Pumpkin seeds for prostate enlargement and cancer.
Prostate Problems (enlargement and cancer) occurs because during aging the male sex hormone testosterone get converted to a related compound, dihydrotestosterone which stimulates prostate cell proliferation. Eventually, an enlarged prostate can clamp down on the urethra, restricting the flow of urine from the bladder and semen. This leads to problems such as frequent urination, urine leakage, urinary tract infections and pain at the time of ejaculation. Prostate cancer is associated with urinary dysfunction as the prostate gland surrounds the prostatic urethra.
There are only 2 drugs, finasteride (Proscar) and terazoin (Hytrin) to treat prostate enlargement in allopathic system of medicine. Proscar is not effective for about 50% of men and also causes side effects like decreased libido, ejaculatory problems and loss of erection. Surgery is often resorted to reduce the size of prostate.
But in folklore there are excellent medicines like pumpkin seeds to treat prostate problems. Dr James Duke, the well known American Ethnobotanist and Phytochemist, recommends liquorice and saw palmetto also for treating this disorder (Green Pharmacy).
Pumpkin seeds (Cucurbita pepo L.) contain oil rich in tocopherols, β-sisosterol phenolic acids, cucurbitacins and are rich in zinc and amino acids like alanine glycine and glutamic acid.
Pumpkin seeds are the traditional treatment for BPH in Bulgaria, Turkey and Okraine. A handful of seeds per day throughout adulthood is recommended to keep prostate healthy. They are prescribed to treat ailments of the prostate gland. In particular, the seeds’ combination of high zinc content and diuretic effect makes it a good remedy for noncancerous prostate enlargement. And a Swedish clinical trial found that a substance called curbicin, obtained from pumpkin seeds and dwarf palms, noticeably improved the symptoms of enlarged prostate. Both zinc and cucurbitacins prevent transformation of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone . Amino acids such as alanine glycine and glutamic acid also are found useful in relieving BPH symptoms.
Pumpkin seeds are also found to increase seminal fluid and thus useful in lower sperm count and Erectile dysfunction.
Pumpkin seed oil improves the function of the bladder and urethra, arthritic conditions and is a a popular de-worming remedy, especially for children.
The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia reported prostatic action (BHP, 1996) for pumpkin seeds. In a multi centre controlled study involving more than two thousand subjects, a product containing pumpkin seeds was evaluated for the treatment of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). The results indicated that, not only were pumpkin seeds effective in reducing symptoms associated with BPH, especially in its early stages, but also no side effects were reported by the patients involved in the trial . In a Swedish study involving 53 patients, pumpkin seed reduced symptoms related to BPH, without any side effects. Other clinical trials also show that pumpkin seeds, with other herbs, have a positive effect against mild to moderate BPH. A study in Egypt (Manal K Abdel-Rahman, 2006 ) conclude that pumpkin seed at 10% can inhibit citral-induced hyperplasia of the ventral prostate lobe as observed in reducing protein binding prostate levels, weight of ventral prostate lobe and improve histology of testis therefore may be beneficial in the management of benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Mammen Daniel.
