The Healthy San Jose Pumpkin: Decorative and Nutritious

October 03, 2023

The pumpkin. Pretty. Recognizable. Valued from its being anti-anxiety to anti-viral and so much more! Chiropractic Solutions presents just how nutritious and beneficial the Cucurbita maxima, pumpkin’s formal Latin name, is, a vegetable whose flesh, seed, peel, flower, and leaves all deliver nutrients our San Jose chiropractic patients can take advantage of. High levels of minerals, flavonoids, carotenes, phenols, and total antioxidant activity are profuse in the leaves and flowers while the seed is packed with nutrients and amino acids. All parts of the pumpkin have powerful nutrients! (1) Nutrition info like this is a part of the chiropractic service we deliver. This fall, maybe you’ll want to reconsider throwing your pumpkin in the trash!

DECORATIVE, DERMATOLOGICAL, AND MUCH MORE: anti-inflammatory, anti-anxiolic, non-irritating, antidiabetic, antioxidant, antiviral

The Cucurbita maxima is well-recognized for its ornamental value as well as economic value and as a generator of wasted resources when its time is up. It has plenty of bioactive compounds (flavonoids and coumarins) as well as antioxidant and pharmacological value that are just now being appreciated. (2) Pumpkin seed extracts were analyzed to be safe and to offer significant anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties closely similar to aspirin and brufen/ibuprofen. (3) In the family of winter squash, the pumpkin’s Cucurbita maxima - with its polysaccharide substance plus its overall phenolic and flavonoid content - has more antidiabetic and antioxidant activities than its related Cucurbita moshata. (4) Another study revealed that the nutrition of the pumpkin combats several viral infections (like HCV, HIV, ADV7, etc.) with its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties. (5) The peel has the greatest number of flavonoids. Peel extracts are not cytotoxic or irritating to the skin, making them possibly effective for cosmetic product use. (6) The pumpkin’s value runs more than skin deep.

PREVENTIVE OF NIGHT BLINDNESS IN CHILDREN AND EVEN ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION

What about facilitating the prevention of childhood night blindness reported to be a worldwide problem? Fortifying yogurt with β-carotene (vitamin A) via pumpkin (and pumpkin pie spice and ground pumpkin seed) was proven to be a nutrient-rich food with the low-cost advantage of potentially averting or reducing childhood blindness. The pumpkin made it even more appetizing! (7) The pumpkin seed that they ground up for the yogurt may also reduce the intensity of the central nervous system related anxiety and depression. C. maxima’s secondary metabolites like arginine, β-carotene, quercetin, and other antioxidants may be the helpful sources. (8) All these are beneficial for health.

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Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Robert Borzone on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management to help a patient return to healthy organic gardening.

Make your San Jose chiropractic appointment today. No matter the back pain condition, that brought you to our office, enjoy your decorative pumpkin and figure out a way to repurpose it for your health benefit!

San Jose chiropractic nutrition info on the pumpkin

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