Pumpkin is a healthy vegetable, parts of which are used not only in cooking, but also in traditional medicine and cosmetology. Most often these are seeds. They can boast a unique composition with a huge amount of vitamins, amino acids, minerals. The benefits and harms for women of pumpkin seeds are described below.
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What are pumpkin seeds good for women?
The mineral composition of pumpkin seeds is truly unique. It includes iron, copper, magnesium, iodine, potassium, manganese and other irreplaceable elements. For example, a small handful of the product contains several daily norms of tocopherol, an impressive amount of choline, ascorbic acid, the most important vitamins.
It is important to know the differences between fried and raw pumpkin seeds. This will allow a woman to add the most useful and safe product to her diet.
Toasted seeds
It must be remembered that fried seeds are less useful. Indeed, in the process of heat treatment a huge amount of vitamins is lost. In addition, in the process, fats are oxidized, harmful peroxides, aldehydes are formed. If you eat the product fried, and even with the addition of salt, then such a treat will bring undoubted harm to the body.
Raw seeds
But in the raw product, the medicinal properties of pumpkin seeds are most pronounced. After all, in them all “utilities” are preserved in the paramount natural form.
To get the maximum benefit from raw seeds, you need to eat a day no more than 50-55 g. This is a small handful. If you plan to get rid of parasites with the help of such a product, then it is better to grind it into gruel.And to increase immunity, also mix with natural bee honey.
Useful properties during pregnancy and lactation
First of all, it should be noted that the discussed product in its raw form copes well with toxicosis. Therefore, it is worth adding to your diet for expectant mothers in the early stages of pregnancy. To cope with poor health, you need to eat seeds on an empty stomach in the usual way or grind and drink with water.
Another useful feature of the product for expectant mothers is the prevention of constipation. This problem often worries pregnant women. Eating raw seeds helps to eliminate an existing problem and prevent the appearance of a new one.
In the last trimester of pregnancy, such a dish is useful to eat because it actively removes salt and excess fluid from the body. As a result, the girl gets rid of edema.
Pumpkin seeds, which are regularly consumed during lactation, help to significantly increase the amount of breast milk. This is primarily due to the diuretic effect of the product. You can eat no more than 100 seeds per day. They are easily replaced with pumpkin oil in an amount of 2-3 tbsp. spoons.
But we must not forget that raw seeds are rich in proteins and fats, for this reason they can be difficult to perceive by a woman’s body, weakened by the difficult problem of pregnancy. Also, do not use the product in too large a quantity.
More materials:the benefits of pumpkin seeds
Recipes with pumpkin seeds in folk medicine
Often pumpkin seeds are also used in folk medicine. For example, to combat disorders in the bladder. With such a problem, 2 tbsp. tablespoons of the product in any form. It strengthens the muscles of the organ and soothes the irritated mucosa.
With neurasthenia, which is often affected, for example, by pregnant women, you will need to take 90 g of peeled pumpkin seeds, fry them without butter until they are chocolate in color, and then crush them. The skin of seeds is also used.
The resulting mixture is combined with 90 g of black elderberry jam (berries) and 1 teaspoon of ground egg shell. After thorough mixing, the medicine is taken 3 times a day after meals for 1 teaspoon.
With kidney diseases, you can use a special healing broth. It is prepared from 1 teaspoon of seeds, which are brewed with a full glass of boiling water and infused in a thermos for at least half an hour. Further, the drug is used in half a glass 2 times a day, regardless of meals.
Application in cosmetology
Due to the unique composition of pumpkin seeds, which includes many biologically active substances, they are also actively used in cosmetology.
An oil is prepared from the product, which has the following properties:
- bactericidal;
- wound healing;
- anti-inflammatory.
As a result, oil is used in the treatment of eczema, diathesis, herpes, pressure sores, burns and other skin problems. It can also be used to care for skin, hair, nails, even at home.
The easiest option is to add the product to finished creams, masks, tonics. Their regular use nourishes, moisturizes the skin, increases its elasticity. Also actively fighting oil from pumpkin seeds with dandruff, acne. It helps to cope with the signs of skin aging and, in general, significantly prolong its youth.
Suitable for any type of skin. But a special effect can be achieved by using it to care for dry, mature, sensitive skin.
When dealing with acne, you just need to apply warm oil to a cotton swab juiced in hot water. Vata is applied to the problem area for about 10-12 minutes, after which the skin is wiped dry and rinsed with cool water. The procedure is repeated 3 times a week.
To get rid of wrinkles, swelling and bags under the eyes, you need to apply heated oil to problem areas.After 40-45 minutes, dry the remaining product with a paper towel. Rinse off the product is not necessary.
In case of hair loss, the oil can be thoroughly rubbed into the scalp and warm under a warm towel for half an hour. Next, the product is washed off with warm water. For prevention, the procedure is carried out once every couple of weeks. For treatment - every other day for a week.
The benefits of getting rid of worms
As part of complex therapy, pumpkin seeds are used to combat worms. They effectively act on tapeworms and roundworms. In this case, the product is non-toxic and absolutely harmless to the body.
For treatment, the seeds are peeled. A thin green film should remain on them. Seed in this form is well rubbed in a mortar. It is enough to take 270 g of the product. 40 ml of filtered water is poured into the resulting mass. The mixture is ground again and then combined with 10 g of natural bee honey.
The medicine is taken on an empty stomach in 1 teaspoon for an hour, until the whole portion is over. After 3 hours, 25 g of magnesium sulfate is drunk. After another 30 minutes, an enema is placed.
How to use pumpkin seeds?
It is best to eat pumpkin seeds raw on an empty stomach. As noted above, the recommended serving for an adult is about 50 g. Only for medicinal purposes, the dose can be significantly increased.
You can eat whole seeds or grind them in a coffee grinder and mix with boiled water. If you decide to add the product to any dish, it is best to choose a salad of fresh vegetables for this purpose. The base should not be hot.
Contraindications and possible harm
The negative consequences of eating pumpkin seeds are possible only in rare cases. For example, if you regularly consume them in large quantities, especially after preliminary frying and with salt. The high calorie content of the seeds under discussion after heat treatment will negatively affect the figure. Extra pounds will quickly appear.
If you eat the seeds, removing the husk with their teeth, this can adversely affect the condition of the enamel. In rare cases, even individual intolerance to the product is found.
Before adding pumpkin seeds to your diet, you must definitely study the list of contraindications for this product:
- gastrointestinal problems (ulcers, acidity, problems with intestinal motility);
- obesity.
With extreme caution, pumpkin seed should be consumed in patients with diabetes. In this case, the product may only be used after consultation and permission of a specialist. Similar recommendations apply to patients with cholelithiasis. In this case, it is necessary in accordance with the recommendations of the doctor to reduce the dosage.
