Pumpkin

Pumpkin – the representative of the plants entering into family pumpkin. Pumpkin can be one-year or long-term. Leaves at pumpkin large, pilar or rigid and rough, branches its creeping or clinging. During blossoming the plant becomes covered by big flowers, white or yellow color. The fruit at pumpkin large, often reaches the big size: from 2nd to 9 kg.

In total in the nature there are about 10 wild-growing types of pumpkin. They grow in warm climate of many countries. Cultivate pumpkin not only for consumption of fruits, but also with the decorative purpose

Structure, advantage of pumpkin and caloric content

Pumpkin consists of an upper cover (peel), directly pulp and seeds. The crust or a peel occupies about 17% of the gross weight of pumpkin, and pulp – to 75%, seeds I occupy no more than 11%.

It is difficult to revaluate advantage of pumpkin for a human body. It is a natural source of mass of useful substances and microelements, fragrant pulp of pumpkin contains a set of important vitamins. Pumpkin has surprising taste and makes salutary impact on a human body. Useful properties of pumpkin are presented by the wide list of the substances which are its part:

• Vitamins;
• Ashes;
• Starch;
• Mono - and disaccharides;
• Water;
• Organic acids;
• Valuable proteins;
• Food fibers.

The list of vitamins B structure represents special advantage of pumpkin and its property to influence well health:

• Group B vitamins;
• PP vitamin (niatsinovy equivalent);
• Vitamin E;
• Vitamin C;
• Vitamin A;
• Beta carotene;
• PP vitamin;
• Vitamin K;
• Vitamin T.

Vitamins of group B give to pumpkin of property of soothing (sedative) means. So, pumpkin contains the following vitamins of this group:

• B9 (folic acid);
• B6 (pyridoxine);
• B5 (pantothenic acid);
• B2 (Riboflavinum);
• B1 (thiamin).

These vitamins well influence a nervous system, calm it. Thanks to it, at the person the dream improves, the attention and memory are focused.

Vitamin C which is especially valuable to an organism during the autumn and winter period in combination with group B vitamins, help to overcome fatigue and causeless irritability. It is especially useful to drink juice from fresh pumpkin in the period of depressions, stresses and nervous exhaustion. Vitamin C will help to get rid of spots, to strengthen nails and hair. Vitamins A and E – excellent means for prevention of early wrinkles and aging.

Also pumpkin is useful, thanks to the content in it of carotene and rare vitamin K. Considerable content of carotene causes exclusive advantage of pumpkin. So, this substance positively influences sight, serves as prevention of cancer diseases. Carotene is recognized long ago as a natural antibiotic therefore its advantage is very essential to an organism. Vitamin K promotes good coagulability of blood. Presence of this vitamin – exclusive property of pumpkin, vitamin K does not contain in one other vegetable.

Property of pumpkin to help digestion and to interfere with obesity is caused by content of vitamin T in it.

Important property of pumpkin contents in it various mineral substances is considered:

• Fluorine;
• Manganese;
• Copper;
• Iodine;
• Zinc;
• Iron;
• Sulfur;
• Chlorine;
• Phosphorus;
• Potassium;
• Sodium;
• Magnesium;
• Calcium.

Presence of copper, phosphorus and iron as a part of pumpkin contributes to hemopoiesis process normalization. Therefore, for prevention of an anemia and atherosclerosis it is necessary to eat this product. Besides, pumpkin has soft laxative effect thanks to what work of digestive tract is recovered.

Useful properties of pumpkin are also confirmed by a unique combination in it of potassium and magnesium. This combination of microelements promotes removal of excess liquid from an organism. Thus, the advantage of pumpkin is especially urgent for those who have diseases of an urinary system.

The advantage of pumpkin also consists that among various vegetables she is a champion on the content of iron. The advantage of pumpkin is presented also in the content of valuable proteins. Even it is more these substances in a vegetable, than in chicken or quail eggs.

Along with numerous properties of pumpkin and its advantage, calories contain in it very little. So, the caloric content of pumpkin makes only 22 kcal.

Consumption

Because of a rigid peel, some hostesses refuse pumpkin as it is difficult to process it. But this inconvenience recedes into the background if to think of what advantage pumpkin has for health of the person.

Pulp of pumpkin can be used for expression of juice, to cook from it fresh salads and desserts. A little less nutritious properties in a vegetable become after thermal treatment. So, pumpkin can be cooked, extinguished, baked. It is possible to fry this vegetable too, but in this case there will be a little advantage.

In the medical purposes expression of fresh juice will be the most ideal option of extraction of all possible useful properties of pumpkin.

Juice and pulp of pumpkin are shown to the use by people with such disturbances of health:

• Cardiovascular diseases;
• Puffiness;
• Thrombosis;
• Thrombophlebitis;
• Liver diseases;
• Problems with a bladder;
• Sleeplessness.

Useful properties of pumpkin well influence health and at external use. So, gruel from pulp of pumpkin it is possible to cure many skin diseases:

• Eczema;
• Burns;
• Spots (eels);
• Ulcers;
• Fistulas;
• Inflammations;
• Allergic rashes.

Men are especially recommended to include in the diet this vegetable as property of pumpkin to support sexual function and a potentiality at the high level is scientifically proved. Such property of pumpkin consists in its sunflower seeds. Besides, pumpkin sunflower seeds - helminthic known for all. For this reason children for prevention of worms need to give pumpkin sunflower seeds.

This product is perfectly acquired by a stomach. For this reason, using numerous useful properties of pumpkin, the set of diets is formed (medical and for weight loss). The advantage of pumpkin consists not only in its ability to control weight, but also that it can bring excess cholesterol out of an organism.

The advantage of pumpkin and its property are used not only as good nutrition and medicine, but also in the cosmetic purposes. Do excellent masks for skin of it. What is surprising, masks from pumpkin and wiping of skin its juice is shown all-type skin.

Contraindications and harm from the use of pumpkin

Along with the huge advantage of pumpkin and its properties providing medical effect it has contraindications. So, pumpkin will not bring advantage to those at whom the following problems with health are observed:

• Peptic ulcer;
• Gastritis with the lowered acidity;
• Diabetes mellitus;
• Disturbance of acid-base balance in an organism.

Besides, doctors do not recommend to use in food pumpkin to persons with chronic diseases of digestive tract, in the period of aggravations.