Pumpkin

Pumpkin is a plant whose seeds and oil are used to make medicine. Pumpkin is used to treat bladder irritation, kidney infections, intestinal worms and difficulty urinating due to benign prostatic hyperplasia. Pumpkin is sometimes used in combination with other plants to treat symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia.

The roasted pumpkin seeds are eaten as a snack.

How do pumpkin products work?

The chemicals in pumpkin seeds can have a diuretic effect and increase urine output, which can help relieve bladder problems. Pumpkin seeds also contain chemicals that may kill worms in the intestines.

How effective are pumpkin products?

Pumpkin seed oil is potentially effective for benign prostate enlargement. Taking pumpkin seed oil on its own or in combination with Saw Palmetto could help with symptoms of benign prostate enlargement. There is not enough scientific data to make a statement about the effectiveness of pumpkin products for intestinal worms, bladder irritation and kidney infections. Further scientific research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of pumpkin products in these applications.

Safety and side effects

Pumpkin is safe and harmless in dietary amounts and is considered potentially safe for most people in medicinal amounts. Pumpkin products may cause ejaculation problems in some men.

Precautions and warnings

Pregnancy and lactation: Not enough is known about the use of pumpkin products in medicinal amounts during pregnancy and lactation. For this reason, pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid such quantities.

Interactions

Care should be taken when combining pumpkin products with the following medications:

Lithium

Pumpkin could have a dehydrating (diuretic) effect. The consumption of pumpkin products can impair the body's excretion of lithium, which could result in increased lithium levels and serious side effects. For this reason, it is important to consult your doctor before consuming pumpkin products if you are taking lithium. The lithium dosage may need to be adjusted.

Dosage

The following dosages have been investigated in scientific studies:

Oral

• For benign prostate enlargement: 480 mg pumpkin seed oil extract per day, divided into 3 single doses, in combination with Saw Palmetto and other plants.

References

1. Carbin BE, Larsson B, Lindahl O. Treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia with phytosterols. Br J Urol 1990;66:639-41.
2. De Bellis L, Gonzali S, Alpi A, et al. Purification and characterization of a novel pumpkin short-chain acyl-coenzyme A oxidase with structural similarity to acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenases. Plant Physiol 2000;123:327-34.
3. Foster S, Tyler VE. Tyler's Honest Herbal, 4th ed, Binghamton, NY: Haworth Herbal Press, 1999.
4. Friederich M, Theurer C, Schiebel-Schlosser G. [Prosta Fink Forte capsules in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Multicentric surveillance study in 2245 patients]. Forsch Komplementarmed Klass Naturheilkd 2000;7:200-4.
5. Marks L, Partin AW, Epstein JI, et al. Effects of a saw palmetto herbal blend in men with symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia. J Urol 2000;163:1451-6.
6. Younis YM, Ghirmay S, al-Shihry SS. African Cucurbita pepo L.: properties of seed and variability in fatty acid composition of seed oil. Phytochemistry 2000;54:71-5.
7. Zhang X, Ouyang JZ, Zhang YS, et al. Effect of the extracts of pumpkin seeds on the urodynamics of rabbits: an experimental study. J Tongji Med Univ 1994;14:235-8.