A Facebook reel with over half a million views claims that infusing cucumber and okra with water and drinking it three to five times a week can normalize blood pressure and blood sugar. This is false.
On June 5, a verified FB user posted a 16-second video showing viewers the proper way of preparing the drink. The audio used for the narration was made with AI and said:
“High blood at diabetic ka ba? Gawin mo ang inumin na ito para bumalik sa normal ang blood pressure at blood sugar mo. Magslice ka ng pipino at okra at lagyan mo ito ng tubig. Ibabad mo muna bago ito inumin. Gawin mo ito three to five times a week.
(Are you hypertensive and diabetic? Make this drink to bring your blood pressure and blood sugar back to normal. Slice some cucumber and okra and add water to it. Let it soak before drinking it. Do this three to five times a week).”
The Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care (PITAHC) denied the claim, stating that it does not recognize cucumber and okra-infused water as an effective standalone treatment to normalize clinical hypertension or diabetes. According to them, there is no approved scientific, clinical, or traditional medicine basis for this claim.
Pia Belarmino, PITAHC’s Chief Science Research Specialist, said while okra and cucumber contain compounds such as soluble fiber, potassium and antioxidants, they are not replacements for prescribed medication.
Further, the preparation shown in the video is ineffective due to lack of clinical trial evidence to support the claim that steeping okra or cucumber in water results in concentrating any active compound at levels sufficient to produce a therapeutic effect on blood sugar or blood pressure.
The health agency advises persons living with hypertension or diabetes to consult their physician before modifying any treatment regimen, as it risks serious, life-threatening complications.
VERA Files Fact Check reviewed 20 database entries for okra and cucumber in the Philippine Traditional Knowledge Digital Library on Health and found no record of the two fruits being used for hypertension and diabetes.
The circulating reel was published by an FB user and has so far received 7,082 reactions, 78 comments, 1,200 shares, and 597,000 views.
