Everything You Want To Know About Pumpkin Seeds

Some of us see a regular pumpkin. Some see an orange gourd. But the rest of us see a glorious vehicle for hundreds and hundreds of perfectly crunchy, sweet or spicy about-to-be roasted pumpkin seeds. That is, after we get rid of all those stringy pumpkin guts. Eesh!

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Can we also just admit how much we love to bust out ridiculous food trivia at just the right moment? (Preferably when everyone else's mouths are chock-full of pepitas, so they can't correct our internet facts.) This spooky season, we're throwing the curtains wide open on literally everything you could ever want to know about the number one Halloween snack. (Other than Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, duh.)

What the heck do pumpkins have to do with Cinderella? How are woolly mammoths even involved? Hold your horses, "Fifty Shades of Grey," is this even suitable for work? Sorry, did you think you're in for another one of those lame lists about pumpkin seeds? Pssh! We wouldn't disrespect pepitas like that. Secure your Melon Locos! These are the craziest deets on our favorite part of the pumpkin!

We often fantasize about the origins of food culture, but from a comfortable distance into the future. Like, who was the first person to discover that you could eat an egg. Who tried it? Were they like, "Hmm. Wonder if these are good?" Did they just bite into a raw egg and realize maybe we should cook it? What about a banana? Who was like, "No, no, no, guys, this one we eat the inside seed part, not the outside like we're doing for apples. Is anyone writing this down? Do we have a language yet?" Whichever way the real history shakes out, someone had to be the first. And when it came to the term "pumpkin," the first to ever speak this word was, in fact, Cinderella. Well, kind of.

If you're picturing the chubby mice with the little hats in the s Disney version, the first iteration of our friend Cindy came about way earlier than that. The most popular Cinderella story existed back in : "Cendrillon, ou la petite pantoufle de verre," by French author Charles Perrault. In it, the fairy godmother asks Cinderella to go fetch a "pompon" (French for pumpkin) from the garden. Once the story was adapted for an American movie-going audience, the stroke of midnight meant that Cinderella's glamorous carriage would be turning back into a "pumpkin."

With the Greek first calling this strange big melon a "peopon," and the French and English adapting it to "pompon" and "pumpion," Americans were like, okay, enough of this, it's a "pumpkin," let's move on with our lives.

Back in B.C., those of us living in North America kicked back on a Saturday afternoon with a big ol' plate of barbecue bison skewers, rabbit bites, and an ice cold &#; eh, room temp &#; cup of fermented grapes. Of course, we also needed some shells to spit while we watched the place where our TV would go in 8,000-ish years. (Basically like one of those really long pharmaceutical commercials.) Luckily, pumpkin seeds existed back then too.

A North American discovery, the first known pumpkin seeds hit the big time in Mexico where indigenous people capitalized on the life-giving guts of this versatile squash. These delicious "pepitas" were part of an agricultural system that had beans, pumpkins, and corn on lock. Bonus, you could eat an entire pumpkin top to bottom (well, maybe not the stem). It was a killer food to have on hand back when there were, like, pet woolly mammoths. (Ugh, please let there have been pet woolly mammoths.)

Next time you're snacking on roasted pumpkin seeds, snuggled up with your own woolly mammoth (Fluffy, we hope that's you lurking around the snacks), chillin' on the sofa with the TV on, take a moment to think of the breadth of geological eras that had to occur just so you could be sitting there mindlessly eating and scrolling on your . A modern marvel.

Notice a little thinning in that once thick and luxurious mane? Get your pepitas on, papi (y mami)! Pumpkin seeds act as a delicious alternative to, say, non-edible Rogaine, helping to slap those hair follicles back into tip top shape.

The oil in these babies is known to block DHT, a hormone that can get a little overactive around the hairline in adults, creating hair loss. Whether it's applied as a topical treatment, or incorporated into your diet as crunchy seeds or a liquid concentrate, pumpkin seed oil throws down against too much DHT by sending in key nutrients to create a healthy, flourishing scalp. Check you out, with your hair all blowing in the breeze.

As for how many pumpkin seeds you will need to eat in order to possibly attain this particular 40 percent surge in hair growth, it's about 400 milligrams of pumpkin seed oil, daily, for roughly six months. That equals around 1.5 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds &#; without their shells &#; every day. Beautiful hair never tasted so good.

Let's get loco. There exists an extremely rare pumpkin seed in the United States that never even got a name (Cinderella, you dropped the ball on this one) because it came from a squash that exactly zero people agreed to eat. Except, surprise, this seed is delicious. Flash forward to now, and it's a cherished treat for those who know and love them.

They're called "acualaistas" and they're packed inside the apodanthera undulata, or Melon Loco. It's a rough and tumble, stinky, bad-tasting pumpkin that grows in the southwestern U.S., as well as Mexico. And it got its nickname because anyone that ate it was clearly crazy. Except, looking back, maybe they were geniuses who skipped the putrid pulp and then had the delicious seeds all to themselves.

Acualaistas are hard to find, unless you stop by certain towns in Mexico. But even then, they're not exactly popular. Maybe it's because they involve an enormous process to harvest, including an alkaline soak, what amounts to a spiritual cleansing of the ghost of the squash flavor, a sun-drying, and finally a roasting. All for a tiny seed that's the size of your pinky nail. But if you see them? Snap them up. It's worth living a little on the wild side for a taste of these things.

Please never Google what happens when you eat too many pumpkin seeds. Because we already did that and can never un-know this information. According to a few brave souls who have gone before us, they did what should never be attempted on the human body. Not to get too graphic, but days-long constipation, followed by explosive number 2 &#; made entirely of pumpkin seed hulls &#; was, indeed, a main feature.

For the record, if you're asking the American Heart Association, it's good to limit your seeds to a 1/4 cup per day, max. Even if they're roasted and candied in cinnamon and brown sugar. Yes, even then, friends. You don't want to become a cautionary tale on a forgotten subreddit.

Eating a sensible amount of pumpkin seeds on the daily can even do the opposite of the aforementioned terror; and that's keep you regular. These little guys are loaded with fiber. And you can eat them with, or without, the shell. Just a single ounce of shelled seeds serves up 1.7 grams of fiber. That'll fill you up and keep things flowing, any day of the week.

Now that we've all fully-embraced the homesteading trend of the past several years, what the heck do we do with our gardens in the fall? Well, collect our pumpkin harvest, of course! But if you want to DIY your own pumpkin seeds, you're gonna need to plant ahead for that perfectly ripe autumn squash.

Wanna creep it real with a masterpiece jack-o-lantern displayed next to your roasted pumpkin seeds? Typically, pumpkins take anywhere from 85 to 125 days to grow. So to have a mature squash for spooky season, you'll need to plant that sucker in June. Yes, that's four months before you ever start thinking of sweater weather, Uggs, and pumpkin-spiced anything. Hello patience! We believe in you.

Once you pencil this in on the calendar, you can relax knowing that a ripe pumpkin can continue living its best life for up to five months off the vine, as long as you don't carve into it. To get the most bang for your buck, choose a variety like Kakai or Styrian "seed pumpkins," that are bred to produce seeds that have no shell. Roast, toast, and done!

You know how in the movies when things are getting hot and heavy, how people always bust out a bag of pepitas and feed them to each other? Oh, nobody does that? Well turn down the lights, and turn up the slow jazz, because just like oysters, chocolate, and strawberries, pumpkin seeds are a total aphrodisiac. Bow-chica-wow-wow.

Roasted pumpkin seeds may have an, ahem, uplifting impact on the symptoms of erectile dysfunction. They might also boost fertility, and sperm production, and they benefit prostate health in general.

But the satisfaction extends to the ladies, too. That zinc in the seeds that gets your heart beating faster and faster? That's one trace mineral that gets everybody's engine revving. If you really want to turn up the heat, ditch the fuzzy handcuffs and the edible ... whatever that is you have in your Amazon cart. And grab a bag of pumpkin seeds to really have some fun under the covers.

Welcome to Big Pumpkin, kids. Where world record-holding squash demands jaw-dropping prices for a single chance at that gourdgeous lineage. Want in? You better be rolling in the lettuce, baby! (We're doing a garden metaphor &#; just go with it.)

's winning 2,560-pound pumpkin &#; the reigning champ for biggest-ever pumpkin grown outdoors, as well as hugest pumpkin in all of North America &#; also grew some big ol' seeds. And you can buy just one of those seeds for a cool $299. Of course, it will also probably be triple the size of your average pumpkin seed.

But that's pennies compared to the most expensive pumpkin seed ever sold. A $2,000 seed was purchased during the World Pumpkin Commonwealth Conference (totally imagining everyone flew there on brooms) by a British seed company, Thompson & Morgan. They were aiming to break the scale for the biggest pumpkin ever grown. While they managed to grow a truly gigantic pumpkin at 1,500 pounds, their own craziest record remains the eye-popping price of that seed.

Pumpkin seeds aren't just from pumpkins anymore. They're also swimming around in fresh water ponds. Meet the Pumpkinseed fish. And if you think it looks like one of those sunfish you used to catch when you went fishing as a kid, that's because it is! They also go by the nicknames pond perch and punkies. Cutest fish name award, right here.

While they may have gotten their name from being shaped like 4-inch-long pumpkin seeds, they sure don't have the same coloring. Pumpkinseed fish feature neon blue and green scales that contrast their darker-hued, orange and brown bellies. They like to hang out near the shore, in calm vegetation, making them easy to snag on the line.

Just like roasted pumpkin seeds, these fish are mighty tasty if you like a light, slightly sweet flavor. You can roast them whole (just like the seeds), or just observe them in their natural habitat. And then invite them over to your camp for s'mores later. (See ya later, Pumpy! We're calling him Pumpy now.)

We are so down for a go-to snack that's healthy without tasting like it. And pumpkin seeds definitely rise to the challenge. We might even call them a superfood if it weren't for the fact that they're much more budget-friendly and accessible than the goji berry/Blue Majik spirulina crowd. No offense.

So what's inside these glorious little seeds? Let's dig in. They're packing a bunch of magnesium, which lowers stress, and tryptophan which helps with managing depression, as well as getting better sleep. A serving of antioxidants fights free-radicals, and micronutrients like iron and copper keep you energized throughout the day.

They're also loaded with omega-3 fats. Those are the healthy kind that are good for your heart. And the cucurbitacin (pronunciation = you're on your own people) complex found in pumpkin seeds can even encourage your body to flush out parasites. Despite all the good parts, eating too many pumpkin seeds cancels out the health benefits and adds the risk of weight gain, bloating, and general digestive unhappiness. Consider yourself warned. 

You might know your favorite roasted pumpkin seed recipe like the back of your hand. But what if we told you they're a lot easier on the ol' tum tums if you do just one simple, extra step. (Okay, sadly, it's not covering them in chocolate and Butterfinger crumbles. Let's just get that out of the way.)

The method involves soaking the seeds before you roast them. After scraping off all the orange gutty stuff from your seeds, let them chill overnight in a bowl of room temperature water, sprinkled with 1 tablespoon of salt. Your newly tenderized seeds will then need to be patted dry, and roasted about 10 minutes longer than the already-dry variety. You can do the same thing even faster by boiling the seeds in salted water for 10 minutes, instead of soaking them overnight.

But if you really want your roasted pumpkin seeds to go down smooth, add a little whiskey. And then say "drunken pumpkin seeds" five times really fast. Boozy seed recipes incorporate things like smoky bacon drippings, raw pumpkin seeds, brown sugar, and your favorite whiskey, simmered until it's sticky and candy-like. Let the seeds cool on a baking sheet, and before you know it, you'll have all the adult-aged trick-or-treaters in the neighborhood waiting by your front door.

What Are Pumpkin Seeds?

Pumpkin seeds are edible seeds from pumpkins and other varieties of gourd squash. The seeds are cream colored, flat, and oval with a nutty, slightly sweet flavor. They are roasted, salted, and eaten as a snack in many parts of the world.

You can scoop seeds out of a carving pumpkin and roast them yourself or buy roasted pumpkin seeds from a grocery or health food store. You may see them labeled "pepitas." Pumpkin seeds and pepitas are basically the same thing except that pepitas have their cream-colored shells (hulls) removed and they come from specific varieties of pumpkin. 

Contact us to discuss your requirements of Watermelon Seeds. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.

Pumpkins are native to Central and South America, and have been used by Native Americans for centuries as food, as well as medicine. Pumpkin seeds are filled with nutrients, such as unsaturated fats like omega-3s and minerals like magnesium.

Because they are so nutritious, pumpkin seeds have a long history of use dating back to the Oaxaca Highlands of Mexico over 7,500 years ago. Across many cultures, they&#;ve been used as a folk remedy to treat:

• Urinary tract and bladder infections
• High blood pressure and blood sugar
• Kidney stones
• Parasites like intestinal worms

Pumpkin seed oil

Pumpkin seed oil is either steam distilled or cold pressed from pumpkin seeds. It's a dark green oil that's a rich source of polyunsaturated fats and antioxidants (substances that fight cell damage), such as polyphenols and carotenoids. You can use it for cooking, baking, as well as in marinades and salad dressings. Or, you can find it as capsules to take as a supplement or serum to put on your skin or hair. 

You can buy pumpkin seed oil in different forms from grocery and health food stores. 

Health Benefits of Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin seeds are a rich source of protein, unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals that may reduce your risk of getting chronic diseases, such as cancer. 

Some potential health benefits include:

Anti-inflammatory effects

Pumpkin seeds are rich in many antioxidants, which protect your cells from disease-causing damage and reduce inflammation in your body. When they have their hulls, they&#;re also a great source of dietary fiber, which can boost this effect. Studies show that anti-inflammatory foods can help you prevent chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Anti-cancer properties

Laboratory studies show that pumpkin seeds can stop the growth of breast and prostate cancer cells. They may also kill cancer cells by triggering them to apoptosis, or cancer cell death. Researchers think that the anti-cancer activity of pumpkin seeds may be due to the high antioxidant levels in the seeds. But more research is needed to see how pumpkin seeds work in people to stop cancer cells from growing or to kill cancer cells.

Improved prostate health

Several studies have shown that pumpkin seeds may help ease the symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). BPH is a condition where your prostate gland is swollen. This can cause it to press against your urethra and irritate your bladder. People with BPH may feel as if they have to pee all the time or they may be unable to completely empty their bladder. 

But medicines that treat BPH, such as alpha-blockers and 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors (5ARIs), can have side effects like sexual function disorders that may not go away even if you stop taking the medicine. One study from included 130 people assigned male at birth (AMAB). This study showed that 500 milligrams of pumpkin seed extract twice a day reduced lower urinary tract symptoms from BPH and improved overall quality of life. Yet, it didn't change the scores on a sexual health satisfaction questionnaire. 

Ease the symptoms of overactive bladder

A couple of studies have shown that pumpkin seed oil can improve the symptoms of overactive bladder. Overactive bladder makes you need to pee suddenly and often. Some people may need to get up from bed to pee several times at night. In one study, 45 people with overactive bladder took 10 grams of pumpkin seed oil per day for 12 weeks, and their symptoms improved on a questionnaire. In another study, 117 people who were assigned female at birth (AFAB) took a combination of pumpkin seed oil, sumac bark, and hops extract for 12 weeks. The number of times they needed to pee decreased, both during the day and at night, and their quality of life significantly improved.

Studies show that the antioxidants in pumpkin seeds also increase nitric oxide levels in your body. This molecule works to keep your blood vessels smooth, flexible, and healthy, improving blood flow and reducing the risk of heart and circulation problems.  

Better sleep

Snacking on pumpkin seeds before bed may help you get a better night&#;s rest. Pumpkin seeds are a natural source of tryptophan, an amino acid that promotes sleep. The zinc, copper, and selenium in pumpkin seeds can also affect sleep duration and quality. Finally, studies show that magnesium can help reduce stress and anxiety, contributors to insomnia.  

Improved sperm count

A study in mice that had lost the ability to produce sperm due to treatment with a chemotherapy drug showed that pumpkin seeds helped restore their ability to make sperm. The mice ate 200 milligrams of pumpkin seed extract per kilogram of body weight every day for 40 days. Researchers think that the antioxidants in the seeds helped prevent some of the damage from the chemotherapy drug. These results are promising as a way to help people who take chemotherapy keep their fertility. But more research is needed to see if it will work this way in people.

Pumpkin Seed Nutrition

Pumpkin seeds are rich in protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and polyunsaturated fats. Polyunsaturated fats are the "good" fats that the American Heart Association recommends as a replacement for foods with saturated and trans fats. 

Polyunsaturated fats can help lower your bad cholesterol levels, which may help prevent heart disease and strokes. Polyunsaturated fats can also provide essential fats that your body needs but can't make, such as omega-6 and omega-3 fats. One serving of pumpkin seeds has about 2.5 grams of omega-6 and 22 milligrams of omega-3 fat. In addition, the protein in pumpkin seeds is a high-quality protein, like soy protein, that has all your essential amino acids. 

One thing to be aware of is that pepitas don't have as much fiber as pumpkin seeds, since the hulls have been removed. Most of the fiber is in the hulls. Hulled seeds have about 1.8 grams of fiber per serving. 

Portion sizes

Pumpkin seeds are tasty and easy to overeat. Because they're high in calories, limit your portions to the recommended serving size of 1 oz, which is a little less than a quarter-cup. 

How to Eat Pumpkin Seeds

One easy way to make your own pumpkin seeds is to scoop the seeds from inside a whole pumpkin. Rinse or soak the seeds to get rid of the stringy orange flesh that surrounds them. You can eat the stringy flesh, too, if you want. But if you don't care for the texture, soaking the seeds for a couple of hours can make your job easier.

You can eat them raw, or, toss with about a tablespoon of olive oil, spread them out on a cookie sheet, and bake in a 300 F oven for 30-40 minutes. Roasting the seeds makes them easier to digest, increases their antioxidant levels, and makes them even more delicious. 

You can also find pumpkin seeds with or without their hulls at grocery and health food stores. If you're buying them from the store, check the ingredients because they may have added salt and sugar. Eat pumpkin seeds out of hand as a snack or use them as a nutritious garnish for salad or soup. You can also substitute pumpkin seeds in any recipe where you might use sunflower seeds or pine nuts.

Some ideas for ways to add pumpkin seeds to your diet include:

• Add them to your smoothies
• Mix them into granola, yogurt, or cereal
• Use them to garnish any meal, like chicken or pasta dishes
• Blend them with other ingredients in a dip like hummus, pesto, or guacamole
• Bake them into cookies and breads

Pumpkin seeds do have a lot of a chemical called phytic acid, which can bind to mineral nutrients in your digestive system and keep you from absorbing them as well. You can reduce the phytic acid content by soaking or sprouting your seeds before you eat or roast them. 

To soak your seeds:

• Pick through to remove any debris and rinse them until the water runs clear.
• Put them in a bowl or jar and add about 2-3 times as much cool water. For instance, for 2/3 cup of seeds, add 1 1/3 to 2 cups of water. Stir so that all the seeds come into contact with the water. 
• Soak the seeds at room temperature for 1-4 hours. 
• Eat them right away or store them in the refrigerator. 

To sprout your seeds:

• Soak them first as described above.
• After they have soaked, drain and rinse them and then add the same amount of fresh water. 
• Soak for 8-12 hours in an area with good air circulation. A corner of your kitchen counter is fine. Your goal is to get the seeds to start germinating but not to fully germinate.
• You may need to drain, rinse, and soak them again for another 8-12 hours until the hull bulges. 
• Drain and rinse, and then use them right away or store them in the refrigerator.

Use soaked or sprouted seeds just as you would any pumpkin seeds. Roast or toast them in the oven and then eat them out of hand or add them to your favorite recipes.

Pumpkin Seeds Side Effects

Side effects may include:

Allergic reactions. Allergy to pumpkin seeds is very rare. It's only been reported a few times in people from 3 to 70 years old. The reported reactions range from mild to severe. Most have been mild with local symptoms in the mouth or throat. But a few people have reported vomiting, swelling in the face and throat, itching, flushing, wheezing, faintness, and shock. Food allergies usually happen after you've eaten the food a couple of times. Pay attention to how you feel the first few times after you eat a new food.

Potential drug interactions. Pumpkin seeds are high in vitamin K, omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, and they also have diuretic effects. Diuretics help move extra fluid and salt out of your body by making you pee more. Because of this, if you're taking blood thinners (such as heparin), blood pressure medicine, or diuretics, ask your doctor before you add pumpkin seeds to your diet.

Takeaways

Pumpkin seeds are edible, nutritious seeds from pumpkins that are roasted, salted, and eaten as a snack in many parts of the world. They're very nutritious, with omega-3 fatty acids and lots of minerals, and they have anti-inflammatory effects that have many potential health benefits. These include anti-cancer properties and things that promote heart health. They may also ease the symptoms of overactive bladder and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and improve sperm count. The best way to eat them is to roast them yourself after soaking or sprouting to remove the phytic acid that may keep you from absorbing the nutrients. Add them to smoothies, salads, soups, or any of your favorite recipes. But because they're calorie dense, take care to limit yourself to a serving per day, which is about ¼ cup.