Pumpkin
seeds—also known as pepitas—are flat, dark green seeds. Some are encased in a
yellow-white husk (often called the "shell"), although some varieties
of pumpkins produce seeds without shells. Like cantaloupe, watermelon,
cucumber, and squash, pumpkins and pumpkin seeds belong to the gourd or Cucurbitaceae
family.
Pumpkins,
and their seeds, are native to the Americas, and indigenous species are found
across North America, South America, and Central America. The word
"pepita" is consistent with this heritage, since it comes from
Mexico, where the Spanish phrase "pepita de calabaza" means
"little seed of squash."
Pumpkin
seeds were a celebrated food among many Native American tribes, who treasured
them both for their dietary and medicinal properties. In South America, the popularity
of pumpkin seeds has been traced at least as far back as the Aztec cultures of
1300-1500 AD. From the Americas, the popularity of pumpkin seeds spread to the
rest of the globe through trade and exploration over many centuries. In parts
of Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean (especially Greece), pumpkin seeds
became a standard part of everyday cuisine, and culinary and medical traditions
in India and other parts of Asia also incorporated this food into a place of
importance.
Just a Couple of the MANY Health
Benefits...
Mineral & Antioxidant Support...
Pumpkin seeds are a very good source
of the minerals phosphorus, magnesium, and manganese, and likewise are a very good
source of the minerals zinc, iron, and copper. And it’s the diversity of antioxidants in
pumpkin seeds that makes them unique in their antioxidant support. Pumpkin
seeds contain conventional antioxidant vitamins like vitamin E. However, not
only do they contain vitamin E, but they contain it in a wide variety of forms.
Antimicrobial Benefits
Pumpkin seeds, pumpkin seed
extracts, and pumpkin seed oil have long been valued for their anti-microbial
benefits, including their anti-fungal and anti-viral properties. Research
points to the role of unique proteins in pumpkin seeds as the source of many
antimicrobial benefits. The lignans in pumpkin seeds (including pinoresinol,
medioresinol, and lariciresinol) have also been shown to have antimicrobial—and
especially anti-viral— properties.
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