Western Herbalism
Pumpkin
Curcurbita pepo
Also known as Pumpkin Seed.
An emulsion of pumpkin seeds prepared by rubbing one ounce of the crushed seeds with eight fluidounces of water, taken husks and all, after preparatory catharsis and fasting, is a safe and often efficient agent for the expulsion of tape-worm. A dose of castor oil should follow the administration of the emulsion. Sometimes oleo-resin of malefern is given with it, the concoction being sweetened if desired. Pepo will also remove round worms. The ethereal oil, in two drachm doses, has been similarly employed, but is less efficient than the whole seeds. An infusion of pumpkin seed is useful as a lenitive and diuretic in scalding of urine, strangury and other irritative urinary disorders.
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Indications what the tradition reached for it in
- Parasitic infection (intestinal)
- Irritated bladder
- Parasitic infections
- Worm infestation
- Benign prostatic hyperplasia
- Debility
- Edema
- Fatigue
- Fluid retention
- Inflammation
- Intestinal worms
- Parasites
- Urinary disorders
- Weakness
- Oxidative stress
- Infection
Specific indications
Tape-worm; round worm; ardor urinae.
Safety
Pregnancy: Seeds traditionally eaten during pregnancy for iron/zinc
The record lists 2 contraindications; open the plate in the library to read them in full.
Dosing as the sources wrote it
| Preparation | As written | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| 10-20 g of seed/d | 10000-20000 mg | |
| 1-2 Tbs/d of coursely ground seed (15-30g) | ||
| Oil | 160 mg TID (amount used in BPH research) | 160-160 mg |
| (for tapeworms): 1/2 fl oz oil taken fasting, repeated in 2 hrs, and in another 2 hrs-1/2 fl oz with dose of castor oil | 14.79-14.79 mL | |
| 200-400 g unshelled pumpkin seeds ground in a coffee mill, mixed w/ milk and honey to a thick liquid, patient fasts for a day and takes half the dose in the morning and half in the evening, 2-3 hours after each dose, a dose of castor oil (1 tsp to 1 Tbs) is taken as a strong laxative | 200000-400000 mg | |
| The expressed oil, in doses of from twenty to sixty drops, is said to be even more effectual than the emulsion | 0.4-1.2 mL |
Doses are reproduced from the sources for practitioners and are not a recommendation for any person.
From the sources
Action and Therapy. An emulsion of pumpkin seeds prepared by rubbing one ounce of the crushed seeds with eight fluidounces of water, taken husks and all, after preparatory catharsis and fasting, is a safe and often efficient agent for the expulsion of tape-worm. A dose of castor oil should follow the administration of the emulsion. Sometimes oleo-resin of malefern is given with it, the concoction being sweetened if desired. Pepo will also remove round worms. The ethereal oil, in two drachm doses, has been similarly employed, but is less efficient than the whole seeds. An infusion of pumpkin seed is useful as a lenitive and diuretic in scalding of urine, strangury and other irritative urinary disorders.
Properties and Uses. The seeds, deprived of their husk, may be beaten in a mortar with a small quantity of water; by which treatment they form a milky emulsion which is mucilaginous, oily, and sweet. This emulsion will act transiently but effectually on the kidneys, bladder, and urethra.
Description. Natural Order, Cucurbitaceae. This genus of the cucurbit family includes the pumpkin, and the many varieties of the squash. They are all characterized by their wide-spreading and juicy vines, with their great palmate-lobed leaves standing up from six to eight inches from the ground on furrowed and hollow petioles nearly an inch in diameter. The fruit of the pumpkin is of enormous size-in fact the largest fruit found upon any plant, great or small. The flesh is yellow, abounding in sugar, and very edible. The seeds are numerous, and are attached in rows upon the inside of the hollow flesh. When deprived of their husky covering, these seeds will yield a considerable amount of fixed oil by cold pressure.
indications. Pumpkin is traditionally indicated for: Parasitic infection (intestinal), Irritated bladder, Parasitic infections, Worm infestation, Benign prostatic hyperplasia, Debility, Edema, Fatigue, Fluid retention, Inflammation, Intestinal worms, Parasites, Urinary disorders, Weakness, Oxidative stress, and 1 further conditions.
Drawn from Cook's Physio-Medical Dispensatory; King's American Dispensatory, 18th edition (Felter and Lloyd); Felter's Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, and the Bountiful Herbs editorial.
In formulas
Pumpkin stands in 14 documented formulas in the library, among them ging luò yin, rú xing tang, Léi shì ging liáng dí shu fǎ, qing shu yì gì tāng, Léi shì ging liáng di shu tàng, guà dì sǎn.
Often paired with
hyacinth beanLablab purpureus
sacred lotusNelumbo nucifera
HoneysuckleLonicera japonica
Licorice rootGlycyrrhiza glabra
American GinsengPanax quinquefolius
lophatherumLophatherum gracileNearby on the shelf
PrivetLigustrum lucidum
PrunePrunus
PsylliumPlantago ovata
Pterospora andromedeaPterospora andromedea
PunarnavaBoerhavia diffusa
Puncture vineTribulus terrestris
Punting-pole bambooBambusa tuldoides
Purging crotonCroton tigliumThe whole plate is in the library. The compass, Compare, the Sky of eleven hundred plants and the formulary open with an email address and a password, free, with the formula builder and its safety engine. Herbert without limit, his formulating, clients, the handouts and the labels are the paid room.
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