Pumpkin And Its Priceless Qualities

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Pumpkins are perennials of the Cucurbitaceae family. It has been used as a food product since the distant past. Archaeological research shows that the pumpkin was eaten 3,000 years ago, and perhaps 5,000 years ago. Pumpkin seeds were found in the tombs of Peruvian Indians, and the inhabitants of ancient Greece and Rome stored various liquids in a dried pumpkin.

Wild pumpkins have been found in North Africa and it is believed that a pumpkin grew in the area, from where it spread throughout the world. The pumpkin has rough, hairy and large leaves, and during flowering it is covered with large flowers from yellow to orange. The fruit is quite large / 2-9 kg /, and sometimes reaches gigantic sizes.

In our lands, the pumpkin was brought from Mexico in the middle of the 16th century with the help of Spanish sailors. In America, the first settlers used the pumpkin by cutting off a lid, digging and removing the seeds, then filling it with milk, honey and spices, and roasting it in hot ashes. The Indians baked pumpkin slices on the fire.

Pumpkin has extremely valuable nutrients, dietary and taste qualities. There are so many different ways to prepare it that no other vegetable can boast. Among vegetables, pumpkin is a champion in terms of iron, copper and fluorine, it contains potassium, calcium, manganese, zinc, cobalt, silicon. It is rich in pectin, sugars, vitamins C, E, B vitamins, carotene.

With its carotene content, it is even richer than carrots. The more orange or bright yellow the flesh of the pumpkin, the higher the carotene content in it. In addition, pumpkin is rich in dietary fiber, which is easily absorbed by the body. Finally, the pumpkin is low in calories.

In terms of nutritional value, it is equal to potatoes. The flesh of ripe fruits of the best varieties of pumpkins contains up to 10 percent sugar and up to 91 percent water. Cellulose is about 1 percent and acids are almost absent.

The higher content of potassium salts makes pumpkin a very suitable food for enhancing diuresis in kidney and cardiovascular diseases accompanied by edema.

Due to the insignificant acidity and delicate cellulose, it is a suitable product for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and has a mild laxative effect. The large amount of pectin in the pumpkin has a very beneficial effect on inflammation of the colon. Because pectin also helps flush cholesterol out of the body, the pumpkin is very useful in atherosclerosis.

Due to its high potassium content, pumpkin improves the heart, strengthens blood vessels and relieves swelling. Due to its low caloric content, it is suitable for overweight people. They can take 500 g of boiled or 300 g of roasted pumpkin daily.

Pumpkin is very useful for people who suffer from anemia simply because pumpkin contains all the minerals that are involved in the creation of blood, and these are iron, cobalt, copper and zinc.

It is also good to know that pumpkin contains zinc salts, which means that it increases potency in men. In India, pumpkin is valued for its high amount of vitamin E, claiming that it slows down aging.

The easy digestibility of the pumpkin makes it especially useful for recovery after illness and in the elderly.

Folk medicine recommends that in diseases of the kidneys, liver and bile for a month and a half to drink in the morning and evening on an empty stomach 1 cup of freshly squeezed juice of raw pumpkin.

In case of insomnia and restless sleep, drink a glass of pumpkin decoction with honey as a sedative at night before going to bed.

Pulp of grated pumpkin helps with some eczema and burns.

And during the autumn-winter season, when fresh fruits and vegetables are limited, the pumpkin will greatly diversify our table, as it prepares delicious dishes, desserts, stuffing for pies, strudels, salads.

Pumpkin juice for a sick stomach

Sugar is placed in the cavity of a pumpkin cleaned of seeds. Cover the pumpkin with the cut part and cover with sealing dough. It stays like that for a week. It is then opened and the juice is poured into a glass container. Store in a cool place. Drink one cup of tea three times a day.

Folk medicine recommends this juice as a tonic for the whole body, especially the liver and stomach, for the treatment of exhausted people after long illnesses.

Pumpkin seeds against ulcer

Raw or dried seeds are peeled from the hard shell and crushed in a mortar. 300 g of seeds are mixed with about 2 tbsp. honey and eat for 1 hour.

Treatment of kidney stones

About 300 g of pumpkin seeds are mixed with 2 tbsp. honey, 80 g dried parsley, corn hair, juniper. The mixture is boiled with boiling water and left to stand overnight. Drink 3 times a day 1 tsp. before meals.

Here are some suggestions on how to use a pumpkin for cosmetic purposes.

Mask for [dry skin]: 2 tablespoons boiled pumpkin mixed with one tablespoon of olive oil (maybe other vegetable oil). The mixture is applied to the face, left for 20 minutes, then the face is washed with cold water.

Pumpkin is a great tonic for all skin types. For this purpose, the pumpkin is finely planed, applied to the skin and left on the face for about 15-20 minutes, then washed off with water.

Pumpkin caramel cream

pumpkin - 1 kg.

sugar - 250 g

fresh milk - 1 liter

eggs - 7 pcs.

vanilla - 1 pc.

Preparation: Peel a squash and cut it into cubes. Boil it in a little water over low heat until soft.

Drain the water, arrange the cooked pieces in a yen pot, sprinkle with sugar and carefully pour the prepared caramel cream mixture / eggs, well beaten with sugar, mix with pre-cooked and cooled milk and vanilla /.

Cover the yen pot with the lid and bake in the oven until it thickens and turns red.

Cool the baked dessert, cut into pieces and serve on a plate.

The pumpkin can be stored for several months in a cool, dark place.