Pumpkin seeds are often featured in folk remedies for treating prostate inflammation.
This attention is justified by the peculiarities of the chemical composition of the product. It should be noted that pumpkin seeds for prostatitis are an auxiliary component of therapy, but do not replace medication.
Composition and useful properties
The main value of pumpkin seeds is the oil they contain, so they should be eaten raw. The main components of the composition:
- Gamma-, delta- and alpha-tocopherols (isomeric compounds that make up vitamin E) are powerful antioxidants that protect cells from damage by external factors. Taking the isomers alone (alpha-tocopherol acetate, which is sold in pharmacies) leads to the destruction of the rest of its constituents and does not benefit the body. In pumpkin seeds, vitamin E is contained in its entirety in a well-absorbed form. Regular intake of the product effectively restores and protects prostate cells.
- Phytosterols (plant hormones), among which beta-sitosterol is especially important. This substance prevents the uncontrolled proliferation of prostate cells by suppressing the activity of dihydrotestosterone.
- Minerals: iron (in 100g almost 100% of the daily value), copper, selenium, potassium, cobalt, zinc.
- Complex of B vitamins
- Saturated and unsaturated fatty acids (omega-6, linoleic, oleic).
- Chlorophyll is a substance with pronounced antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and regenerative (regenerating) properties. With bacterial prostatitis, it is taken in pill form.
Zinc is especially important for the health of the prostate gland, as it regulates the activity of dihydrotestosterone, a hormone under the influence of which prostate cells begin to grow (hyperplasia develops). The prostate contains more zinc than any other organ. With its deficiency, the membranes of the cells of the glands become vulnerable, and local immunity decreases.
Regular intake of pumpkin seeds helps prevent exacerbation of chronic prostatitis. Immune protection is enhanced at the cellular level, prostate tissues again acquire the ability to resist factors provoking inflammation. Seeds are also useful for prostate atrophy.
Harm
Pumpkin seeds should not be overused. This product has a number of contraindications:
- Diabetes mellitus.
- Gallstones.
- Diarrhea of various origins. Pumpkin seeds have a mild laxative effect.
- Aggravation of gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer, acidity.
- Pancreatitis.
- Individual intolerance.
Pumpkin seeds should not be discarded if the stool is slightly loose in the early days. Digestion will soon return to normal.
Recipes
Pumpkin seeds for prostatitis can be used in various forms. The simplest recipe is 50 pieces raw daily. The oil squeezed out of them is also useful (it is not worth pressing at home - it is labor-intensive and economically inexpedient). The main thing is not to subject the seeds to heat treatment. Heating will deprive the product of most of its beneficial properties and transform some of them into toxins (as is the case with honey) - most of the vitamins will be lost, oils will oxidize.
Pumpkin balls
Pumpkin balls are a healthy and easy dessert to make. Recipe:
- Grind 500 g of seeds;
- Mix with 300 g of honey (medium density);
- Refrigerate until solid;
- Roll into cherry-sized balls.
The resulting candies are stored in the refrigerator. For the prevention of prostatitis and during its treatment, you need to dissolve one ball in the morning on an empty stomach. The course lasts until the last candy.
Pumpkin and honey paste
Pumpkin and honey paste is a lazy variant of honey balls. For cooking, you also need to grind 500 g of seeds, mix them with 300 g of honey and put them in the refrigerator. You can add nuts to the recipe.
Take a teaspoon of pasta before breakfast and dinner. The course is 3-4 weeks.
Pumpkin flour
Pumpkin flour is made by grinding seeds in a blender. In this form, the product is digested faster and easier to digest. Take a teaspoon before breakfast and dinner. The course is one and a half months.
Pumpkin flour sticks to the mucous membranes of the oral cavity, so it is inconvenient to use it in its pure form. Can be mixed with honey, milk, water in a 1: 1 ratio.
There is a special method of cleansing the body: for three weeks in the morning on an empty stomach, take two tablespoons of flour from pumpkin seeds and the same amount of kefir.
With garlic
Taking pumpkin seeds with garlic (more about using garlic for prostatitis) solves several problems at once:
- Improved prostate function.
- Purification of blood vessels.
- Getting rid of helminths.
Cooking recipe: grind 200 g seeds, 6 cloves of garlic in a blender, add two tablespoons of honey. Insist 12 hours. Take one tablespoon once a day on an empty stomach. The course of treatment is 5 days.
With vegetable oil
Pumpkin seeds with oil are not only beneficial for prostatitis, but also effective for cleansing the liver.
How to cook: grind 200 g of pumpkin seeds, add 200 g of olive, linseed or sesame oil, heat slightly in a water bath, then leave for two hours. Take a teaspoon three times a day for three weeks.
Tortillas
Pumpkin seed cakes are suitable for fasting therapy, which is very helpful in relieving symptoms of chronic prostatitis.Recipe:
- Grind 100 g seeds in a blender, add 50 g cocoa powder, a teaspoon of sugar;
- Stir until smooth;
- Divide the resulting dough into 12 parts;
- Form the cakes, put in the refrigerator.
During the course of treatment (12 days), you need to eat one flat cake in the morning on an empty stomach, then stick to a vegetarian diet.
Mixture for normalizing urination
The mixture prepared according to the recipe below has anti-inflammatory, hemostatic, diuretic and analgesic effects. Suitable for acute prostatitis.
You will need 100 g each of the following components:
- Pumpkin seeds.
- Flax and hemp seeds.
- Blackberry leaves.
- Flowers of elder, St. John's wort, linden.
Pour 50 g of chamomile into the mixture. Pour 500 ml of boiling water over four tablespoons of the collection, leave for two hours. Divide the entire resulting volume into four doses and drink during the day.
Recipe number 2: take a tablespoon of pumpkin seeds, black poplar buds, rose hips, ginseng root and goldenrod herb, pour 250 ml of boiling water, hold in a water bath for 15 minutes (without boiling). Drink cooled and strained 100 ml drink twice a day. The course of treatment is three weeks.
Salads
Pumpkin seeds can be used to make not only sweet desserts, but also healthy snacks. Salads with the addition of seeds are included in the menu for various forms of prostatitis.
Autumn Salad
Ingredients:
- 50 g raw carrots;
- 50 g raw pumpkin pulp;
- A tablespoon of pumpkin seeds;
- A tablespoon of sour cream.
Grate vegetables on a coarse grater, mix with seeds, season with sour cream.
With spinach
Spinach salad is not recommended for men with calculous prostatitis. Ingredients:
- 50 g each pumpkin seeds, spinach, parsley.
- One carrot.
- One garlic clove.
- 20 g lemon juice.
- To taste: rosemary, thyme.
Grate carrots on a coarse grater, chop greens, add seeds. Mix lemon juice with rosemary, thyme and oil, leave for 10 minutes, season the salad.
Beetroot
Components:
- 600 g of boiled beets.
- 50 g pumpkin seeds.
- 150 g sour cream.
- Two tablespoons of grated fresh horseradish root.
- A teaspoon of cinnamon.
- Salt to taste.
Cut the beets into arbitrary slices, add seeds. Dressing: mix sour cream, horseradish, salt and cinnamon.
How to choose seeds
Characteristics of quality pumpkin seeds suitable for treating prostatitis:
- Raw (not fried);
- No chips, stains, traces of mold;
- Not wet, well dried;
- No salt or other additives;
- Free of foreign odors.
Store seeds in a sealed glass jar placed in the refrigerator (fats oxidized at room temperature will spoil the product). The maximum storage time is 2 months.
Reviews of doctors
Doctors consider pumpkin seeds a useful product, and its medicinal properties are applicable not only for the treatment of prostatitis. The substances contained in the seeds maintain the tone of blood vessels and skin, increase the body's immune defenses, and prevent hypertension.
The amino acid L-arginine, which is essential for the production of nitric oxide, is especially highlighted by specialists. This substance relaxes the vascular walls and expands the lumen of the channel. For a man, this means good blood circulation and a confident erection. There is more L-arginine in pumpkin seeds than in veal or milk (recognized leaders in the content of this amino acid).
For prostatitis, doctors often prescribe pumpkin seed oil preparations: suppositories and capsules. Such funds have a pronounced anti-inflammatory and regenerating effect.
Men Reviews
“Periodically I eat pumpkin seeds for general strengthening of the body, as well as for the prevention of prostatitis. I love them since childhood, so, apparently, I do not suffer from prostate inflammation, like most of my colleagues. "
“Pumpkin seeds mixed with honey were recommended to me by a doctor who was treating me for an exacerbation of chronic prostatitis. I immediately canceled additional vitamin complexes. He said that the simultaneous reception with seeds threatens with hypervitaminosis. I ate the mixture for a month, now after six months I do not notice the symptoms of prostatitis. Now I am starting a new preventive course ”.
Conclusion
Pumpkin seeds are a valuable product, but they should be consumed in dosage. If there is an individual intolerance in the form of severe prolonged diarrhea, rashes, then the reception should be discontinued. In the absence of negative reactions from the body, seeds can be replaced with pumpkin seed oil, in which the concentration of nutrients is much higher.