening. Ascorbic acid and caffeic acid present in cucumbers can bring down the water retention rate, which in turn diminishes the swelling and puffiness around the eyes. Another benefit of cucumber slices is that it can bring relief to skin affected by sunburn or wind burn.
Digestion: 
Digestive problems like heartburn, acidity, gastritis and even ulcers can be cured by the daily consumption of fresh cucumber juice. These benefits of cucumber are from dietary fibers which drive away the toxins from the digestive system and hence promote the digestive process. Daily consumption of cucumbers can be regarded as a remedy for constipation.
Joint health: Silica, present in cucumbers, promotes joint health by strengthening the connective tissues.
Protein digestion:
Cucumber contains an enzyme called Erepsin which aids in the digestion of proteins.
Blood pressure: 
Potassium, magnesium and fiber present in cucumber aid in the maintenance of normal blood pressure levels.

Tapeworm elimination: 
A lesser known but much effective benefit of cucumber is attributed to its seeds. Cucumber seeds are considered as natural remedies to eliminate tapeworms from the intestinal tract. The seeds are also known for their anti-inflammatory properties which have been found effective in the treatment of swellings of the mucous membranes of the nose and the throat.

Nail care:
Cucumber, rich in silica, can prevent splitting and spoiling of the nails of the fingers and the toes.

Gout and arthritis: 
Cucumber juice is rich in vitamins A, B1, B6, C and D, Folate, Magnesium, Calcium, Potassium. This juice mixed with carrot juice can provide relief to gout patients by lowering uric levels.

Teeth and gums: 
Teeth and gum diseases especially pyorrhea can be treated effectively with cucumber juice. Raw foods like cucumber are rich in dietary fiber. Raw foods also increase salivation and this again brings a neutralization of the acids and the alkalis within the oral cavity.

Diabetes: 
The juice has been found to be beneficial for the diabetic patients. This can be attributed to the presence of manganese which assist in the synthesis of natural insulin.

Kidney care: 
Another lesser known benefit of cucumber is that it displays healing attributes in relation to the diseases of the urinary bladder and the kidney. The water content of cucumbers aids in the functions of the kidney by promoting urination. In fact, cucumber is the best natural diuretic.

Hair growth: 
Cucumber juices containing silica, when added to the juices of the carrots, spinach and lettuce, promote the growth of hair. Silica is present in the connective tissues of the body. It promotes hair growth and a diet rich in silica results in glossy hair and healthy bones.

You may now savor salads garnished with cucumbers more than what you used to do before! If some you were just having cucumbers out of compulsion and based on your dieticians’ instructions, then consider relishing cucumbers with various delicious salad dishes. Form your own recipes to avail the numerous benefits of cucumber!