On Halloween, pumpkins are used to make spooky masks. In America its consumption is recommended for those who want “beautiful calves”, and in Africa it is considered a plant blessed by the Orishas. But in reality this vegetable, easy to grow and with a long and tangled stem, comes from Asia, and was brought to Europe in the 15th century by the Spanish and from there it spread throughout the New World.
Pumpkin is low in calories and rich in antioxidants.
- Its varieties are many and differ in shape, color and taste. Although some have reached 100 kilograms, the most common is that they are medium in size, they can have a single color or have their rounded, elongated, bottle-shaped or crooked neck shape striped. Two alike never grow, not even on the same plant, but in reality it is its nutritional and healing properties that exalt it.
- Due to its low calorie intake, pumpkin is a highly recognized food in diets to lose weight. It contains practically no fat and participates in the elimination of excess fluid in the tissues. It also stimulates the function of the pancreas helping to regulate blood sugar levels.
- The consumption of this cucurbit is also recommended when we suffer from a viral process or respiratory disorder since it has been proven that it helps to eliminate mucus in the lungs, bronchi and throat and helps strengthen the immune system due to its richness in antioxidants.
- Pumpkin, regardless of the differences in flavor and texture that exist between one variety and another, is an adjuvant in the treatment of cataracts due to its high content of carotenes and alpha carotenes, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium. It also contains vitamins A and C, the first essential for vision and the condition of the skin, tissues and the body’s defense system.
- Its easy cultivation in gardens, patios and lots makes it also available for cases of fever or diarrhea, circumstances in which it is advisable to boil its leaves and drink the resulting infusion.
