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When we eat or cook pumpkin or squash, we usually throw away the seeds or seeds along with the rest of the parts that are not edible, but it turns out that we are making a mistake. The Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin or pumpkin seeds or seeds They are very nutritious and provide us with many health benefits and, although we can buy them, we can save the ones we had thought to throw away when we consume a pumpkin.
If you still do not know why pumpkin seeds are so beneficial for our health and you have not yet decided to add them to your diet, keep reading this interesting article by Green Ecologist and discover what are the properties of pumpkin seeds, their benefits and contraindications, as well as the best ways to prepare and eat them.
Pumpkin seeds properties
Pumpkins and their seeds or pipes contain vitamins A and B, carotenoids, magnesium, manganese, zinc, pectins, cucurbitin, resins, glycosides, and unsaturated fatty acids, such as oleic and linoleic. Thanks to this composition, among the main properties of pumpkin seeds the following stand out:
- Anti-inflammatory
- Antiseptics
- Antioxidants
- Revitalizing
- Vermifuges
- Emollient
- Diuretics
- Mild sedative
Pumpkin seeds benefits
Thanks to its composition and its properties, the seeds of pumpkin or pumpkin can bring us improvements in our health. These are some of the benefits of pumpkin seeds:
Improve your heart health with pumpkin seeds
Raw pumpkin seeds or seeds contain high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, omega 3 and phytosterols that help regulate cholesterol, reducing bad cholesterol and increasing good, for this reason it is advisable to consume pumpkin seeds to help treat cholesterol. In addition, these components of pumpkin seeds protect the circulatory system, thus strengthening the health of our heart.
Take pumpkin seeds to improve your urinary system
One of the main properties of raw pumpkin seeds is that they contain cucurbitin, an alkaloid-type amino acid that is present in these seeds, which combined with high levels of zinc help men to combat the benign prostatic hyperplasia. If you have prostate problems such as swelling and problems in which this is a symptom, we recommend this other article on Medicinal plants for an inflamed prostate.
Also, thanks to these components, it is believed that it also helps reduce the risk of kidney stones and, if you already suffer from them, pumpkin seeds are beneficial as a support for medical treatment for fight kidney stones and also other diseases of the urinary system.
Pumpkin seeds against intestinal parasites
Pumpkin seeds are used in traditional medicine in many countries to eliminate intestinal parasites, since thanks to their vermifuge properties they are very effective against parasites such as worms and tapeworms. This property of raw pumpkin seeds is due to the cucurbitin they contain, an alkaloid amino acid with anthelmintic capacity that stops the development of parasites and eliminates them.
Consume pumpkin seeds to help your bones
Another amazing benefit of raw pumpkin seeds is prevent osteoporosis and relieve pain caused by bone deterioration, this is due to its anti-inflammatory properties and its high zinc content.
For this reason, pumpkin or squash seeds are also indicated for people with arthritis, it is advisable to consume these pipes and, in addition, use the oil that is extracted from them to apply it to the affected areas and achieve a anti-inflammatory effect more immediate.
In addition, these pipes contain vitamins A, K and E so they are excellent as antioxidant food and they benefit us by improving the health of our cells and fighting free radicals in the environment.
Pumpkin seeds to increase defenses
We can boost the immune system thanks to the moderate consumption of pumpkin seeds. Due to its high zinc content, pumpkin seeds are excellent to improve our defenses, to promote good growth and to strengthen our senses such as sight and smell.
In addition, as pumpkin seeds also contain iron, they are good allies to prevent and combat anemia. Therefore, with these benefits we ensure good growth, good cellular health and, thus, the prevention of some diseases.
Pumpkin seeds against depression
Pipes or pumpkin seeds are an excellent natural antidepressant, since they contain L-tryptophan that helps regulate serotonin levels, which when decompensated produce depression.
Besides, the optimal serotonin production thanks to tryptophan of these seeds, also contributes to the production of melatonin, known as the sleep hormone, and for this reason, it also helps us reduce anxiety, be calmer and sleep better. For these reasons, if you have depression or are prone to it, if you have problems sleeping at night or have a lot of anxiety, it is recommended that you add raw pumpkin seeds to your diet on a daily basis, since it is one of the healthier tryptophan foods.
Regulate Insulin with Raw Pumpkin Seeds
Control the level of insulin in the blood It is vital for people with diabetes since with an optimal level it is possible to regulate blood glucose. There are some scientific studies that state that the consumption of pumpkin seeds helps to raise insulin, especially in people with type 2 diabetes. Thus, a well-regulated consumption of these seeds will help to provide good health for the pancreas of the people with this condition.
How to prepare pumpkin seeds
We recommend you follow these tips for preparing pumpkin seeds:
- To take pipes or pumpkin seeds you can choose eat them rawEither you keep the ones you remove from the pumpkin when you cook it or prepare it for Halloween, or because the ones you buy in herbalists and supermarkets. In fact, it is the most recommended way to take pumpkin seeds to take full advantage of their beneficial properties for our health.
- Another way to eat these seeds is to roast them or buy the toasted pumpkin seeds, as they also retain many of their properties and greatly enrich the dishes. In addition, they can be eaten alone or used as an accompaniment to some dishes.
- Also, if you don't like finding whole pipes on your plates, you can choose to buy them powdered or crush them before sprinkling them on your food.
- Another possibility is to take a infusion of pumpkin seeds raw.
Some ideas of dishes in which you can use pumpkin seeds are:
- Salads
- Accompaniment in stews.
- Sprinkled in soups and creams.
- Sweet desserts.
- Jellies
- Infusions.
Regarding the doses of pumpkin seeds, here we give you an orientation, but keep in mind that it is appropriate to discuss it with the doctor to adjust the dose to each case:
- Make a decoction of pumpkin seeds for urine infections (take 3 cups a day)
- 40 g per day of pumpkin seeds without shell to deworm internally. For children, the dose should be half.
- On the other hand, if you ask yourself "how many pumpkin seeds should I eat daily? We recommend you keep in mind that to take them regularly it is not advisable to exceed 10 g per day.
So that you always have these ecological pipes at hand, we advise you to grow your own. Follow this guide to find out when and how to plant pumpkins.
Side effects and contraindications of pumpkin seeds
They only appear side effects of pumpkin seeds if they are taken in excess and for a prolonged continuous time. Among these side effects we find:
- Flatulence.
- Belly pain (intestinal and stomach).
- Weight gain
Regarding contraindications of pumpkin seeds, the only strict one is in people with allergies to any component of the pumpkin or of the group or family of plants to which it belongs. For the rest, it must be taken into account that it is not a contraindication, but of great importance when adjusting the amount to the minimum, according to the doctor's indication, as would happen in the case of weight gain or people who must be very careful with their insulin levels, such as diabetics or those resistant to it.
In the video below you can see more about pumpkin seeds.
If you want to read more articles similar to Pumpkin seeds: properties, benefits and contraindicationsWe recommend that you enter our Healthy Eating category.
Bibliography- Cebrián, J., (2012), Dictionary of medicinal plants, Barcelona, Spain, Integral RBA Libros.
- Lemus-Mondaca, R., Marin, J., Rivas, J., Sanhueza, L., Soto, Y., Vera, N., & Puente-Díaz, L. (2022). Pumpkin seeds (Cucurbita maximum). A review of its functional properties and by-products. Chilean nutrition magazine, 46(6), 783-791.
- Martínez Aguilar, Y., Martínez Yero, O., Córdova López, J., Valdivié Navarro, M., & Estarrón Espinosa, M. (2011). Phytosterols and squalene as hypocholesterolemic in five varieties of seeds of Cucurbita maxima and Cucurbita moschata (pumpkin). Cuban Journal of Medicinal Plants, 16(1), 72-81.
