cucumbers

Taste The Cleansing Effect Of Cucumber
Tags: Chinese diet, chinese food, chinese food health, chinese food recipe, chinese health, Cucumber Honey Porridge recipe, cucumber medicinal values, health tips, medicinal diet, recipe for lowering cholesterol/blood pressure, recipe for reducing swelling, recipe for removing heat/toxin, Traditional Chinese Medicine.
In Western diet, cucumber is valued for its vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin A, C, and K; magnesium; manganese; pantothenic acid; phosphorus; and potassium. Whereas in Chinese diet, cucumber is also known for its medicinal values.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), cucumber is “cold in nature.” It can remove heat and toxin, facilitate urination and reduce swelling (with the help of ascorbic acid and caffeic acid), relieve thirst and regenerate body fluid (because the flesh of cucumber is mainly composed of water). No wonder cucumber is a popular medicinal food (try this recipe: Cucumber Honey Porridge) for easing sore and ulcer caused by heat-toxin, jaundice and heat stranguria, dark urine, etc.
Nevertheless, as pointed out by TCM Practitioners, despite that cucumber has a lot of merits, its “cold” attribute should keep us from eating too much of them, otherwise our spleen and stomach function will be undermined. In fact, elderly and children who generally have weak stomach/spleen function; pregnant women; people suffer from cold hands and feet, diarrhea due to spleen and stomach coldness (functional disturbance) etc. should avoid over-eating of cucumbers.
Tips:Since there are some compounds called sterols contained in cucumber that have been shown to lower cholesterol, and the heaviest concentration of sterols is in the skin of the cucumber, we should retain the peel when we eat it, as said by Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners.
Although fresh cucumber is a very good source of the Vitamin C and mineral molybdenum, and also a good source of Vitamin A, dietary fiber, folate, magnesium, manganese, and potassium, it is less nutritious than most fruits and vegetables. Therefore, cucumber lovers should also eat other fruits and vegetables to get sufficient nutrients and vitamins.

hee if you have balance of cucumber maybe can try this too..:)

HOW TO MAKE CUCUMBER FACE MASK...
Instructions
Difficulty: Easy
Things You’ll Need:
Cucumber
Witch hazel
Lemon juice
Egg white
Mint
Honey
Rosewater
Apple
Step1Put a sliced cucumber into a food processor and blend until it becomes pulpy. Pour this into a strainer and collect the liquid in a bowl. Add 1 tsp. each of lemon juice and witch hazel, which also have gently astringent and purifying effects on the skin. Add 1 gently beaten egg white and stir to combine ingredients. Apply the mixture to the face and neck, avoiding the eyes. Leave on for 15 to 25 minutes and rinse with warm water.
Step2Mix 1/2 cucumber, sliced or cut in chunks with 1 tsp. of mint, 1 tbsp. of lemon juice and the white of 1 egg. Put all ingredients in a blender and mix well. Refrigerate for about 10 minutes before applying to the face and neck, avoiding the eye area. Leave on for 15 minutes. Rinse with warm, then cool water.
Step3Grate 1/2 cucumber into a bowl, making sure the pieces are small enough to be applied to the face as a mask. Add 1 tsp. of rose water. Apply to the forehead, nose and chin, where skin is naturally more oily. The mixture can be used all over the face, including under the eyes and on the eyelids, for pore-reducing and skin-tightening affect. Leave on for 15 minutes and rinse skin with warm water.
Step4Combine cucumber with avocado for a skin tightening and nourishing facial mask. Chop 1/2 cucumber and 1/2 avocado and mix in a blender or food processor. Add the white of 1 egg and 2 tsp. of powdered milk. Refrigerate for a half hour before applying the mixture to the face and neck. Leave on for 30 minutes. Rinse with warm, then cool water.
Step5Add apple to a cucumber mask for gentle fruit-acid exfoliation. Chop 1/2 cucumber and 1/2 apple and mix in a food processor until all the large pieces are incorporated. Add 1 tsp. of honey and apply to the face and neck, avoiding the eye area. Leave on for 15 minutes and rinse with warm, then cool water.