Around mid-October every year fabrics are sewn together to create costumes, ghosts are conjured and treats are offered up for the child in all of us. Most people suffer from a sweet tooth or two on November first, but my favorite part of Halloween is decorating the colorful gourds that will light up my front porch. A lot of pumpkins this time of year grow up to be Thanksgiving pies but some get to become fun decorations as part of devilish childhood nostalgia. Pumpkin-carving can be tedious and time consuming but the fresh and delicious smell that hits your nose once you cut into the top of an orange beauty is almost unmatched. Besides a great smell and a fun activity every fall, pumpkins offer wonderful alternative health benefits as well.
What you see when you look at a plump, friendly faced carved pumpkin isn’t everything you get because there are added bonuses for the body. The flesh of the pumpkin, which if you don’t want to harvest and cook down yourself, is also popular as a canned puree used in anything from breads and pies to drinks and soups. Pumpkin meat is rich in carotenoids which give off the orange color and are part of the high antioxidant qualities pumpkins protect the body with. Nutrients are aplenty in our orange squash friends as well like zinc, iron, and fiber. While the pumpkin skin and flesh are the most commonly used parts of the fruit, the other parts must also be considered. Pumpkin seeds—also known as pepitas or “little seeds of squash” in Latin cultures—are mostly used in alternative medicine but in native cultures the pumpkin blossom, the yellow flower of the plant, was also ground and used in extracts.
Pumpkin seeds are the small flat white seeds found inside once you crack one open. After washing off all of the stringy goop inside, the slippery seeds left are perfect for roasting and snacking on. Once the white shell is removed, roasted pumpkin seeds are tiny and green and usually end up salted or used with sugar providing both savory and sweet treats. The seeds of the pumpkin provide protein and vitamins and have even been said to lower cholesterol. Long thought to help rid the body of parasites and kidney stones, pumpkin seeds were also prescribed to alter the depressed state. No known evidence has been collected as to whether or not seeds inside of pumpkins work against depression, however the magnesium found in the seeds can boost your liver productivity and can increase immunity.
Pumpkin seeds are also found in the form of oil after the seeds have been roasted down. Pumpkin oil is green and thick with a heavy flavor that is usually cut with tame flavors like other oils to be used in salad dressings or in cooking. On the inside, pumpkin seed oil is used to combat prostate problems and its fatty acids are helpful in keeping blood flowing and healthy tissues and nerves.
Pumpkin extract was shown in a 2007 East China Normal University research trial to help jumpstart insulin levels inside the pancreas and inhibit the re-growth of unhealthy pancreatic cells. Lead author of the study called it a success but there are still more in-depth investigations to conduct using pumpkin oil, "a very good product for pre-diabetic people, as well as those who already have diabetes," but explained that diabetes was not part of the original trial.
In classic Ireland folklore, the jack-o-lantern came about in a story about the devil’s trickery. The story is told that one day a sneaky farmer named Jack got the devil to climb a large tree and once he was safely out of reach Jack carved a cross into the trunk causing the devil to be stuck. The devil made a deal with Jack never to trick him again if he could get out of the tree and Jack agreed. However, having ruined both his chances in heaven and hell, Jack was doomed to wander Earth alone and suffering. Jack made the most of his fortune by carving a turnip and using a hot coal to light the inside making a name for himself as “Jack of the Lantern”. So during those fall nights whether you’re shaping a triangular nose or giant grin out of your pumpkin or enjoying a slice of pie in front of the fire remember that “The Great Pumpkin” really is great for you after all.
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