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May 05, 2008

Cucumber

"A cucumber in the morning has the qualities of a diamond, a cucumber in the day has the qualities of a cucumber and a cucumber at night has the qualities of a rock"

Cucumber is actually a berry, and has an interesting history. As you can well imagine, it is cool, heavy and sweet. It's high water content raises Kapha, but it cools Pita and refreshes Vata.

It is very heavy and cold, so take it moderation, and not straight out of the fridge. Save cucumber for warmer weather, and it's best not eaten at night time or you may wake up with a stuffy nose or a cold. Cucumber is best not eaten in combination with milk.

Cucumber is excellent for dry, hot skin disorders, including sunburn. For Vata it is best taken warm so add sticks of cucumber to sturfries, or chunks to dahl just a minute before serving. Serve it with warm, digestive spices.

7 comments:

nive said...

very informative..thank you,Julia

Uma said...

Thanks for useful information on cucumber. wonderful tips too!

Julia said...

A pleasure!

Anonymous said...

Hi, Julia. I think cucumber is a little hard to digest but there's one way I love having it: with yogurt, garlic and mint. But according to your post it shouldn't be eaten with milk.That way it doesn't upset my stomach.

Anonymous said...

Did you know that you can cook cucumber? That is fabulous for us Vattas. For example, Kerala in India has a traditional cucumber curry. I have a recipe for it on my blog, if you are interested.

Love reading your site.

Julia said...

Ivete, yoghurt and milk have different effects on the digestion, for example milk is cooling, whereas yoghurt has a heating post digestive effect. I think raita should be fine. Also I think the human body is capable of adapting to food, so if you eat it regularly your body will digest it well.

Vegeyum-I have some cucumbers in the fridge, I think I'll have to try that one!

Anonymous said...

Good post Julia...
One of my friends told that cucumber helped to reduce heartburn during her pregnancy.I'm not sure..

Can you share your ideas about PMS?
Lately I've been experiencing it every month.TIA.
-Swapna