Overview of Traditional Use, Phytochemical and Pharmacological Activities of Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.)

Many herbal plants are used for the treatment and prevention of various diseases. One of them is Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). Cucumber has high nutritional value, so that it can be used as a food source. Cucumber is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases of the human body. Therefore, it is necessary to explore information regarding the traditional uses, phytochemicals, and cucumbers' pharmacological activities. This review article aims to increase knowledge of the traditional uses, phytochemical content, and cucumbers' pharmacological activity. Data is taken from various sources such as official books, Google Scholar and ResearchGate. This data was taken in the last ten years, starting from 2011-2021. These data search results show that traditionally cucumber can be used in the treatment of various diseases. The cucumber plant's phytochemicals are reported to contain chemical constituents in the form of flavonoids, phenols, carotenoids, steroids, tannins, saponins, alkaloids, terpenoids, resins, and glycosides. Cucumbers also contain carbohydrates, protein, minerals, and vitamins. Pharmacologically, cucumbers are reported to have antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antihepatotoxic, antidiabetic, antifungal, antibacterial, antidiarrheal, and thrombolytic effects. Therefore, it can be concluded that the cucumber plant (Cucumis sativus L) is a plant that is rich in chemical compounds and has the potential to be developed into phytopharmaca, especially as an antihypertensive and antidiabetic drug.