Pumpkin - benefits and harm to the body. Healthy recipes for preparing pumpkin vegetables. Pumpkin: benefits and harm to the body

Pumpkin is popular in many countries. It has been grown since ancient times. Many people fell in love with the plant for its ease of care and rich harvest. At the same time, the plant has a large number medicinal properties. From the article you will learn which chemical elements what the fruit consists of, which pumpkin has medicinal properties and contraindications for use.

Pumpkin: chemical composition and nutritional value


Pumpkin is an annual or perennial plant from the melon family. Despite the fact that pumpkin is completely unpretentious in care, it is resistant to unfavorable climatic conditions, diseases and pests, grows in every garden and gives a large harvest, the plant is a storehouse useful elements.

Pumpkin fruits contain the following beneficial elements:

  • glucose;
  • starch;
  • carotene;
  • fiber;
  • calcium;
  • magnesium;
  • iron;
  • pectin;
  • calcium;
  • zinc;
  • manganese;
  • organic acids;
  • proteins.

Did you know? Pumpkin contains absolutely no cholesterol, and the amount of fat per 100 g of product is only 0.1 g. Thus, the fruits of the plant are valuable not only for the huge amount of useful microelements, but also because it is a dietary low-calorie product. 100 g of fruit contains 22 Kcal, of which fat accounts for only 0.9 Kcal.

The fruits of the plant contain a rich vitamin complex:


Due to such a rich vitamin content, pumpkin has a beneficial effect on almost all organs and functions of the human body: vision, immunity, nervous system, genitourinary tract, liver, stomach, intestines, skin, blood clotting, digestion. It’s not for nothing that pumpkin is considered a natural antibiotic.

Nutritional value 100 g of product:

  • calories – 22 Kcal;
  • water – 91.8 g;
  • carbohydrates – 4.4 g;
  • dietary fiber – 2 g;
  • proteins – 1 g;
  • fat - 0.1 g.

Pumpkin should definitely be included in the diet of dieters, since, on the one hand, it contains very little fat, and on the other hand, it will replenish the body’s reserves. essential vitamins, will strengthen the immune system.

Important!Table pumpkin varieties have the described complex of elements and vitamins. Decorative and fodder pumpkins have a different chemical composition and do not contain medicinal properties.

Pharmacological properties of pumpkin, pumpkin-based preparations in modern medicine

Pumpkin is perfectly absorbed by the body. The process of digesting the product takes about two hours. Excreted through the intestines and urinary system. Pumpkin does not contain any harmful substances, does not clog the body with toxins. On the contrary, one of the useful chemical properties pumpkin is that it actively promotes the elimination of salts and toxins.

Young pumpkin goes well with almost all foods. Later fruits are not recommended to be used together with meat, fruits, cauliflower, and green peas.

The medicinal properties of pumpkin for the human body are actively used in traditional and folk medicine.In pharmacies you can see many pumpkin-based preparations, including:

  • Peponen;
  • Pumpkin;
  • Pumpkin oil;
  • Prostonor;
  • Prostamed.

These drugs mainly have anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, sedative, and diuretic effects. Used for prostatitis, diseases of the genitourinary system, gastrointestinal tract, and liver. Pumpkin oil is also used to maintain and restore visual acuity.

In addition, there are a huge number of pumpkin-based nutritional supplements that are used as a sedative and for the prevention of tumor diseases.

Important!A very common type of food with pumpkin is pumpkin porridge with milk. However, pumpkin is not compatible with milk and fruit. Therefore, such porridge, contrary to the long-established opinion about its benefits, is poorly absorbed by the body, is heavy on the stomach, and milk prevents the body from absorbing pumpkin and its beneficial substances.

The medicinal properties of pumpkin are widely used in folk medicine. Decoctions, juices, cereals, and ointments are prepared on its basis. Ordinary pumpkin seeds are very useful, you just need to dry them - and medicinal product ready for many ailments.

What are the benefits of pumpkin?


Due to the content of a huge number of useful components and vitamin groups, pumpkin has many beneficial properties. If you are interested in what properties pumpkin has, here is a list of the main ones:

  • soothing;
  • diuretic;
  • laxative;
  • antioxidant;
  • helps improve blood circulation;
  • strengthens vascular walls and heart muscles;
  • improves vision;
  • choleretic;
  • anti-inflammatory;
  • antiseptic;
  • normalizes the processes of blood cell formation;
  • promotes the removal of worms;
  • improves material metabolism;
  • has a beneficial effect on the skin.
When asked whether pumpkin is a diuretic, the answer is yes. And this product is one of the top five among vegetables that have this property. This is explained high level content of calcium, magnesium, potassium in the seeds of the fruit.

Pumpkin can be baked, stewed and fried. When fried, pumpkin loses most of its beneficial characteristics. But pumpkin juice is a very valuable source of vitamins and necessary for a person elements.

Useful properties of seeds


Pumpkin seeds are rich in zinc. This explains most of the medicinal properties of pumpkin seeds. In addition, they are saturated with proteins, vitamins A, B, C, E, D, K, iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, amino acids and fatty plant acids.

Pumpkin seeds have the following medicinal properties:


Pumpkin seeds are widely used in the treatment of prostatitis. In this area, “Prostonor” and “Prostamed” are well known - preparations made from pumpkin seeds that help overcome prostatitis and improve potency.

Despite wide range therapeutic effects, pumpkin pulp and its seeds have some contraindications for use, which include:

  • gastritis;
  • acute stomach or intestinal ulcer;
  • at increased acidity stomach juice;
  • intestinal obstruction;
  • diabetes mellitus

Important! The most useful seeds are those that have not been heat-treated. It is recommended to dry them in the sun for a couple of days and clean them immediately before use.

What are the benefits of pumpkin pulp?

Pumpkin pulp can be used in fresh, as well as baked, boiled, stewed. Frying is not recommended, as the product loses many beneficial properties. TO useful characteristics pulps include:

  • regulation of cholesterol levels;
  • promotes healing of intestinal ulcers;
  • diuretic;
  • contains a large amount of folic acid;
  • enriched with iron and has a beneficial effect on the formation of blood cells;
  • helps remove toxins from the body.

In addition, the healing properties of pumpkin for the liver are very valuable. The fruit pulp helps eliminate toxic and toxic substances from the liver. Pumpkin pulp is also used for burns, eczema, dermatitis, and as a wound healing agent.

Did you know?Pumpkin pulp has a beneficial effect on joints. The crushed fresh pulp is applied to the sore spot, and after a while the victim will feel significant relief.

Benefits of drinking pumpkin juice

pumpkin juice is a real storehouse of useful substances, its healing properties one can only envy. The fruit juice is enriched with pectin, iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium, beta-carotene, vitamins B, C, E. This product strengthens immune system and has a beneficial effect on all organs.

Pumpkin juice has the following medicinal properties:

  • anti-inflammatory;
  • antipyretic;
  • strengthens nails and hair;
  • helps improve vision;
  • cleanses gallbladder and liver from toxins;
  • diuretic;
  • improves blood circulation.

Important!Pumpkin juice has a strong diuretic effect. People who have kidney or bladder stones large sizes, you should use this product with caution and only after consulting your doctor. Since the movement of large stones under the influence of a diuretic can lead to blockage of the urinary or choleretic tract.

Areas of application of pumpkin


Due to the content of a large number of vitamins and useful elements, pumpkin has many medicinal properties and is widely used in traditional as well as folk medicine and cosmetology.

  • for cystitis, nephritis, pyelonephritis;
  • soothing for colitis;
  • improves digestion and metabolic processes for gastrointestinal diseases;
  • for insomnia;
  • as a sedative for depression;
  • for hypertension and cardiovascular diseases;
  • for swelling;
  • influenza, acute respiratory viral infections as an anti-inflammatory and immune strengthening agent;
  • with reduced visual acuity;
  • for the prevention of cancer;
  • for liver diseases;
  • thrombosis;
  • inflammatory diseases.

In the field of cosmetology, pumpkin is used to combat the following ailments:
  • allergic rash;
  • eczema;
  • acne;
  • wrinkles;
  • fistulas

Did you know? Pumpkin seeds have been scientifically proven to support sexual function in men and help increase potency.

Can pregnant women eat pumpkin?

Pumpkin is very useful for pregnant women. Firstly, it helps eliminate toxins and cholesterol, which greatly facilitates the metabolism of expectant mothers. Pumpkin juice helps with constipation and intestinal colic. In addition, this product is enriched folic acid, which is necessary for the formation of a healthy fetus.

The beginning of the last month of autumn. The pumpkin harvest is coming and it's time to talk about this bright orange vegetable. You will learn a lot of interesting things about pumpkin and its beneficial and medicinal properties, about storing pumpkin and a little about what can be cooked from pumpkin.

Pumpkin is one of the ancient cultivated plants. Traces of its cultivation were discovered three millennia BC. in Mexico.

After the discovery of America, pumpkin came to the European continent, and in the 16th century to Russia.

Pumpkin has the heaviest weight of all known cultivated plants, with 73% being pulp and 10% seeds. But this, as you understand, is not the main thing. The main thing is that it contains many valuable and useful substances: carotene (provitamin A) - in large quantities, vitamins C and group B, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, silicon, cobalt, etc. It contains very rare vitamin T, responsible for blood clotting, platelet formation, acceleration of metabolic processes.

Because of such a rich natural vitamin-mineral complex, pumpkin has been used in food since ancient times. medicinal purposes. Avicenna recommended pumpkin decoction to treat coughs and chest pain. A mixture of pumpkin juice and rose oil he suggested it to soothe earaches and considered it useful for sore throats.

As usual I will give a few popular recipes traditional medicine, arranging them in alphabetical order by disease.

Medicinal properties of pumpkin used in folk medicine

Atherosclerosis

Pumpkin pectins, by binding excess cholesterol, help treat and prevent atherosclerosis. Therefore, pumpkin should definitely be included in your menu, especially for older people.

Insomnia, restless sleep

The calming properties of pumpkin are used. For insomnia, take a glass of pumpkin broth with honey at night.

Dental caries

Anemia

Pumpkin pulp contains a lot of iron, so it is recommended to eat 20-150 g of boiled pumpkin 4 times a day.

Burns, wounds

For burns, fresh pumpkin pulp is used to heal wounds.

Edema in patients with heart and kidney diseases

Pumpkin enhances the secretion of urine due to the presence in it of a large amount of potassium salts and water, and a very small amount of sodium. To do this, you just need to eat boiled pumpkin in the form of porridge twice a day.

Prostatitis, kidney and bladder stones

If the prostate gland and liver are inflamed and pumpkin juice is used to speed up the process of dissolving stones in the kidney and bladder. The juice is drunk 200 ml 3-4 times a day.

Cleansing the body

Pumpkin pectins work well as an adsorbent, binding and removing bacteria and their toxins, many harmful substances, including salts, from the body heavy metals– mercury, lead, radioactive elements and other waste. Therefore, this pumpkin cleansing is very useful for salt deposits: osteochondrosis, gout, rheumatism, and is also recommended for kidney and liver diseases.

Stomach or duodenal ulcer

Already two weeks after an exacerbation of the disease, you can include boiled and pureed pumpkin in the patient’s diet.

pumpkin seeds

Pumpkin seeds contain up to 40% fatty oil, phytosterol - cucurbitol, resinous and protein substances, carotenoids, sugars, vitamin C, zinc, salicylic acid, phytin, other compounds.
Since ancient times, pumpkin seeds have been used to remove worms (mainly tapeworms and roundworms).
In addition to antihelminthic properties, they also have a diuretic, anti-inflammatory and mild laxative effect.
Although preparations from pumpkin seeds are inferior in activity to preparations from male fern, what is very important is that they do not have a toxic effect.
Some simple recipes from pumpkin seeds.

Removing tapeworms
(bovine, pork, dwarf tapeworm, wide tapeworm, etc.)

Recipe: Take pumpkin seeds with peel in the following quantities:

  • children under 5 years old – 100-150 g.,
  • 5-7 years – 200 g.,
  • 10 years – 300 g.,
  • adults – 500 gr.

This amount is passed through a meat grinder, and the resulting mass is filled with double the amount of water. Then placed on water bath and evaporate over low heat for 2 hours. Be careful not to bring it to a boil. The broth is filtered through cheesecloth and the oil film is removed.

Taken on an empty stomach for half an hour. 2 hours after taking the decoction, a laxative is taken.

Almost every personal plot Gardeners grow pumpkin, the benefits and harms of which are widely known in folk medicine. This is an annual melon plant of the Cucurbitaceae family. The fruits are round in shape, bright orange in color, the pulp is juicy, the seeds are seeds covered with a dense crust.

Chemical composition

  1. Fiber normalizes work digestive tract. Thanks to its enveloping and wound-healing properties, it normalizes the intestinal microflora. Helps gently cleanse the human body of harmful waste and toxins.
  2. Pectins reduce the level of cholesterol plaques in the blood, improve blood circulation. They are natural antioxidants. They have an astringent, anti-inflammatory, analgesic effect.
  3. Vitamins B, A, C, E, PP ( nicotinic acid), T improve vision, participate in the formation of sex hormones, and strengthen the immune system. Vitamins T (carnitine), PP accelerate lipid metabolism in the body, normalize hormonal background Therefore, pumpkin is useful for weight loss. Vitamin C helps resist viral infections and has diuretic properties. Vitamin E strengthens blood vessels, indispensable for pregnant women (forms reproductive functions fetus).
  4. Sugars provide the body with energy and participate in metabolic processes. Stimulates nervous activity circulatory system.
  5. Microelements: calcium salts, potassium, iron, magnesium, cobalt, copper, zinc. Normalize blood composition, stimulate the functioning of the heart and circulatory system, reduce blood levels blood pressure. The substances have antibacterial, regenerating, anti-inflammatory properties. Zinc helps improve sperm quality in men and stimulates testosterone production.
  6. Starch is a source of carbohydrates for the body, provides energy, and increases performance.
  7. Plant enzymes play important role in metabolic processes, accelerate chemical reactions in the human body.

The calorie content of pumpkin is 22 kcal per 100 g of product.

Indications for use

Pumpkin seed oil

The beneficial properties of pumpkin are also present in the seeds from which the oil is extracted. The product contains a lot of vitamin F (80%) - this polyunsaturated fats which are powerful antioxidant, stimulate cardiovascular system, have a choleretic and laxative effect.

Need to drink pumpkin seed oil for the treatment and prevention of liver diseases (viral hepatitis, fatty degeneration liver), gallbladder (cholecystitis, bile duct dyskinesia, cholelithiasis).

For men, pumpkin seed oil acts as prophylactic from prostate adenoma. Zinc, together with vitamin E, helps improve potency, increases sperm motility, and helps treat sexual impotence. The diuretic and anti-inflammatory properties of the oil help in therapy infectious diseases organs genitourinary system in men and women.

You can drink pumpkin oil for weight loss. Thanks to the acceleration of metabolic processes, the removal of waste and toxins from the body, excess fat is gradually burned. The oil can be used to season fresh vegetable salads; its calorie content is 556 kcal per 100 g. To achieve quick results when losing weight, in addition to pumpkin oil, it will be useful to exercise and exclude fatty, smoked, and fried foods from the diet.

Take 1 teaspoon of pumpkin oil an hour before meals or 2 hours after. You can't drink right away cold water, you can eat bread. Under the influence of cold liquid, fats solidify in the stomach, which slows down their absorption. When treating prostatitis, the course is 4 weeks, for liver pathologies - 6 - 8 weeks, for diseases of the digestive tract - 2 - 3 weeks. For other diseases, the treatment period is 1 month.

You can buy pumpkin oil at the pharmacy or make it yourself. To get 1 liter of product you will need 3 kilograms of seeds. Pre-dried seeds are ground into flour, then fried in a frying pan. The flour should acquire a golden color; if it is overcooked, the oil will be bitter. Add 200 ml of water, steam under the lid for another 20 minutes, after which the resulting mass is spread on cheesecloth and pressed. The oil is viscous, yellow-green in color, smells like a nut, and has a pleasant taste.

Store the oil in a hermetically sealed jar in a dark place for no more than 1 month. At high temperatures the product deteriorates quickly. It should only be taken fresh; heat treatment reduces the beneficial properties of vitamins by 30–40%.

Pumpkin juice

The benefits of pumpkin juice include improving blood clotting, gastrointestinal motility, reducing the level of cholesterol plaques, and removing toxic substances from the body.

Daily dose fresh juice V for preventive purposes is 500 ml. Both children and adults can drink it. The juice should be taken on an empty stomach half an hour before meals.

The benefits of pumpkin juice are evident in weight loss and treatment of obesity in men and women. Satisfied fasting days with pumpkin juice, fresh vegetables and fruits. For 1 day you should take 1.5 liters of juice. Such days need to be repeated at least once a week. To lose weight, you can drink half a glass of juice before meals, this will significantly reduce your appetite.

Pumpkin juice helps men heal prostate gland. It is useful to undergo a 21-day course of treatment every three months. Drink the drink on an empty stomach, half an hour before meals, 100 ml 3 times a day.

To treat the gallbladder and liver, drink 50 ml of juice 3 times a day 30 minutes before meals. Therapeutic course – 10 days.

Important! Only freshly squeezed juice retains the beneficial properties of pumpkin; store-bought products contain dyes and preservatives, so they will not be beneficial.

To prepare juice, peel the pumpkin, grate it, or use a juicer. Squeeze out the pulp through cheesecloth. You need to drink the drink within an hour, after which the constituent components oxidize and it loses its properties. If you don’t like the taste of pumpkin juice, you can mix it with an apple or carrot natural drink.

Pumpkin juice: its benefits and harms are widely known in folk medicine. They treat diarrhea, heartburn, inflammation of the genitourinary system, insomnia and stress, and cleanse the liver. Excessive consumption of the drink is harmful (no more than 1.5 liters per day). Diarrhea may develop allergic reactions for the vitamins that pumpkin contains.

Ways to use pumpkin

Pumpkin is consumed raw, baked or boiled. Juice is made from fresh pulp.

Pumpkin: the benefits and harms of boiled fruit. At heat treatment loses some of its properties, but it is easily absorbed and saturates the body useful minerals and microelements. Boiled pumpkin is harmful for patients with diabetes, as the product contains a lot of sucrose, which increases blood glucose levels.

Raw pumpkin: beneficial properties and contraindications. The pulp helps soft cleaning intestines and improves the functioning of the entire digestive tract. Raw pumpkin can be consumed up to 0.5 kg per day, boiled up to 2 kg.

Raw crushed pulp applied to the feet helps relieve fatigue and heaviness in the legs. It is used in cosmetology to prepare face masks, it helps restore the skin healthy looking and color. For burns and ulcers, the pulp is applied to the wound to relieve inflammation and speed up healing.

Also raw pumpkin is added to vegetable salads, which are refueling olive oil. What are the benefits of pumpkin baked in the oven? Helps improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, get rid of constipation, heartburn, and belching. During treatment viral hepatitis pumpkin cleanses and restores the liver.

Pumpkin with honey is used in the treatment of urolithiasis. To do this, a fruit weighing 5 kg is peeled and crushed through a meat grinder. Add 2 liters of honey to the pulp. Insist for 10 days, the mass must be stirred every day. After which the pulp is placed on cheesecloth and squeezed out, juice is obtained. You need to take it 50 ml on an empty stomach 30 minutes before meals 3 times a day.

The usefulness of the fetus for men is to improve the quality of sexual life and is a preventive measure inflammatory diseases prostate gland, genitourinary organs, normalizes spermatogenesis. They are most useful for men; they contain a lot of zinc and vitamin E.

Pumpkin is useful for cleansing the liver. Thanks to its choleretic and anti-inflammatory properties, pumpkin helps with hepatitis, cirrhosis, and fatty liver. Recipe: cut off the top and tail from a medium-sized fruit, and remove the seeds. The pumpkin is filled with honey and sealed hermetically. To ensure the lid fits tightly, you can coat it with dough. They insist for 10 days. Take 1 tablespoon of this honey 3 times a day, half an hour before meals. It is harmful to use the product in excessive quantities (no more than 3 tablespoons per day).

Pumpkin is useful for weight loss for men and women. The plant contains vitamin T, which speeds up the digestion of heavy foods. Fiber normalizes digestion and cleanses the intestines. The fruit is low in calories. Weight loss will happen naturally, without additional diets. It is contraindicated to eat raw pumpkin in case of inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract; the condition may worsen from increased load on the stomach and intestines.

Recipe dietary dish for weight loss: cut 200 g of pumpkin into small cubes, add water and simmer for 20 - 30 minutes. Add 1 tbsp. spoon of any cereal, cook for another 20 minutes. If desired, you can add low-fat boiled milk to the porridge. To lose weight, you should eat this dish for breakfast for a week.

Contraindications for use

  1. Gastritis with low acidity gastric juice. Pumpkin components reduce acidity, the patient will become worse.
  2. Is pumpkin good for flatulence and intestinal colic? The effect of fiber and pectin can worsen the condition.
  3. The acids contained in pumpkin seeds can damage tooth enamel. After eating them, you should rinse your mouth thoroughly.
  4. You should be careful when taking raw pumpkin and drinking the juice when diabetes mellitus. The fruits contain sucrose, which increases blood sugar levels.
  5. Allergy to vitamins contained in the fetus.
  • increased sweating;
  • weakened immunity, frequent colds;
  • weakness, fatigue;
  • nervous state, depression;
  • headaches and migraines;
  • alternating diarrhea and constipation;
  • I want sweet and sour;
  • bad breath;
  • frequent feeling of hunger;
  • problems with losing weight;
  • decreased appetite;
  • night grinding of teeth, drooling;
  • pain in the abdomen, joints, muscles;
  • cough does not go away;
  • acne on the skin.

If you have any of the symptoms or are in doubt about the causes of your ailments, you need to cleanse your body as quickly as possible. How to do it.

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Pumpkin is a vegetable that contains substances for the treatment of many diseases. It has vasodilating, anti-inflammatory, wound healing and cleansing properties. Its pulp has a calming effect on the nervous system, the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract returns to normal, and the metabolic functions of the body improve. IN recently Substances that can inhibit the growth of tuberculosis bacilli have been found in pumpkin.

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    Compound

    Pumpkin contains many components that have therapeutic effect on human health:

    • Vitamin C – to boost immunity.
    • Vitamin T - for the absorption of heavy foods, protection against anemia, the appearance of blood clots, and to improve blood clotting.
    • Pectin and carotene.
    • Vitamin K plays a primary role in the processes of protein synthesis.
    • Micro- and macroelements (phosphorus, potassium, iron, fiber, calcium, copper, magnesium).
    • Vitamins D, E, A, PP, F, group B.
    • Components that help speed up metabolism and remove cholesterol.

    Medicinal properties of pumpkin

    The fruit is used in folk medicine to combat various ailments:

    • To improve vision - vitamin A helps protect the eyes from harmful factors.
    • To improve digestion - recommended for weight loss. Fiber is an indispensable aid for obesity.
    • For hypertension, pectin fibers help remove waste and toxins from the body. With constant use of pumpkin pulp or juice, blood pressure decreases and normalizes.
    • To improve metabolism.
    • Used as a diuretic.
    • To cleanse the bladder and kidneys of stones.
    • When fighting insomnia.
    • For inflammation of the bladder and hemorrhoids.
    • Effective for healing burns of varying severity, wounds, acne, rashes and eczema.

    Due to its low calorie content, it is included in many diets.

    Indications for use

    In folk medicine, pumpkin is used for the human body for the following diseases:

    • Hypertension, heart disease, anemia, edema, atherosclerosis - consume 500 g raw or boiled, baked up to two kilograms per day throughout the entire season.
    • Cholecystitis, liver, kidney, gall bladder diseases - prepare pumpkin porridge and include them in your menu twice a day. At the same time, reduce the amount of sweet and starchy foods.
    • Burns, eczema, skin inflammation– apply in the form of compresses with pulp. Grated, squeezed and placed on gauze, the pumpkin is applied to the affected areas and fixed.
    • Diet: use pumpkin in casseroles, soups, salads.

    The best results from pumpkin treatment are felt when:

    • gout;
    • constipation, hemorrhoids;
    • atherosclerosis;
    • intestinal infections;
    • acne;
    • dandruff;
    • nervous disorders;
    • caries;
    • obesity.

    Beneficial properties of pumpkin seeds

    IN pumpkin seeds There are many vitamins and minerals present. There is also plenty of protein, zinc, magnesium and useful acids. The seeds are rich in vitamin E, which helps slow down skin aging and stimulate sex hormones. But it should be remembered that the calorie content of pumpkin seeds is 25 times higher than that of the pulp.

    Also pumpkin seeds They cope wonderfully with worms and are useful as a prostatitis prevention.

    It is important to know that eating too many seeds may cause nausea or vomiting. One handful will be enough to provide benefits and not cause harm.

    It is not recommended to dry the seeds in the oven or roast them. Then they lose the main share of medicinal components. It is better to dry on an open surface, placing it on a clean newspaper. In this form, the seeds retain all their beneficial properties for up to 2 years.

    Pumpkin seeds for the fight against worms

    To get rid of such a problem as worms, you need to peel 300 g of fresh or dry seeds and grind them well in a saucepan. Pour in about 50 g of water in small doses, add 1 teaspoon of sugar, jam or honey. Give the patient the entire mixture on an empty stomach for an hour in small portions.

    After 3 hours, take diluted magnesium sulfate. For adults, 10-25 g per 0.5 glass of water, children's dose based on 1 g per 1 year of age. After 0.5 hours, do an enema.

    Benefits of pumpkin milk

    Milk is used to treat kidneys and urinary tract. You need to take a glass of pumpkin seeds and a glass of hemp seeds. Grind everything in a saucepan, gradually adding three glasses of boiled water. Strain the mixture. Add sugar or honey if desired. Drink in small doses throughout the day.

    Pumpkin seed tea is no less effective in treating kidney diseases. It is necessary to add 1 tbsp to a glass of boiling water. l.seeds. Leave for 30 minutes. Take about three glasses of this tea per day.

    Medicinal properties of juice

    Pumpkin juice is very valuable drink for health. The entire set of healing components remains in its juice:

    • It helps to remove excess liquid from the body, so it is drunk in the treatment of edema, dropsy, liver and kidney diseases.
    • Due to the anti-inflammatory effect of the juice, compresses are applied to wounds, burns, rashes, and eczema.
    • If you have insomnia, you can calm your nervous system by drinking 100 g of juice or pumpkin broth with the addition of a spoon of honey.
    • Those suffering from constipation and problems with the bile ducts are effectively helped by drinking 2-3 glasses of juice daily.
    • It also helps lower the temperature during a cold and is an indispensable protector of teeth from caries.

    Benefits of pumpkin seed oil

    Pumpkin oil helps:

    • cleanse the body of toxins;
    • strengthen the immune system;
    • maintain hormonal levels;
    • improve the condition of the nervous, digestive, endocrine systems;
    • restore skin, hair, nails, bone tissue and cartilage.
    • blurred vision;
    • ulcers on the mucous membranes;
    • dysfunctions of the reproductive system.

    For women, men and children

    With the help of pumpkin, women experience irritability, insomnia, overwork, acne disappears, nails become stronger, and hair becomes healthier.

    Pumpkin pulp contains a sufficient dose of vitamins A and E, which fight wrinkles and other signs of aging. And the iron content will help good mood And healthy color faces.

    Pregnant women are recommended to take raw pumpkin to replenish all missing vitamins in the body, as well as for effective fight with toxicosis. To calm vomiting, you need to prepare pumpkin broth with the addition of lemon.

    The juice has a beneficial effect on maintaining the sexual tone of men. The seeds have an effective effect on sexual power. To treat diseases associated with the prostate gland, enemas from pumpkin decoction or microenemas from seed oil are used.

    If there are no restrictions, then pumpkin in the children's diet will be of great benefit. This is a storehouse of vitamins that will give your child restful sleep, good health, calm the nervous system, and pumpkin juice will gently support the kidneys and heart. The fiber content will help the child’s stomach function and strengthen the immune system.

    To pamper your baby with something delicious, you can make pumpkin marmalade. To do this, you must first bake 1 kg of pumpkin in the oven, then put it on fire and put 500 g of sugar there. No need to add water. Wait, stirring, until the sugar is completely dissolved. After the formation of a thickened mass, the marmalade is served for tasting. You can add a little vanilla or orange zest.

    Contraindications

    No matter how useful the remedy is, there are still contraindications. It is undesirable to use pumpkin for:

    • diabetes mellitus;
    • violation acid-base balance;
    • gastritis with low acidity;
    • peptic ulcers of the digestive system;
    • intestinal colic.

    Pumpkin for weight loss

    To do this, you need to limit sweets and starchy foods, and pumpkin porridge add to your usual diet 150 g three times a day. You can treat yourself to pumpkin jam. It is both tasty and healthy.

    Jam

    Peel the fruit from skin and seeds, cut 3 kg of pulp into medium cubes. Cut a lemon and a few oranges with the peel and add them to the pumpkin.

    Stir everything well. Add 1 kg of sugar and cook in two stages over low heat.

    Pumpkin in cosmetology

    The vegetable has effective action and in cosmetology. It can be used to make useful face masks for all ages and all skin types.

    Pumpkin is also often used against wrinkles, aging and fading skin. And rubbing your face with the pulp every morning will help cure acne.

The well-known pumpkin in Russia comes from southern Mexico.

The Indians began cultivating this vegetable more than 5 thousand years ago.

They prepared food from the pulp, extracted oil from the seeds, and used the peel to make dishes. In the 16th century, it began to be grown in Russia - since then it has been especially popular among us.

But pumpkin is not only tasty, but also very good for health - it’s difficult to list them all useful substances which it contains.

The beneficial properties of pumpkin and its contraindications are due to chemical composition this vegetable. About 75% of the mass of the vegetable is pulp, 10% is seeds and approximately 15% is peel.

The peel is usually not used for food because of its hardness, but the pulp and seeds are not only eaten, but also used as medicine.

The stalks and flowers are also sometimes used for medicinal purposes.

Nutritional value: 100 g of pumpkin contains: 1 g of protein, 1 g of fat, 4.4 g of carbohydrates, 91.8 g of water, calorie content 22 kcal.

This vegetable contains a large amount various substances, which provide beneficial influence on the human body:

  • Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) – boosts immunity and protects against seasonal colds.
  • Rarely found in other vegetables, vitamin T is found in pumpkin. It makes it easier to digest heavy food, therefore useful primarily for people suffering from excess weight. In addition, vitamin T prevents anemia, promotes platelet formation, and improves blood clotting.
  • Pumpkin is rich in pectins, and there is more carotene in yellow and orange varieties than in carrots.
  • Necessary for blood protein synthesis and bone tissue, vitamin K, which is absent in almost all other vegetables but is present in pumpkin, gives it even more value.

In addition, it contains:

  • vitamins A, D, E, F, PP,
  • B vitamins,
  • macro- and microelements:
    • iron,
    • potassium,
    • calcium,
    • magnesium,
    • copper,
    • phosphorus,
    • cobalt;
    • fiber;
  • vegetable sugars;
  • substances:
    • accelerating metabolism,
    • removing “bad” cholesterol,
    • affecting the condition of the skin and various systems body.

Health benefits and harms of pumpkin

This wonderful vegetable is a real pharmacy that contains medicines for many diseases.

The benefits of pumpkin lie in its vasodilating, anti-inflammatory, wound-healing, and cleansing properties.

Its pulp can calm the nervous system, improve metabolic processes, normalize the gastrointestinal tract and bile and urination; increases water-salt metabolism in the body.

Recently, a substance was discovered in it that can suppress the growth of tubercle bacilli.

The pulp not only removes excess water from the body, but also frees it from toxins and cholesterol. It is also known as an antiemetic, as well as an anti-aging agent.

For what diseases does pumpkin provide the greatest benefit?

  • atherosclerosis;
  • gout;
  • diseases of the intestines, gall bladder;
  • liver and kidney diseases;
  • diseases of the genitourinary system;
  • intestinal infections;
  • constipation;
  • haemorrhoids;
  • diabetes mellitus;
  • obesity;
  • acne and skin diseases;
  • dandruff and seborrhea;
  • nervous disorders;
  • sore throats and colds;
  • cardiovascular diseases;
  • caries.

Are the beneficial properties of pumpkin preserved during processing?

Pumpkin can be consumed in any form - raw, boiled, baked and frozen.

The best effect, of course, comes from fresh pulp, but frozen pulp also retains almost all the beneficial substances and is convenient for use at any time of the year, as it can be stored much longer than fresh pulp.

The health benefits of pumpkin are preserved when the vegetable is baked.

When baked pumpkin is consumed, toxins and sodium salts are removed from the body, and pronounced choleretic, laxative and diuretic effects are observed.

First of all, baked pumpkin is useful for people suffering from excess weight and cardiovascular diseases - it significantly reduces the load on the heart. You can bake the vegetable in the oven whole, directly in the peel, or cut into small pieces.

About the medicinal properties of boiled pumpkin, as well as the benefits raw pumpkin Avicenna also wrote. He considered this vegetable an excellent cure for old cough and lung diseases.

Today, boiled pumpkin is also used in cosmetology - as part of moisturizing and nourishing masks.

Cooking a vegetable is very simple: cut the washed fruit into two parts, remove seeds from the fruit and cut into pieces average size. Place in boiling water, add salt and cook for 30 minutes. You can eat it in pieces or puree it.

Another opportunity to preserve all the beneficial qualities of the product is to dry the pumpkin.

Dried, in addition to the beneficial properties inherent in this vegetable, it also gives strength during physical activity, strengthens memory, helps improve digestion, remove bile and mucus.

And most importantly, it is a semi-finished product that requires virtually no additional processing.

Medicinal benefits of pumpkin

It can be called an almost waste-free vegetable - in addition to the pulp, its seeds can also be eaten, and other parts of the fruit, except for the thick peel, can be used for treatment.

The introduction of this product into the diet will not only have a preventive effect on health, but will also have a therapeutic effect.

What benefits does the pulp of the fruit bring?

Any dishes made from pumpkin are beneficial for cardiovascular diseases.

The potassium it contains helps stabilize the heart, reduce swelling and strengthen blood vessels.

Skin lesions - burns, eczema, acne, pimples and others - are treated with freshly prepared pumpkin pulp applied to the wounds. It will also help with problems with nails and relieve pain in the feet when standing for a long time.

Another reason to use this healthy vegetable in nutrition - anemia. Thanks to high content In the pulp, iron and vitamin A improve the blood formula.

However, vitamin A is best absorbed in combination with fats, so when preparing, for example, porridge, it is advisable to add butter or vegetable oil to it or cook it in milk. This way carotene will be absorbed much better.

Due to its high carotene content, pumpkin is also good for vision.

Just half a kilogram of raw pulp daily will act as a mild laxative and relieve constipation, and will have a diuretic and choleretic effect in case of kidney and liver disease.

Boiled or baked pulp, taken up to 3 kg per day for 3–4 months, also helps with these diseases.

It is impossible to overestimate the beneficial properties of pumpkin for the liver that the vegetable provides to patients during the rehabilitation period after suffering from jaundice. It helps bring out the “bad” ones.

For swelling, you should eat pumpkin porridge three times a day.

Pumpkin should definitely be included in the menu of older people, especially those with atherosclerosis. It contains a lot of pectins and helps eliminate cholesterol.

Boiled or stewed vegetable eliminates congestion in the spleen and liver, removes toxins and radionuclides, improves gastrointestinal function and digestion. Therefore, it is indispensable chronic constipation, colitis, stomach and duodenal ulcers.

The vegetable is also used as an anti-cancer agent. The boiled pulp is applied to the tumors and included in the diet.

Pumpkin is also useful for weight loss; nutritionists often include it in the diet of their patients.

The beneficial properties of pumpkin for weight loss are that it is low-calorie product, and thanks to the substances contained in the pulp, it promotes weight loss and normalization of metabolic processes.

When limiting sweets and flour products It is advisable to take 100–150 g of pumpkin porridge three times a day in addition to your regular diet.

Are pumpkin seeds good or bad?

The benefits and harms of pumpkin seeds are determined by the presence of certain substances contained in them.

Pumpkin seeds are 50% oils.

In addition, they contain a lot of proteins, zinc, proteins, resins, phytosterol, organic acids, vitamins, carotene.

They can be eaten raw or dried, or ground with honey.

Just keep in mind that in large quantities they can cause nausea or vomiting, but a handful of pumpkin seeds will only bring benefits and will not cause any harm.

The only thing you shouldn’t do with seeds is bake them in the oven and fry them. In this case they lose most of useful qualities. Dried seeds are stored for about two years and do not lose their properties.

The beneficial properties of pumpkin seeds are used to treat and prevent certain cardiovascular diseases. They activate the heart and can relieve heart pain due to angina pectoris and other diseases of the heart and blood vessels.

One glass each of pumpkin and hemp seeds:

  1. Grind the seeds in a mortar, adding them periodically boiled water(3 glasses).
  2. Then you need to strain the drink, add sugar or natural honey and drink in portions throughout the day.

It can be added to buckwheat porridge. “Milk” is used for urinary retention or when there is blood in the urine.

Another remedy for kidney disease is tea made from seeds. You need to take 1 tablespoon of seeds and pour 1 glass of boiling water, leave for half an hour. You should drink up to 3 glasses of this tea per day.

The benefit of pumpkin for children lies in its anthelmintic effect. Pumpkin seeds help, first of all, against bovine, pork and dwarf tapeworms, roundworms and pinworms.

The absence of toxic effects on the body allows you to use the seeds during pregnancy, give them to children, patients with impaired liver function and the elderly.

How to get rid of worms?

  • Remove 300 g of fresh or dried seeds from the shell (remove only the hard skin, leaving a thin green film).
  • Grind thoroughly in a mortar
  • Stirring continuously, pour in about ¼ cup of water in small portions.
  • Add a teaspoon of sugar, honey or jam.
  • The patient should take the entire volume on an empty stomach within an hour in small portions.
  • After three hours you need to drink magnesium sulfate, diluted in this way: adults - 10-30 g in half a glass warm water; children at the rate of 1 gram per year of life.
  • After half an hour, you need to give an enema.

Seeds are given in the following doses: 2–3 years – up to 30–50 g, 3–4 years – up to 75 g, 5–7 years – up to 100 g, 10–12 years – 150 g.

Pumpkin juice - what are its benefits?

Pumpkin juice is another one useful product, which can be obtained from this vegetable. The beneficial properties of pumpkin are preserved in its juice.

If you drink pumpkin decoction or juice sweetened with a spoonful of honey before going to bed, you can get rid of painful insomnia.

Half a glass of juice will calm the nervous system and act as a sleeping pill.

The juice from this vegetable removes excess fluid, so it is recommended to take it for edema, dropsy, diseases of the urinary tract, kidneys and liver. Just 3 tablespoons 4 times a day can relieve many kidney and liver problems in a month.

The antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties of pumpkin juice are well known. Compresses with it help in the treatment of wounds, burns, rashes, eczema: moisten in juice gauze pad and apply to the sore spot.

Two to three glasses of juice daily - the best remedy from constipation and illness biliary tract and gallbladder.

Few people know, but pumpkin juice - excellent remedy to reduce temperature during colds. It also protects teeth from caries and tooth enamel from cracks.

Pumpkin oil

The benefit of pumpkin oil is that it is of high value and has a wide range of therapeutic and prophylactic effects.

Due to the presence of easily digestible proteins, more than 50 micro- and macroelements, fatty acids and biologically active substances.

The benefits and harms of pumpkin oil are also determined by its chemical composition.

The oil is used in the treatment of the digestive, cardiovascular, and nervous endocrine systems, to cleanse the body of harmful substances, strengthen the immune system, and maintain hormonal balance.

It is used in the treatment of vision, erosive and ulcerative damage to the mucous membranes, and dysfunction of the reproductive system.

It also has a beneficial effect on skin, hair, nail plates, on the condition of bone tissue and cartilage. It has wound-healing and bactericidal properties.

You can read about the beneficial properties of lentils in our article at:

Can you use pumpkin flowers?

The flowers of the plant can also be effectively used for medicinal purposes - to prevent or treat cough. They are baked in dough in the form of flat cakes and eaten at severe attacks. Together with pumpkin flowers, you can bake viburnum flowers.

You can also prepare a decoction of flowers: pour crushed flowers (2 tablespoons) with a glass of water, boil for 5 minutes and leave for half an hour. Strain the broth and take half a glass before meals three times a day.

What benefits does pumpkin bring to women's and men's health?

Women will also be interested in the beneficial properties of pumpkin.

The fact is that pumpkin makes it possible to permanently get rid of periods of irritability, insomnia and overwork, and also eliminate acne, make nails strong, and hair lush and healthy.

The benefits of pumpkin for women also lie in its antioxidant properties. Every young lady sooner or later begins to worry about the issue of aging - pumpkin solves this problem too.

Vitamins A and E present in the pulp actively fight the appearance of wrinkles and other signs premature aging. Vitamin A stimulates the production of mucus; it is the best “friend” of the mucous membranes.

Therefore, pumpkin is very useful for the intimate sphere. In addition, pumpkin contains iron, so women who regularly eat it will always have a good complexion and excellent mood.

During pregnancy, the beneficial properties of raw pumpkin will come in handy. Raw pulp or pumpkin juice will help replenish the lack of vitamins and relieve toxicosis.

For example, a decoction of pumpkin and lemon soothes vomiting.

The benefits of pumpkin for men cannot be ruled out. Pumpkin juice has been used in folk medicine for a long time as a means to help maintain sexual tone in men.

In addition, the beneficial properties of pumpkin seeds have a beneficial effect on men's health and sexual strength. It is no coincidence that in the old days, seeds ground into flour were added to love potions.

For diseases of the prostate gland, enemas with pumpkin decoction are indicated. You can replace them with microenemas made from seed oil, as well as candles made from peeled crushed seeds, mixed in equal proportions with butter.

Is pumpkin good for children?

If the child has no contraindications, then including all kinds of pumpkin dishes in the diet will only benefit the baby.

This treasure trove of vitamins and other useful substances will give your child health, good sleep, will calm the nervous system, pumpkin juice will have a gentle effect on the functioning of the kidneys and heart.

Fiber, which the vegetable is so rich in, has a beneficial effect on the child’s stomach.

It normalizes digestion and helps to better absorb nutrients and support the immune system.

The miracle vegetable will give the baby everything he needs to normal height and development.

The medicinal properties of pumpkin can solve another problem that is most often found in children - worms.

Pumpkin contraindications

  • disturbances of the acid-base balance in the body;
  • diabetes mellitus;
  • peptic ulcers of the digestive system;
  • gastritis.

Some people who try this vegetable for the first time may experience bloating. Perhaps it is better for them to refrain from eating it. Well, for everyone else, the pumpkin will bring the maximum possible benefit for health and beauty.

Culinary recipes for healthy pumpkin dishes

Pumpkin dishes are an excellent therapeutic and preventive remedy. Besides this, it is also very tasty.

There are many recipes for preparing this vegetable: it is added to salads, soups, side dishes for meat dishes, porridges, jams and even desserts.

Pumpkin with honey also has beneficial properties.

As you know, honey itself is a potent healing agent, and in combination with the beneficial properties of pumpkin it has truly miraculous healing powers.

  1. Take a large fruit weighing about 9 kg, remove the skin and grind in a meat grinder along with the seeds and core.
  2. Add 5 kg of honey to the resulting mass and mix.
  3. Leave for 10 days, stirring occasionally. On the eleventh day, squeeze the juice through cheesecloth.
  4. Drink juice three times a day, half an hour before meals, 50 g.

The pulp can be thrown away - it has given up everything biologically active substances and no longer has beneficial properties.

Another recipe for pumpkin with honey will benefit the liver after hepatitis or a course of treatment with potent drugs.

  1. Cut off the top of the middle fruit, scoop out the seeds with a wooden spoon and fill with acacia honey (other honey will also work).
  2. Stir and cover the fruit with the cut top “lid”.
  3. Place dough along the cut and leave for 10 days in the dark.
  4. From the eleventh, you can start taking it half an hour before meals, taking a tablespoon three times a day.
  5. Continue treatment for 20 days.

Pumpkin porridge also has beneficial properties, especially for children, the elderly and in dietary nutrition.

In the children's menu, if there is no allergy, porridge can be supplemented with honey.

To prepare porridge, you will need:

  • 1 kg pulp,
  • 2 apples,
  • 1.5 liters of milk,
  • half a glass of millet or rice (you can also take buckwheat, semolina or corn grits), butter,
  • granulated sugar,
  • cinnamon, vanilla.

Peel the apples and cut them into cubes along with the vegetable pulp.

Bring milk to a boil and add cereal to it. Cook the porridge over low heat for 15 minutes.

Place pumpkin and apples in it and cook until done. At the end, add sand, vanillin and cinnamon. Before serving, add butter and honey.

The benefit of raw pumpkin is that it contains maximum quantity vitamins that enrich any pumpkin dish.

Try cooking vitamin pumpkin salad:

  1. Grate 150 g of pulp and 4 apples on a coarse grater,
  2. add the zest of one lemon and lemon juice(about a teaspoon), 2 tsp. honey,
  3. stir and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

Cream soup No. 1:

  • cut 250 g pumpkin and 4 potatoes into cubes,
  • boil, salt, add spices;
  • drain the liquid and mash the vegetables into a puree,
  • pour in milk (1 l) and cook until tender.

Cream soup No. 2:

  • fry on vegetable oil 1 kg diced pumpkin, finely chopped onion, garlic clove, 1 tsp. ground ginger.
  • Season with salt and pepper and pour in a liter of chicken broth.
  • Cook until tender, cool and puree.
  • Boil the resulting puree and serve, after garnishing with a sprig of cilantro, sour cream and crackers.

Pancakes:

  • Grate 0.5 kg of pulp,
  • pour 400 ml of hot milk and cook until soft.
  • Cool the mixture, break an egg into it, add sugar (2 tbsp.), and stir.
  • Add enough flour to get the consistency of sour cream.
  • Mix thoroughly and fry like regular pancakes in a hot frying pan with oil.

To prepare the pie you will need:

  • 0.5 kg pumpkin,
  • 0.5 kg puff pastry,
  • half a glass of dried apricots or raisins,
  • a quarter cup of sugar, nuts (optional).

Grate the pulp on a medium grater, mix with sugar, chopped dried apricots (raisins) and nuts.

If desired, you can add cinnamon. Roll puff pastry, place it in a mold with a diameter of 26–28 cm, trim along the edges.

Place the pumpkin on top and place strips of dough crosswise. Cover the pan with foil and place in the oven.

Bake for 35–40 minutes at 200°C. Remove the pan, remove the foil and bake until golden brown if the dough is a little pale.

Pumpkin jam can be not only tasty, but also a healthy dessert.

Pumpkin has special healing properties, helping to remove toxins from the body and enhance metabolism.

Therefore, such jam is useful for those who closely monitor their figure and health.

If you are on a diet, pumpkin jam - a real find which will help not only nourish the body useful vitamins and microelements, but also to lose weight.

To make tasty and aromatic jam, it is better to choose a small summer pumpkin, which, unlike winter varieties, has more tender and juicy pulp, but, unfortunately, does not last so long.

Pumpkin jam for weight loss:

  1. peel the skin from the fruit, remove the seeds,
  2. 3 kg of pulp cut into small pieces,
  3. add 2-3 oranges and 1 lemon (also pre-cut with zest).
  4. Mix everything, add 1 kg of sugar and cook in 2 batches over low heat.

Can be cooked pumpkin and dried apricot jam.

It will require: 1 kg of pulp, 0.3 kg of dried apricots and 0.5 kg of sugar.

  1. Grate the pulp, rinse the dried apricots and cut into pieces (you can pour boiling water over them).
  2. Put sugar and dried apricots into the grated pulp and leave for a while.
  3. When the juice is released, put on the fire, bring to a boil with constant stirring, cool and put on the fire again.
  4. Repeat the procedure 3 times.

Kids will love this one pumpkin marmalade:

  1. put 1 kg of baked pumpkin and 0.5 kg of sugar on the fire. Do not add water!
  2. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
  3. When the mass thickens, the marmalade is ready. You can add a little orange zest or vanillin to it.

Pumpkin in cosmetology

The miracle vegetable is also effective as a cosmetic product.

For example, to get rid of acne, it is enough to wipe the skin every morning with a small piece of pulp.

Obtained from pumpkin and healthy, effective masks for the face.

Here are a few recipes you can make yourself.

To nourish the skin, make a paste from the pulp:

  • mix 3 tbsp. spoons of gruel with yolk chicken egg and 1 tsp. natural honey.
  • Apply the mask for 15 minutes and rinse with warm water.

Mask for dry skin:

  • boil the pulp, mix 2 to 1 s. peach or olive oil.
  • Apply for 20 minutes.
  • Rinse off with cool water.

Toning mask:

  • Grate the pulp, squeeze the juice out of it, soak a cotton pad in it and wipe your face.
  • After 10 minutes, wash your face with warm water.
  • If you have time, you can apply the grated pulp itself to your face for 15 minutes.

As you can see, the well-known pumpkin turned out to be not such a simpleton, suitable only for creating scarecrows and lanterns for Halloween.

This vegetable is a wonderful gift that nature created for humans. According to their own beneficial properties it can compare with many plants used in folk medicine, and even surpass some.