Pumpkins, or squash, are rich in functional ingredients and nutrients and have many potential health benefits. Scientific research and traditional medicine have demonstrated that pumpkins can enhance immunity, exhibit anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-hyperlipidemic, and anti-hyperglycemic effects, and aid in weight control, making them a beneficial addition to daily diets.
Several Chinese medicine practitioners mentioned that pumpkins can protect the eyes, prevent gastric ulcers and prostate diseases, relieve heat, and detoxify. They shared several practical and straightforward daily pumpkin recipes.
Enhanced immunity
Pumpkins contain vitamins A, C, and E, as well as minerals such as zinc, iron, and selenium, along with polysaccharides, which can help compensate for common nutritional deficiencies in the human body and support immune function. They are also rich in various functional bioactive substances, such as polyphenols, terpenoids, carotenoids, etc., with antiviral, antibacterial, and immune-regulating effects.
Hypoglycemic effect
Pumpkins are rich in polysaccharides, which have a significant hypoglycemic effect. Chronic hyperglycemia can lead to serious complications, such as lesions of the retina, nerves, and kidneys. Studies have shown that pumpkin polysaccharides relieve hyperglycemia by regulating metabolites related to oxidative stress and glycolipid metabolism in diabetic mice.
Preventing prostate disease
Chinese medicine doctor Hu Naiwen said in an interview that with age, almost all men will be affected by prostate hypertrophy. For example, urination takes a long time, or you feel the urge to urinate again after using the toilet. The problem is more serious at night, with increased urination, leading to poor sleep quality.
In addition to normal aging, frequent sexual thoughts can also easily cause prostate hypertrophy. This is because the prostate is constantly stimulated when thinking about it, so you must try to be indifferent to sex and not take it too seriously. At the same time, regularly consuming pumpkin and pumpkin seeds can help alleviate an enlarged prostate. Studies have found that pumpkin seeds have an anti-proliferative effect on prostate cells.
Hu recommends eating cooked pumpkin seeds as a snack. For those who don’t like pumpkin seeds, grind them into powder and add them to milk or hot water.
Weight loss
Pumpkins are rich in pectin and polysaccharides. Studies have found that pumpkin pectin can slow down the digestion rate of starch in digestive juices, and pumpkin polysaccharides can improve metabolic health by enhancing intestinal flora, thereby playing a role in weight control. Additionally, pumpkins are rich in dietary fiber, which helps promote intestinal motility and alleviate constipation. For people who often miss meals, pumpkin can be eaten as a snack to increase satiety.
The easiest way to lose weight by eating pumpkin is to steam it. Cut the pumpkin into pieces and place them directly in the cooker to steam. You can also add pumpkin pieces to the rice when steaming, and then place them in the rice cooker to make pumpkin rice.
Eye health
Hu said that pumpkins are rich in carotenoids, which can help maintain eye health and prevent eye diseases. A review study showed that eye carotenoids can absorb visible light and protect the eyes from chemical damage caused by light. They can also remove free radicals and protect the eyes from damage, such as oxidative stress and inflammation.
He stressed that an increasing number of people are visiting doctors for eye problems, not just teenagers, but also middle-aged and elderly individuals. Prolonged use of computers and mobile phones can lead to vision loss, dry eyes, and other eye-related issues. In severe cases, it can also lead to macular degeneration and cataracts.
Pumpkin soy milk is an easy way to incorporate pumpkins into one’s diet—simply cut 150 grams of pumpkin into pieces, heat 600 ml of soy milk, and then blend it with the pumpkin to create a puree drink.
Preventing gastric ulcers
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that pumpkins regulate the spleen and stomach. Modern medical research also shows that pumpkin seed oil can effectively improve gastric ulcers caused by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen.
Hu said that many office workers suffer from gastric ulcers and duodenal ulcers at a young age due to busy work, irregular meals, and work and rest. Gastric ulcers can recur repeatedly, causing pain and even gastric perforation, which is life-threatening. He suggested that patients with mild gastric ulcers eat more pumpkins, which can help speed up the healing of gastric wounds, protect the gastrointestinal mucosa, promote bile secretion, and aid digestion.
Pumpkin millet porridge is an excellent remedy for mild gastric ulcers. It requires 200 grams of pumpkin and 50 grams of millet. Cut the pumpkin into pieces, wash the millet, and put it into boiling water. Cook on low heat for 30 minutes. Stir the mixture from time to time to prevent sticking to the pot, until it is cooked through.
Relieve depression
Traditional medicine and psychological antidepressant therapy are considered the main treatments for depression. Studies have shown that pumpkin extract can effectively improve depression in rats under chronic unpredictable mild stress, and its effect is similar to that of the commonly used antidepressant fluoxetine.
In addition, Dr. Jingduan Yang, CEO of the Northern Medical Center in New York and a neuromedicine expert, also mentioned to The Epoch Times the important role of zinc in pumpkin in the nervous system. Zinc is involved in synthesizing neurotransmitters in the brain, transmitting nerve signals, and the functional regulation of neurotransmitter receptors. These neurotransmitters influence emotional regulation, stress tolerance, memory, attention, learning ability, motivation, and execution.
“In our clinic, many people diagnosed with various mental illnesses have zinc deficiency problems.” He said that since the human body cannot produce zinc, it must be continuously ingested from food or supplemented from nutritional supplements. Drinking a cup of pumpkin coffee every morning can help you feel more energetic and benefit your work and life throughout the day.
Pumpkin coffee is easy to make and requires 10g of pumpkin puree, 180 ml of fresh milk, 1 tablespoon of maple syrup, 50 ml of black coffee, and a sprinkle of cinnamon powder. After brewing the coffee, pour it into a blender with pumpkin puree and fresh milk, blend for 20-30 seconds, then add maple syrup and cinnamon powder for seasoning.
Translated by Patty Zhang and edited by Amanda
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