Pumpkin seed oil is an oil extracted from pumpkin seeds. It is a very popular ingredient in recipes in Eastern Europe. The traditional way of producing this oil is practiced in Slovenia, Romania, Croatia, Hungary, Styria and Austria. Pumpkin seed oil is made from roasted seeds of local pumpkin varieties. The oil is thick, dense and coloured. Pumpkin seed oil is healthy for the body as it contains many health-promoting nutrients such as essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals in small quantities. It is easily tolerated when used or taken.
Background Of Pumpkin Seed Oil
Pumpkin seed oil is made from the seeds of Cucurbita pepo var Styriaca. It is called green gold because of the rich green colour it produces when mixed with yogurt. It can be obtained by solvent extraction with supercritical CO2 or by regular cold pressing. Cucarbita is cultivated in Styria. Today pumpkin seed oil can be made from seeds of many pumpkin varieties.
The cold-pressed method delivers less oil from the seeds, but is the only healthy oil. The others contain harmful chemicals and should be avoided. Cold pressed pumpkin seed oil is very thick and cloudy and must be filtered to reduce its turbidity. The oil is thick, turbid and needs to be filtered to reduce turbidity.
Chemical Effects Of Pumpkin Seed Oil
Let’s take a look at the chemical effects. There is an interesting observation about pumpkin seed oil. It is the phenomenon of dichromatism. The oil has the highest dichromatism of all known natural substances. Pumpkin seed oil shows two different colors. In the thin layer the oil looks dark and light green. The thick layer of oil looks clear and red. The total color of the oil is mixed between the two colors, making it look dark green and blackish.
Pumpkin Seed Oil For Skin
Pumpkin Seed Oil is best applied directly to the skin. Take a few drops of the oil (take refined oil, as it is thinner) and apply to the skin. Let the oil absorb quickly into the skin. Moisturize the skin and make it look moisturizing.
Pumpkin seed oil promotes skin health and function. It supplies the skin with vitamin E, antioxidants, essential fatty acids, fats and carotenoids, which are needed for healthy skin.
Pumpkin seed oil is one of the most potent prostate tonics for men. It promotes the health of the prostate and protects it from benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Pumpkin seed oil acts on the fluids that accumulate in the body and it also hydrates the skin.
Pumpkin Seed Oil For Hair
Pumpkin seed oil has effect on testosterone, an androgen that plays an important role in hair loss. Pumpkin seed oil and DHT (dihydrotestosterone) inhibit the activity that is helpful in hair loss. Apply pumpkin seed oil to the scalp and take it as a dietary supplement or diet. Taking this oil can help with hair loss in men.
Other Health Benefits Of Pumpkin Oil
Let us now analyze the therapeutic properties of pumpkin seed oil. Pumpkin seed oil has the ability to lower blood pressure. It protects the cardiovascular system from diseases.
Pumpkin seed oil acts similarly to many NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) to relieve pain caused by arthritis. The addition of 1 teaspoon pumpkin seed oil to the diet has a pominous effect on arthritic joint pain. This effect is attributed to antioxidants, which prevent free radicals from damaging the body and reducing inflammation. Pumpkin seed oil has also been found to affect the plasma lipid profile, indicating cardiovascular health.
Pumpkin seed oil reduces inflammation with strong essential fatty acids. It contains many free radicals and deterrent nutrients. Pumpkin seed oil helps the body kill and expel intestinal worms. It also helps with falls. It has a strong diuretic effect.
Pumpkin seed oil has been shown to have a strong activity against free radicals. It can reduce inflammation in the body. However, I did not rate the tryptophan in this oil.
Pumpkin seed oil has major medical applications in diseases such as BPH. It has been shown to be helpful in cystitis and urinary tract disease.
The addition of pumpkin seed oil to our diet provides us with many antioxidants that come from the seeds. These are absorbed and influence the levels of other prominent antioxidants in the body. This creates a synergistic effect in which the nutrients in one food increase the power of the antioxidants produced by another food in the body.
The LDL cholesterol-lowering effect of the oils improves the proportion of HDL cholesterol in the total cholesterol profile. HDL cholesterol is good for the body because it is safe and limits the use of many important activities and chemical reactions in the body.
The oil has a protective effect on the heart via the aorta, the largest artery in the body. It is speculated that it leads to the production of nitric oxide, which leads to arterial dilation, lowering of blood pressure and relaxed blood flow. Its triglyceride-lowering effect is considered good for cardiovascular health.
Pumpkin seed oil is a kind of kidney and urine tonic. It reduces pressure on the bladder, promotes the release of excess water in the body and increases the urine production. It prevents the formation of kidney stones and reduces the burning when urinating under these conditions. This effect can be observed by taking pumpkin seed oil and massaging the lower abdomen. Pumpkin seed oil reduces the occurrence of bedwetting in children.
BPH is an enlargement of the prostate that is not caused by cancer. It can lead to an increase in inflammatory markers in the blood. This makes the urinary system weak from infection. Irregular urination can disturb sleep and affect health if it lasts long. Pumpkin seed oil can improve health, prostate size and relieve the symptoms of BPH. It is not known that pumpkin seed oil leads to contraindications caused by interactions with medications.
Nutritional Profile Of Pumpkin Seed Oil
Pumpkin seed oil should not be used as cooking oil, as heat destroys the good nutrition it provides. This makes it unusable due to the harmful effects of hydrogenated fat molecules produced by heat. It should only be applied undiluted to the skin. It is safe to take only by mouth. Before pressing, make sure that it is cold.
Pumpkin seed oil is a powerhouse of nutrition. However, other types of pumpkin seed oil can be harmful and contain carcinogenic compounds and toxic impurities.
The oil is rich in proteins and amino acids. It is not 100% fat and a rare oil. The fat content of pumpkin seed oil is between 30% and 50%.
When filtered, the oil loses most of its fiber and nutrients, making it suitable for topical applications. The local oil sold in Greece and Eastern Europe is rich in proteins and carbohydrates, which shows that both unfiltered and cold-pressed oils are rich and varied in nutrients.
The saturated fatty acid content in pumpkin seed oil is compared with MUFA (monounsaturated fats) and PUFA (polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids). The dominant fatty acid is linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid.
| Nutrient | % | Property |
|---|---|---|
| Gamma Linoleic Acid | traces % | PUFA |
| Stearic Acid | 5.1 – 8.5 % | Saturated fat |
| Palmitic Acid | 12.6 – 18.4 % | Saturated fat |
| Oleic Acid | 17 – 35 % | MUFA |
| Linoleic Acid | 18.1 – 62.8 % | PUFA |
| Alpha Linolenic Acid | 0.34 – 0.82 % | PUFA |
| Arachidic Acid | 0.26 – 1.12 % | Saturated fat |
| Gadoleic Acid | 0 – 0.17 % | PUFA |
| Behenic | 0.12 – 0.58 % | PUFA |
| Palmitoleic Acid | 0.12 – 0.52 % | MUFA |
Vitamin Profile Of Pumpkin Seed Oil
Pumpkin seed oil contains many vitamins and minerals but the amount in pumpkin seed oil varies depending on the type of oil. Carotenoids are responsible for the deep yellow to reddish colour. Pumpkin seed oil also contains many types of carotenoids such as beta-carotene and lutein. Beta-carotene is a form of vitamin A and good for the skin and against cancer. It also contains vitamin E in the form of tocopherol and tocotrienol.
However, these nutrients have much more chemical properties than this alone. The most important of these are vitamins A, B, C and E.
| Vitamins | Value | % |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin A ( beta carotene ) | 6 μg | – |
| Thiamine (B1) | – | – |
| Riboflavin (B2) | – | – |
| Niacin (B3) | – | – |
| Pantothenic Acid (B5) | – | – |
| Pyridoxine (B6) | – | – |
| Biotin (B7) | – | – |
| Folic Acid (B9) | – | – |
| Vitamin B12 | – | – |
| Vitamin C | – | – |
| Vitamin D | – | – |
| Vitamin E | traces | – |
| Vitamin K | – | – |