Pumpkin

Cucurbita pepo

An annual fruit, pumpkin has vines that grow up to 26 feet long. The leaves are large and bristly; the flowers are big, yellow, and solitary. The fruit is large, greenish to orange, and fibrous. Its many seeds have flat, shallow grooves.

Seeds of several species of the genus Cucurbita have long enjoyed a considerable reputation as teniafuges (agents which paralyze and expel intestinal worms). Chief among these are pumpkin seeds or pepo, obtained from C. pepo L., but the seeds of the autumn squash (C. maxima Duchesne) and of the Canada pumpkin or crookneck squash [C. moschata (Duchesne) Poir.] have similar properties. All are large edible fruits produced by herbaceous, running (vine like) plants of the family Cucurbitaceae. Numerous cultivated varieties exist.

When used as a teniafuge or anthelmintic, cucurbita seeds are ordinarily administered in the form of the ground seeds themselves, as an infusion (tea), or as an emulsion made by beating the seeds with powdered sugar and milk or water. Usually three divided doses are given, representing a total weight of seeds ranging from 60 to as much as 500 grams. Such treatment is said to be effective in expelling both tapeworms and roundworms. Another traditional use of the seeds is in the prevention and treatment of chronic prostatic hypertrophy (enlargement of the prostate gland) in males. A handful of the seeds eaten daily is supposed to be a very popular remedy for this condition in Bulgaria, Turkey, and the Ukraine.

Cucurbitin, an unusual amino acid identified chemically as (-)-3-amino-3-carboxypyrrolidine, is the active principle responsible for the anthelmintic (worm-expelling) effects of the drug. It occurs only in the seeds of Cucurbita species, but its concentration is quite variable even in seeds of the same species. This variability probably accounts for reports in the literature that cucurbita seeds are either unreliable or ineffective as a teniafuge. One study showed the concentration of cucurbitin in different samples of C. pepo ranged from 1.66 to 6.63%, in C. maxima from 5.29 to 19.37%, and in C. moschata from 3.98 to 8.44%.

Identifying the principle(s) responsible for any beneficial effects on the prostate gland is not so straightforward. The fatty oil contained in cucurbita seeds in amounts approaching 50% is an efficient diuretic, so the increased urine flow it produces may give an illusory sense of reduction of prostatic swelling or hypertrophy. Administration of unsaturated fatty acids is thought by some to be beneficial in the treatment of prostate problems. Cucurbita seed oil contains a number of these, including about 25% oleic acid and 55% linoleic acid. Phytosterols may also play some role.

Other names

• Field Pumpkin
• Vegetable Marrow

Parts used

Seeds, pulp.

Uses

According to archaeological records in Mexico (8750 B.C.), c. pepo appears to be one of the first domesticated plant species. Pumpkins and other species of squash, along with beans and corn, were considered the "three sisters" by Native Americans, who planted them together. The bean vines used the cornstalks as supports and fixed nitrogen in the soil. And for all of them, the large squash leaves shaded the soil and helped hold moisture in it. In the Grimms' fairy tale Cinderella, the heroine's fairy godmother turned a pumpkin into a magical golden coach. During Halloween, the pumpkin is made into jack-o-lanterns and pumpkin cakes and pies; and it is represented in trick-or-treat costumes and decorations.

Pumpkin was used in folk medicine to treat kidney inflammation and intestinal parasites and was once listed as one of the Four Greater Cold Seeds in an 18th century list of medicines. Today pumpkin is employed to treat irritable bladder and prostate complaints, namely benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The fatty oil in pumpkin seeds is mildly diuretic, and the seeds' principal constituent, cucurbitacins, appears to inhibit the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotesterone. The presence of zinc and amino acids further treat BPH. Pumpkin does not reduce prostate enlargement - it relieves symptoms only. Pumpkin seeds are also thought to help relieve dizziness.

Pumpkin seeds are taken principally as a safe deworming agent. They are particularly useful against tapeworms in pregnant women and in children, for whom stronger-acting and toxic preparations are unsuitable. The seeds are also mildly diuretic, and have been used in Central American herbal medicine as a treatment for nephritis and other urinary system problems. Varieties of pumpkin that are particularly diuretic, tonic to the bladder, and high in zinc have been recommended in the early stages of prostate problems. The pulp is used as a decoction to relieve intestinal inflammation, and is applied as a poultice or plaster for burns.

When the first explorers arrived in America, they noticed the pumpkin plant in the cultivated maize fields of the Indians. The red men, they discovered, utilized the pumpkin for medicine as well as for food. An emulsion made from a mixture of pumpkin and watermelon seeds served to heal wounds for members of the Yuma tribe. The Catawbas ate the fresh or dried seeds as a kidney medicine, while the Menominees drank a mixture of water and powdered squash and pumpkin seeds to ease the passage of urine. In settler folk medicine the ground stems of pumpkin were brewed into a tea to treat "female ills," and the ripe seeds were made into a palatable preparation to dispel worms. Modern folk healers advocate pumpkin seeds to rid the body of intestinal worms, and they point out that the seed oil is helpful for healing burns and wounds.

Habitat & cultivation

Pumpkin is indigenous to North America. Pumpkin is also cultivated widely, especially in temperate climates.

Constituents

Pumpkin seeds contain 30% unsaturated fixed oil (which includes linoleic and oleic fatty acids). The seeds also contain cucurbitacins, vitamins, and minerals, notably zinc.

How much to take

A mixture is made by beating 2 ounces (60 grams) of the seeds with as much sugar and milk, or water, added to make a pint, and this mixture is taken fasting. In three doses, one every two hours, castor oil being taken a few hours after the last dose.

Collection & harvesting

The seeds are removed from the pulp inside the pumpkin which should be harvested in late summer.

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