**3. Culinary, therapeutic and cosmetic uses of cucumber**

At present, cucumber is the fourth most widely cultivated vegetable after tomato, cabbage and onion [8]. Cucumber has versatile uses in culinary, therapeutic and cosmetic purposes [5, 6]. Nutritional and epidemiological researches have shown various benefits of cucumber. For example, cucumber contains abundant nutrients and has crunchy texture and unique flavor, so it is a quintessential vegetable used for a variety of dishes, and it is also indispensable for salad, soup and smoothie. Cucumber is rich in superior hydration and phytochemicals, which have diverse health benefits including weight loss, anti-inflammation, remedy for multiple diseases of eczema, constipation, hypertension, atherosclerosis, cancer, etc. [9]. Recent studies found that the presence of kaempferol in cucumber is an important antidiabetic agent [10]. Furthermore, cucumber is popularly used for natural beautification and for skin treatments [11].
