The Surprising Health Benefits of Pumpkin Seed Oil

For most of us, pumpkin means pies and Jack o'lanterns, and perhaps even pumpkin cookies or breads. But, is there more health benefits to pumpkin that just beta kerotene, antioxidants and Vitamin C? According to recent medical studies, the answer is a resounding "yes". Early research seems to indicate that one particular type of pumpkin seed oil has some pretty amazing health benefits, so much in fact, that it has recently emerged as one of the top three nutritional oils.

It's not the traditional American Jack o'Lantern that produces this power packed seed oil, but a little known variety called the "Styrian pumpkin." The Styrian pumpkin was developed in the Styrian areas of present day south east Austria, back in the 17th century. This odd looking fruit looks like the ornamental gourds we Americans use for tabletop decorations, and isn't even edible. However, those early growers discovered that the green seeds of the Styrian pumpkin prevented bladder and prostrate problems, and eliminated intestinal parasites. It had such amazing health benefits that Styrian farmers grew this fruit for the seeds alone, and discarded the pulp to use as fertilizer.

For 300 years, few people even knowing about the health properties of the Styrian pumpkin seed outside of Slovenia and Austria. It's only been in recent years that this variety of pumpkin is now being grown in Australia and Canada, and at least on one farm in the United States.

Health benefits

What makes the Styrian pumpkin so special compared to a regular Jack o'Lantern? This variety of pumpkin seed oil is loaded with A, B1, B2, B6, C, D, E, and K, and an assortment of other minerals including magnesium, iron and calcium. In addition to all those vitamins, it also contains somewhere between 60 to 90 percent unsaturated fats, is rich in vegetable protein and has both omega-6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids in a 3- to-1 ratio. It also contains 45 to 60 percent linoleic acid.