General
The Health Value Of The Styrian Pumpkin
Seeds
The Styrian pumpkin itself is not used as a food item.
It was- if at all - considered suitable for animals only.
The vegetable aspect of its fruit was never a contender
against other pumpkin varieties that produce more and better
fruit pulp than the Styrian pumpkin. However, the seeds
of pumpkins have been used for ages as "snack-food"
especially in the mediterranian area with the known "
side-effect" of easing and preventing bladder and prostate
problems. This effect makes the Styrian pumpkin seeds so
valuable today, since the amount of this beneficial ingredient
is significantly higher than in any other variety.This amount
of medicinal substance is so extraordinary that this Styrian
variety is today grown for the seed's ingredients alone,
hence only the seeds are harvested and the pumpkin pulp
is discarded as "fertilizer" and left on the field.
The absence of a hard shell around the seeds makes them
even more desirable.
Medicinal Properties
The specific components are known to prevent bladder and
prostate problems, even to shrink enlarged prostate glands
in early stages. Minimal amounts of this drug are needed.
Pharmaceutical capsules contain only miniscule amounts (e.g.
5000 mg = 5g ) of pumpkin seed oil . Chewing a handful of
the seeds every other day can easily give a similarly sufficient
preventive supply. Also using the oil as salad dressing
not only gives the food a pleasent nutty flavour, but contains
the wanted ingredients in more than sufficient quantities.
But this substance is only present in the cold pressed oil
since heating destroys the drug component. Therefore cooking
with this oil is not recommended since it removes most of
the beneficial property. The process to obtain this oil
is complicated and delicate, making the oil a higher priced
item, but it is worth its price provided the quality and
the purity of the oil is guaranteed.
A special process re-uses the seed paste after the first
"virgin" pressing to extract the remnants with
another oil by resoaking the pulp in this "extractor
oil". Often even heat is applied to obtain higher yields.
Such oils are much cheeper since they contain only a fraction
of the original oil's properties. They are - or should be
- properly labeled as "cuts" or re-pressed fractions
(containig Pumpkin Seed Oil) and have their use in culinary
ventures for their still distinctive nutty flavour. However
there is no medicinal value in these oils .
Health Aspects - Food Value
Another modern re-discovery of healthy food relates to
unsaturated fatty acids, also known as essential fatty acids
or EFA for short. These benefical acids are present in a
very high percentage and make the oil a preferred choice
of conscious consumers.Many seeds, especially nuts, are
high in valuable vegetable protein - the Styrian pumpkin
seeds too. They also contain a very high percentage of Vitamin
E. The absence of a wooden shell made them the undisputed
favourite for all new and old pumpkin seed fans. Some users
praise the natural seeds as "brain" food recommendable
for most students with learning problems and in Austria
the oil has for its energizing quality been nicknamed "Styrian
Diesel". When roasted and salted the Styrian pumpkin
seeds rival or even distance many other nutty snacks, but
the medicinal properties are severely reduced by the roasting
process. However, the remaining properties make it a favourite
choice for nut-lovers preferring its taste over others.
Arthritis: Indomethacin Side Effects -
Pumpkin Seed Oil Safer And More Effective
Most of us eat too much sugar (carbs) and processed vegetable
oils (which causes vitamin E deficiency as all is lost in
processing). We are highly deficient in the Omega 3 and
9 fats and are literally phobic of good saturated fats.
Pumpkin seeds are rich in the good fats which are absolutely
essential to joint and health in general. Deficiency in
these fats leads to all manner of problems such as heart
disease, depression and cancer just to name a few... In
addition to Pumpkin, flax seeds it is essential to include
"Cod Liver Oil - Number One Superfood" in one's
diet
Anti-Inflammatory Benefits in Arthritis
The healing properties of pumpkin seeds have also been
recently investigated with respect to arthritis. In animal
studies*, the addition of pumpkin seeds to the diet has
compared favorably with use of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
drug indomethacin in reducing inflammatory symptoms. Importantly,
though, pumpkin seeds did not have one extremely unwanted
effect of indomethacin: unlike the drug, pumpkin seeds do
not increase the level of damaged fats (lipid peroxides)
in the linings of the joints, a side-effect that actually
contributes to the progression of arthritis.
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