Pumpkin Seed And Your Health
Pumpkin seeds have long been used to treat ailments of the prostate gland, but only recently has the scientific community begun to investigate its age-old medicinal merits. Popularly known as Pepita de Calabaza, or simply Pepita, a pumpkin seed may refer to the entire seed or the kernel of a pumpkin or other species of squash. In Europe as well as in Mexico and the rest of Latin America, it is widely consumed in snack quantities. It is noted for its healthy ratio of unsaturated and saturated fatty acids, which have been tied to the treatment of a diverse variety of illnesses, notably those that afflict the nervous and cardiovascular systems. Its long association with herbal medicine is marked by very positive anecdotal evidence.
Cucurbita pepo and its cultivars are the primary species where pumpkin seeds are obtained from. There are over a dozen varieties of this pumpkin from all over the world, and all of them have been noted to produce similar effects on human health. Not surprisingly, people from different countries have been reported to use pumpkin seeds as a source of food and an herbal remedy. They are a part of folk medicine of European communities, and have been noted for encouraging effects on prostate health. This may have triggered the extensive research well underway in connection with its activities inside the human body that appear to alleviate benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH, in particular.
Contains Unsaturated Fatty Acids
It is widely accepted that pumpkin seeds are among the best sources of healthy fats while there are others with slightly higher content of unsaturated fatty acids. They are also rich in essential fatty acids, or EFAs, namely linoleic acid, or LA, and alpha linolenic acid, or ALA. Both LA and ALA have been linked to reducing inflammation in the human body. Their utilization in treatment of inflammation-induced disease such allergic rhinitis, rheumatoid arthritis, atopic dermatitis, and asthma, among others has been well investigated and documented. Since most cases of prostate problems are inflammation-induced, it’s no wonder pumpkin seeds produce positive results.
Pumpkin Seed And Hormones
Influences Androgenic Hormones
Common problems of the prostate include expressed prostatic secretion, asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis, and benign prostatic hyperplasia. All of these medical conditions are affected by the presence inflammation intermediaries and androgenic hormones. While not all prostate ailments are directly caused by steroid hormones in the androgen family, unusual levels are good indicators. Pumpkin seeds have been observed to influence the androgenic hormones, testosterone and dihydrotestosterone, both of which is often associated with inflammation of the prostate and even prostate cancer.
Deactivates Prostate Cell Multiplication
In addition, there have been numerous citations of the effects of regular intake of pumpkin seeds on multiplication of prostate cells, the reason why it is suggested to be of great help to patients suffering from prostate cancer. Pumpkin seeds appear to work on the principle of inhibiting androgen receptors that contribute to the proliferation of cancerous prostate cells, which are in fact the target of many anti-cancer treatments.
Try Pumpkin Seed And Oil Today
Pumpkin seed and pumpkin seed oil are inexpensive and an easy way to protect the prostate in men when consumed on a regular basis. Have you had your pumpkin seeds and pumpkin seed oil today?