27 Weird Ways to Use Cucumbers

 

On a salad or as a snack, cucumbers are refreshing and healthy. In fact, they contain a lot of the nutrients you need, like vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and C; also zinc, potassium, iron, calcium, folic and more. They are very easy to grow in your home garden, or even a container.

But did you know that they have many more benefits? Check out our 27 ways you never thought to use cucumbers.

1. Keep slugs away.

If you have these visitors in your garden, you’ll be happy to know that cucumbers can help. Put some cucumber slices in a pie tin. The chemicals in the cucumber will react with the aluminum that will give off a scent that will keep the slugs away. Here’s more information on how to get rid of slugs with cucumbers and aluminum.

2. Fight constipation.

With its high fiber and water content, if you suffer from constipation eat some cucumbers and your body will be thanking you. Read more here: top 10 foods that relieve constipation.

3. Rid intestinal worms.

Cucumber is actually a natural way to get rid of tapeworms in your intestines. Cucumber juice has the enzyme erepsin—which digests proteins—that eat away at tapeworms. Here’s a recipe for a cucumber and aloe parasite killer smoothie.

4. Cure hangover.

Because cucumbers have so many nutrients and can eliminate toxins, they are a great natural remedy for ridding the body of the harmful effects of too much alcohol. Try it. Here’s a great recipe for cucumber and watermelon hangover cure.

5. Treat eye puffiness.

You’ve probably seen or even tried cucumber slices on eyes; but do you know why they work? Cucumbers have ascorbic acid and caffeic acid. Antioxidants that relieve water retention, thereby reducing swelling around the eyes. Read more about here: 11 DIY Home Remedies for Puffy Eyes.

6. Reduce appearance of cellulite.

Make a paste of cucumber juice, honey, and ground coffee. Apply to cellulite and wrap in cloth and let sit for 30 minutes. Exfoliate the area for full benefits. The paste tightens skin and reduces the appearance of cellulite.

7. Strengthen hair.

Cucumbers contain silica. It is a mineral that helps improve collagen in the body, meaning it helps to keep hair from breaking or getting damaged. Since cucumbers are cooling they can also help hair during the summer from long days outside. Read more about it here: plant based foods that make your hair gorgeous.

8. Remove marks on walls.

If your child has gotten a little crazy with the crayons lately, get out a cucumber! The outer peel is great for removing marks on walls. Just rub it on the wall and the crayon markings will come right off. Here’s more information on foods that double as cleaning products. Save money and skip the eraser sponges! Works on pens and markers, too.

9. Make metal shine.

After regular cleaning, rub a cucumber slice on metal to remove tarnish and make it shine. We put this to the test, and it worked beautifully! It was actually easy to remove the tarnish on an old serving bowl.

Simply slice a cucumber. Leave some of the cucumber skin on to use to clean, as well. Rub the slice on to coat with cucumber juice. Rub off with the cucumber skin. That worked the best for us. Read more here: cleaning your home with produce.

10. Prevent mirror fog.

Are you constantly waiting for the bathroom mirror to unfog to shave or put on makeup? Before your take a shower, wipe a cucumber across the mirror. It’ll help prevent the after-shower mirror fogs. Read more here: cleaning powers of cucumber.

11. Quiet a squeaky door.

Squeaky door in the house and don’t have WD-40? No problem! A simple, all-natural solution is to rub a cucumber slice on the hinge. Squeak gone!

12. Shine shoes.

It may seem funny to wipe cucumber onto your shoes, but it does make them shine! Cucumbers contain a chemical that give shine and also repels water.

13. Stop headaches.

Who wants to take a bunch of medicine if it’s not necessary? Cucumbers have vitamins and electrolytes that replenish the body and naturally keep headaches away. Simply eat cucumber slices before bed to wake up with a pain-free head. Here’s a migraine reliever juice recipe with cucumber.

14. Lower blood pressure.

Since cucumbers have a high amount of potassium and mild diuretic property, it minimizes the effects of sodium as it helps reduce blood pressure and heart rate. Check out more info about it: cucumber juice for blood pressure.

15. Reduce risk of cancer.

Cucumbers truly are a super food. They contain three lignans—lariciresinol, pinoresinol, and secoisolariciresinol—which have been shown to reduce the risk of breast, uterine, ovarian, and prostate cancers. Get the details at The World’s Healthiest Foods article: health benefits of cucumbers.

16. Non-caffeinated pick me up.

Whenever you’re feeling a little groggy—from the time you wake up, to a sleepy afternoon, to after dinner—reach for a cucumber instead of reaching for something with too much caffeine in it. Caffeine loaded drinks can cost too much, anyway! Since cucumbers have vitamin B and carbs that are great at replenishing your body, they can help give you the energy boost you need. Skip the caffeine and caffeine crashes, snack on cucumbers!

17. Beat bad breath.

Nothing is worse than bad breath and being out of breath mints. A great alternative is cucumber! Slice some up and hold on the roof of your mouth for 1-2 minutes. It will boost saliva production, which washes away the stinky bacteria. Read more here: bad breath treatment.

18. Optimize organ function.

Cucumbers are good at riding the body of toxins, meaning they optimize the function of the bladder, kidney, liver, pancreas, and more. Read more about health benefits of cucumbers.

19. Relieve sunburn.

For quick relief of sunburned skin, a cool cucumber can do the trick. You can apply it in a number of ways, from using a slice directly to making a puree to lightly smear. Either way the cooling effect and antioxidant properties will help get rid of redness and swelling. See more naturally soothing sunburn treatments.

20. Rejuvenate the skin.

Have you tried a cucumber face mask or apply cucumber juice regularly? Check out this cucumber face mask testimonial. Cucumber can noticeably brighten skin. Pretty great for a vegetable!

21. Relaxing steam treatment.

Instead of spending a ton of time and money at the spa, create your own spa-like atmosphere at home. For a relaxing steam treatment, cut a cucumber and put in boiling water. The nutrients will release into the steam to keep you feeling calm, cool, and collected.

22. Relieve arthritis.

Cucumbers are naturally anti-inflammatory and rid the body of uric acid build up, making them the perfect natural remedy for stiff and swollen joints. Because cucumbers have a cooling tendency, it cools the joints too helping symptoms of arthritis and gout.

23. Make your own pickles.

Ok, so maybe you have thought of this before, but have you done it? If you are growing your own cucumbers, you have to try making your own pickles. It’s easier than you think, and the taste is divine. Grab some vinegar, dill, and check out this simple refrigerator pickle recipe.

24. Reduce fever.

Cucumbers have a natural cooling effect. Popular in summertime drinks, and can be used in to cool the body temperature. You can also keep slices in the fridge to rest on the forehead to cool body temperatures.

25. Make facial toner.

Toner is used in skincare to close pores and to hydrate and smooth the skin. Cucumber’s high water content, Vitamin E and natural oils make it a great toner ingredient. Check out this DIY cooling cucumber toner.

26. Create cucumber cocktails.

Cucumber is commonly used for water infusions, but have you thought to use it in cucumber cocktails? Combine lemon, mint, and cucumber for a cooling drink. For nonalcoholic drinks, infuse water or substitute lemonade for a refreshing cooler. Here are cucumber lemonade recipes.

27. Make ice cream and sherbet.

Have you tried making ice cream or sherbet with cucumbers? Talk about refreshing and unusual. Check out this cucumber ice cream sorbet recipe.