Distribution of African wild cucumbers and their potential use in the food and pharmaceutical industries

Abstract

Wild species have played a critical role in the lives of rural people in the olden days as they were utilized for both pharmaceutical and food. One of the versatile wild species that has been used in the past era for the dual purpose is the wild cucumber species, with some of the rural communities still utilizing the crops for various reasons. These wild species have been found to be in abundance in Africa and other continents such as Asia and vary greatly in morphology and physiology. Several of these species have been used as food such as African horned cucumber, which was consumed fresh or added to meal or pickled for preservation. The wild cucumber has been widely used for pharmaceutical purposes as they have been found to contain high amounts of antioxidants, secondary metabolites, and rich essential oils with beneficial medicinal properties. These medicinal properties are found both in the leaves and in the fruits of the plant as both have been widely used for treatments of various ailments. The medicinal uses of wild cucumber species vary from wound healing to anticancer to antimicrobial activities among others. Importantly, most of this metabolite accumulation has been found to positively correlate with drought stress as most of this species are found in the southern African countries along the Kalahari Desert. The use of this species has seen a decline to almost no use as communities relied on domesticated relatives, which are readily available in the markets, but these commercial domesticated relatives are low on the important biochemical properties found in their wild relatives. This could stem from the breeding and domestication where the important traits have been lost along the process. The challenge is that this important species has been neglected and underutilized, and thus, their value and true potential are not realized. It is thus important that to continue documenting, evaluating and have potential commercialize so that they can reach their economic potential.