Cucumber
PH
PureHealthness Editorial Team · Health writers & reviewers
📝 Last reviewed: August 2026
✔ Transparent sourcing · Some articles are AI-drafted, then reviewed & fact-checked by our team
📝 Last reviewed: August 2026
Cucumbers climb and trail with crisp, cooling fruits. Sliced into salads or pickled into jars, they are the most refreshing vegetable of summer.
🔬 Plant facts
| Scientific name | Cucumis sativus |
|---|---|
| Type | Vining vegetable |
| Family | Cucurbitaceae |
| Sunlight | Full sun |
| Water | Consistent moisture |
| Height | 1–2 m vines |
| Flower | Yellow star flowers → green fruit |
| Uses | Salads, pickles |
| Growth | Fast, 50–70 days |
| Best season | Warm season |
💊 Cucumber in the medicine industry
Cucumbers are 95% water and rich in vitamin K; cucumber extract is used in skincare for cooling and hydration, and the fruit is a traditional remedy for puffy eyes.
🌱 Growing & care tips
Cucumbers need full sun, rich soil and lots of water; train vines on a trellis to save space and keep fruit straight, and pick regularly so plants keep producing.
🍽️ How to use it
Cucumbers are sliced into salads, pickled into gherkins and kimchi, blended into cool soups and drinks; the classic spa treatment is cucumber slices on the eyes.
💡 Did you know? A cucumber is a fruit, a berry, and technically a 'pepo' — a berry with a tough rind, like pumpkins and melons.
⚠️ Cucumber safety note: Cucumbers are safe; the bitter skin of some older varieties can cause mild stomach upset — modern varieties are bred to be non-bitter. Home pickles can be high in salt.
⚠️ Important: Herbal and plant remedies can interact with medicines. Always ask a doctor or pharmacist before using any plant product for health purposes — especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or taking prescription drugs.
← All plants · 🥗 Nutrition hub
More plants in the library
- Pumpkin (Cucurbitaceae)
- Watermelon (Cucurbitaceae)
- Bitter Gourd (Cucurbitaceae)
- Sunflower (Asteraceae)
- Rose (Rosaceae)
- Tulip (Liliaceae)
- Lavender (Lamiaceae)
- Aloe Vera (Asphodelaceae)
- Basil (Lamiaceae)
- Mint (Lamiaceae)
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