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.
Ajaad — อาจาด (a-jaad)
Tom Chuet Taeng Gwa Yat Sai — ต้มจืดแตงกวายัดไส้ (tom-chuet-taeng-gwa-yat-sai)
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
Sources
Source: idoBR1 iminosugar from Cucumis sativus reduces inflammation. ACS Omega (2020). DOI:10.1021/acsomega.0c02092. BP (rat): PMC10739478
Narration transcript
Opening
A cucumber is about ninety-five percent water — but shave off the peel and you toss out most of its fiber and vitamin K along with it. Cucumber — แตงกวา, taeng-gwa. You eat the fruit raw, skin and all, sliced into the cooling relish ajad or hollowed and stuffed with pork for a clear soup.
Ajaad (อาจาด)
Ajaad is a Thai cucumber relish that tosses thin-sliced cucumber, shallots, and chilies in a sweet vinegar dressing, served as the cool side to grilled chicken satay.
Tom Chuet Taeng Gwa Yat Sai (ต้มจืดแตงกวายัดไส้)
Tom chuet taeng gwa yat sai is a clear pork soup that hollows cucumber and stuffs it with seasoned minced pork, simmered in a light broth and served with steamed jasmine rice.
Nutrition summary
Cucumber is mostly water, so it's light on nutrients — vitamin K is its high point, with a trace of copper and potassium.
Vitamin K
Vitamin K contributes to normal blood clotting and helps maintain healthy bones, working alongside calcium in your body.
Closing
If a cucumber tastes strangely bitter, throw it out — that bitterness is cucurbitacins, natural compounds that can upset your stomach hard. If you grow them, train the vine up a trellis so the fruit hangs clean and straight. Follow Longevity Biome, and LIKE this video for regular updates.
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