Overview
Cucumber is one of the herbs traditionally used in Ayurveda for parasites and worms. Kheera (Cucumber) is a common vegetable-fruit widely cultivated across India. It is cooling, thirst-quenching and diuretic. The fruit is mainly water and is excellent for summer. It is used in salads and as a cooling agent. The seeds are diuretic and cooling. Cucumber is beneficial in Pitta disorders, burning micturition and thirst. It is a low-calorie food. Dose: As food. Verse: 12.
How Cucumber Helps with Parasites and Worms
According to Ayurvedic pharmacology, Cucumber has specific properties that make it valuable for addressing parasites and worms:
- Potency (Virya): Ushna (hot)
- Post-digestive (Vipaka): Katu (pungent)
- Taste (Rasa): Tikta (bitter)
- Qualities (Guna): Laghu (light), Ruksha (dry)
Safety & Precautions
The cultivated cucumber is an everyday, low-calorie food, and the classical texts treat it as such. Eaten as part of meals, it raises no particular concern in the sources here.
Food Combining
Ayurvedic food-combining guidance lists cucumber as incompatible with tomato, potato, eggplant and lemon. If you follow these principles, keep cucumber apart from those foods in the same meal.
Wild Cucumber
The wild form (Eravaru) is a different matter. It is described as a purgative, so it clears the bowels, and it has bitter, hot and dry properties rather than the cooling nature of the salad fruit.
The sources here record no contraindications, drug interactions, overdose signs or doses for it. With that little information, avoid self-treating with wild cucumber, especially in pregnancy, while nursing, or for children, and seek a qualified practitioner's advice.
Other Herbs for Parasites and Worms
See all herbs for parasites and worms on the Parasites and Worms page.
▶ Classical Text References (2 sources)
, five salts, yavaksara, seeds of gokshura- Tribulus terrestris Linn, ervaru(cucumber)- utilissimus (Roxb.
— Charaka Samhita, Chikitsa Sthana — Therapeutic Principles, Chapter 26: Three Vital Organs Treatment (Trimarmiya Chikitsa / त्रिमर्मीयचिकित्सा)
Source: Charaka Samhita, Chikitsa Sthana — Therapeutic Principles, Chapter 26: Three Vital Organs Treatment (Trimarmiya Chikitsa / त्रिमर्मीयचिकित्सा)
Nodules resembling cucumber seeds, mildly painful, fine and rough, situated in the eyelid — this is called arsho-vartma (eyelid piles/hemorrhoids).
— Sushruta Samhita, Uttara Tantra, Chapter 3: Vartmagata Roga Vijnaniya Adhyaya (Chapter on Diseases of the Eyelids)
The sweet (madhura) group includes: Kakolyadi group, ghee, fat, marrow, shali rice, shashtika rice, barley, wheat, shringataka, seruka, trapusa (cucumber), ervaaruka, karkaru, kala, bukalindaka, taka, giloda, priyala, pushkara seed, kashmari, madhuka, dracha (grapes), kharjura (dates), rajadana, tala (palm), nalikera (coconut), water preparations, bala, atibala, atmagupta, vidari, payasya, gochuraka, chira, morata, madhulika, krishmaranda, and others.
— Sushruta Samhita, Sutra Sthana, Chapter 42: Rasavishesha-vijnaniya Adhyaya - On Specific Knowledge of Tastes
Ervaruka (cucumber) — sweet, cool, diuretic.
— Sushruta Samhita, Sutra Sthana, Chapter 46: Annapana-vidhi Adhyaya - On Food and Drink
The sweet (madhura) group includes: Kakolyadi group, ghee, fat, marrow, shali rice, shashtika rice, barley, wheat, shringataka, seruka, trapusa (cucumber), ervaaruka, karkaru, kala, bukalindaka, taka, giloda, priyala, pushkara seed, kashmari, madhuka, dracha (grapes), kharjura (dates), rajadana, tala (palm), nalikera (coconut), water preparations, bala, atibala, atmagupta, vidari, payasya, gochuraka, chira, morata, madhulika, krishmaranda, and others.
— Sushruta Samhita, Rasavishesha-vijnaniya Adhyaya - On Specific Knowledge of Tastes
Ervaruka (cucumber) — sweet, cool, diuretic.
— Sushruta Samhita, Annapana-vidhi Adhyaya - On Food and Drink
Source: Sushruta Samhita, Uttara Tantra, Chapter 3: Vartmagata Roga Vijnaniya Adhyaya (Chapter on Diseases of the Eyelids); Sutra Sthana, Chapter 42: Rasavishesha-vijnaniya Adhyaya - On Specific Knowledge of Tastes; Sutra Sthana, Chapter 46: Annapana-vidhi Adhyaya - On Food and Drink; Rasavishesha-vijnaniya Adhyaya - On Specific Knowledge of Tastes; Annapana-vidhi Adhyaya - On Food and Drink
Medical Disclaimer: The information on this page is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Ayurvedic treatments should be pursued under the guidance of a qualified practitioner (BAMS/MD Ayurveda). Always consult your healthcare provider before starting any new treatment. Content is sourced from classical Ayurvedic texts and may not reflect the latest medical research.