Pumpkin Seeds - or Cucurbit Seeds are full of nutrients! Such as protein, fiber, iron, copper, magnesium, manganese, and phosphorous, as well as the amino acids arginine and glutamic acid. They also contain calcium, potassium, zinc, selenium, folate, and niacin. And they are also a source of linolenic acid(which is believed to help prevent hardening of the arteries).

Here are some of the things that munching on a small handful of seeds can help with:

--Calm an irritated and overactive bladder occasionally associated with bedwetting (Germany's Commission E has approved using pumpkin seeds for bedwetting and other bladder problems)

--Get rid of intestinal parasites (the ingredient cucurbit in the seeds is believed to paralyze the worms over time forcing them to lose their grip and get expelled from the body)

--Help with symptoms of prostate enlargement (the use of these seeds for this problem is traced back to Native American healers). A clinical trial done using pumpkin seeds for BPH (Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy) showed improvements in symptoms such as post-void dribbling, weak urine flow, and time spent urinating in many of the participants. Fifty-three men with BPH took part in this three-month, double blind study completed in 1990.

You can get nutrients and benefits from pumpkin seeds in many forms, such as:

--The seed itself

--Pumpkin seed oil

--Dried herb

--Tea You can buy the seeds in health food stores either in the shell or already shelled. And you can get them raw or roasted. The oil is wonderful; we get ours from Donna Gates (author "Body Ecology Diet").

Like most oils, it goes rancid so you do need to keep it refrigerated.

Here's a great recipe for getting rid of those parasites and worms:

--Make an emulsion by grinding up the seeds, mixing them with some sugar (or honey) and some milk (or water)

--Sip this mixture in three daily doses, ingesting a total of about 2 ounces of the emulsion.

--Alternatively, make a tea with the ground seeds by infusing them in hot water; allow the brew to cool slightly before straining and sipping. Don't take more than 16 ounces atone time.
Here's a tip for men who are interested in good prostate health- preventing enlargement, or even helping your treatment along: chew a handful of these seeds every day! Make them in an easy and delicious way at home - from your own pumpkins! Harvest the seeds yourself from your fresh pumpkins or other squash as well. You then roast them slowly on an oiled baking sheet in a 250 degree oven until crisp.