Pumpkin: properties and uses of the Pumpkin

Pumpkin for diabetics

Contrary to what one might think, pumpkin, very sweet and tasty, is a food friendly to diets low in calories, even suitable for diabetics due to the lack of carbohydrates. Although the uses of pumpkin in the kitchen are very numerous, we must not forget that the plant - thanks to its countless beneficial properties - is also widely used in the herbal, phytotherapeutic and cosmetic fields.

Use in the kitchen

The seeds, as we have seen in the previous article, can be eaten after salting and drying (or roasting in the oven); the flowers are also edible, and are delicious fried or simply seared in a pan as a base for omelettes or pasta.

Pumpkin pulp lends itself excellently to a thousand uses: in fact, after having deprived it of the zest - a rather complex procedure because it is very hard and massive - the pumpkin can be steamed or boiled to prepare soups and minestrone, but it can also be cut into diced and cooked in a pan like the classic roast potatoes, then adding extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and - if you like - rosemary. An alternative method to prepare the pumpkin is cooking in the oven: after cutting the pumpkin halved, without seeds and carefully washed, it can be cut into wedges and cooked directly in the oven. the basis for original cakes and sweets.

How to Open and Clean the Pumpkin

At cooking school to learn how to recognize a good pumpkin and learn the correct technique to open and cut it. Having understood all this, with the help of our video recipes, preparing dishes such as risotto with pumpkin and rosemary, pumpkin and potato cream or light pumpkin and apple pie will be child's play!



How to Clean and Cut the Pumpkin

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Nutritional analysis

After the culinary digression, let's proceed to describe the pumpkin in nutritional terms. We have seen that the "vegetable" is included among the low-calorie foods, providing only 18 Kcal per 100 grams of product: this is due to the "large amount of water" contained in it, even estimated at around 94.5%. Carbohydrates amount to 3.5%, while proteins, very few, make up only 1.1%. Fats, almost absent, represent about 0.1%.
Being orange, it is easy to understand how pumpkin is a mine of carotenes and pro-vitamin A; in addition, it is rich in minerals, including phosphorus, iron, magnesium and potassium; the quantity of vitamin C and B vitamins is also good.

Properties and phytotherapeutic uses

In phytotherapy, the "pumpkin" drug refers above all to seeds, containing cucurbitin, tocopherols, tocotrienols, steroids (1%), proteins, pectins and fatty oil. In addition, pumpkin seeds also contain a modest amount of minerals, such as selenium, copper, zinc and manganese.
The seeds are not toxic, since the main bitter steroids characteristic of Curcubitaceae (curcubitacine) are absent: therefore, the consumption of seeds does not give side effects (except for those sensitive to one or more substances that characterize the phytocomplex).
The marker of the drug is represented by cucurbitin (different from curcubitacin): it is a pyrrolozidine amino acid to which the known antihelminthic properties are ascribed, therefore effective against worms in general and tapeworm in particular.
Furthermore, pumpkin seed extract seems to be particularly active also against cestodes and ascarids: it should be considered, however, that cucurbit does not kill parasites, but simply immobilizes them; for this reason, it is good to administer laxatives after taking pumpkin seed extracts for this purpose. The quantity of this amino acid molecule varies according to the species of pumpkin considered: in C. maxima, the quantity of cucurbit is estimated to be around 1.9%, while in the species C. pepo varies between 0.2 and 0.7%.
The oil obtained from pumpkin seeds is rich in oleic and linoleic acids: these fatty acids carry out their therapeutic activity in synergy with carotenoids and protochlorophylls, as a natural remedy for hyperlipoproteinemia. The therapeutic use of pumpkin seed oil is also recommended in the prophylaxis of atherosclerosis.
In the light of recent studies, it seems that pumpkin seed oil is also useful in case of bladder inflammation, gastric irritation and prostatic disorders, especially in association with Serenoa repens.
Pumpkin pulp, on the other hand, being rich in carotenoids, is particularly suitable for fixing the tan and, at the same time, is included among the hypothetical foods useful for the prevention of cancer.
In addition to what has been said, the pumpkin is also used to alleviate nervous problems; last but certainly not least, pumpkin has good refreshing, diuretic, laxative and digestive properties.

Pumpkin and cosmetics

The uses of pumpkin also extend into the cosmetic sphere: with its pulp, in fact, you can prepare some simple face masks, very useful for moisturizing the skin, smoothing the skin and cleaning it deeply. In addition, pumpkin-based masks are also indicated to soothe sunburn.
Example of a face mask: crush some seeds with a clove of pumpkin pulp, mix the mixture obtained with a little honey, apply the mixture on the face and let it rest for a few minutes.
Oily skin with blackheads, thanks to the pumpkin mask, are cleaner and hydrated.

Other articles on "Pumpkin: properties and uses of the Pumpkin"

1. Pumpkin
2. Pumpkin in Herbalist: property of the Pumpkin
3. Pumpkin Seed Oil
4. Pumpkin seeds and prostate health

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