Plant atlas Short

Cucumber Peel Holds Most of Its Vitamin K

Cucumber · แตงกวา · Cucumis sativus

Cucumber — แตงกวา (taeng-kwa) — Cucumis sativus.

Cucumber peel concentrates the fruit's vitamin K and fiber. You eat the fruit. In rats and cell-culture studies, cucumber compounds were studied against blood-pressure and inflammation markers. Vitamin K supports normal blood clotting and helps the body use calcium in bone tissue. Ajad is a cooling Thai cucumber relish that tosses thin-sliced cucumber, shallots, and chilies in a sweet vinegar dressing, served as the classic side to grilled chicken satay. Gaeng Jued Taeng Kwa Yat Sai is a clear soup where you hollow out a cucumber, stuff it with seasoned minced pork, and simmer it in a light broth served with steamed jasmine rice. Eat the fruit raw with the skin on, so you keep the peel's nutrients. If you grow it, trellis the vine upward so the fruit stays clean and easy to pick. A little oil, avocado, or nuts alongside helps that fat-soluble vitamin K absorb, and if a cucumber tastes unusually bitter, throw it out — that bitter taste comes from natural compounds that can upset your stomach. Follow Longevity Biome for a new Thai plant every day.

Ajaad — อาจาด (a-jaad)
Tom Chuet Taeng Gwa Yat Sai — ต้มจืดแตงกวายัดไส้ (tom-chuet-taeng-gwa-yat-sai)

Source: idoBR1 iminosugar from Cucumis sativus reduces inflammation. ACS Omega (2020). DOI:10.1021/acsomega.0c02092. BP (rat): PMC10739478

Educational content, not medical advice! Consult your doctor before changing diet or medication.

#LongevityBiome #ThaiHerbs #Cucumber

Food and nutrients

Rich in: vitamin K

Research context

Cucumber is ~95% water; compounds showed blood-pressure-lowering (in animals) and anti-inflammatory (in lab tests) activity — ACS Omega, 2020

Safety note. Discard any cucumber that tastes unusually bitter — that bitter taste comes from cucurbitacins, which can cause GI poisoning.

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