Nutrition Research Reviews (2010), 23, 184–190 doi:10.1017/S0954422410000107 q The Authors 2010 Medicinal and biological potential of pumpkin: an updated review Mukesh Yadav1,2, Shalini Jain3, Radha Tomar1, G. B. K. S. Prasad4 and Hariom Yadav3* 1School of Studies in Chemistry, Jiwaji University, Gwalior 474011, M.P., India 2College of Advance Studies, Datia, Madhya Pradhesh, India 3National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA 4School of Studies in Biotechnology, Jiwaji University, Gwalior 474011, M.P., India The use of herbal remedies individually or in combination with standard medicines has been used in various medical treatises for the cure of different diseases. Pumpkin is one of the well-known edible plants and has substantial medicinal properties due to the presence of unique natural edible substances. It contains several phyto-constituents belonging to the categories of alkaloids, flavonoids, and palmitic, oleic and linoleic acids. Various important medicinal properties including anti-diabetic, antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory and others have been well documented. The purpose of the present article is to discuss various medicinal and biological potentials of pumpkin that can impart further research developments with this plant for human health benefits. Pumpkin: Herbal medicine: Anti-diabetic properties: Antioxidants: Anti-carcinogens: Phytochemicals Introduction development of new effective therapeutic agents, especially in the areas where we lack safe modern drugs to treat Since ancient times, many herbal medicines in different chronic diseases(9,10). In the ongoing search for more formulations have been recommended for the treatment of effective and safer drugs, attention is being paid to new and various diseases. Traditional and/or indigenous drugs have safe medicinal herbs or food components(7,10). Although special significance of having been tested over a long time, phyto-therapy continues to be used in several countries as and are relatively safe, easily available and affordable. Nutrition Research Reviews in the past, only a few plants have received scientific or Many ethno-botanical surveys on medicinal plants used by medical scrutiny. Although most of the medicinal plants are the local population have been performed in different parts safer, still a number of medicinal plants possess some degree of the world including the USA, China, India, Mexico, of toxicity; therefore it is very important to analyse the Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, and Trinidad and traditional therapeutic regimens scientifically and validate Tobago(1 – 4), and suggested that several medicinal plants their dosing, toxicity and other health consequences, before have been used as dietary adjuncts for the treatment of proper use in human diseased conditions. In the present numerous chronic and severe diseases. In India and China, article we discuss the biological and medicinal potential of a the use of herbal medicines has been commonly practised well-known edible plant, pumpkin (genus Cucurbita; family for a long time as a less expensive way to treat various health Cucurbitaceae). Pumpkin has various health benefits, which problems. The herbal drugs are considered frequently less are summarised in Fig. 1. toxic with limited side effects compared with synthetic drugs(5,6). For such reasons, traditional and complementary medicines have seen an upsurge in their popularity for the Pumpkin used as a good edible plant treatment of different diseases. Herbal medicine develop- ment is one of the main subjects of studies in the National Pumpkin is cultivated from northern Mexico to Argentina Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicines, and Chile and has spread to Europe (France and Portugal, Bethesda, USA which was established in 1998 by the US for example), Asia (India and China) and Western America. Government(7,8). The WHO has also recommended the Pumpkin is an annual vine or trailing plant and can be initiation of studies to identify and characterise new herbal cultivated from sea level to high altitudes. It is famous for its preparations from traditionally known plants and the edible seeds, fruit and greens(11). The most important part of Abbreviations: MAP, myeloid antimicrobial peptide; MW, molecular weight. * Corresponding author: Dr Hariom Yadav, email [email protected] Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.202.126, on 25 Sep 2021 at 03:10:29, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954422410000107 Bio-medicinal importance of pumpkin 185 Table 1. Nutrients in pumpkin* Hepato-protective Constituent(s) Amount Water (g/100 g) 89 Anti-diabetic Protein (g/100 g) 4·0 Fat (g/100 g) 0·2 Antioxidant Carbohydrate (g/100 g) 2·0 Fibre (g/100 g) 2·4 Ca (mg/100 g) 475 Anti-inflammatory Hypotensive P (mg/100 g) 175 Fe (g/100 g) 0·8 b-Carotene (mg/100 g) 1·0 Thiamin (mg/100 g) 0·08 Anti-carcinogenic Riboflavin (mg/100 g) 0·06 Anti-microbial Niacin (mg/100 g) 0·3 Ascorbic acid (mg/100 g) 80 Al (mg/g dry weight) 9·21 Anti-parasitic Co (mg/g dry weight) 0·29 Cr (mg/g dry weight) 2·84 Cu (mg/g dry weight) 15·4 K (mg/g dry weight) 5·70 Fig. 1. Medicinal properties of pumpkins. Mg (mg/g dry weight) 5·60 Na (mg/g dry weight) 6·90 Zn (mg/g dry weight) 113 Amino acids (mg/g dry weight) pumpkin is its low-fat and protein-rich seeds(12). The second Alanine 23·4 most important part is its fruit. The immature fruit is cooked Arginine 93·2 Aspartic acid 52·8 as a vegetable, while the mature fruit is sweet and used to Cysteine 6·73 make confectionery and beverages, sometimes alcoholic. Glutamic acid 104 The fruit has a good b-carotene content and has a moderate Glycine 28·3 content of carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals (Table 1). Histidine 13·8 Isoleucine 23·0 Different parts of the pumpkin plant have been used in the Leucine 40·9 form of various food regimens throughout its distribution Lysine 22·0 area in America. The unripe fruit is eaten as a boiled Methionine 12·4 vegetable, while the flesh of the ripe fruit is used to prepare Phenylalanine 31·4 sweets and soft or slightly alcoholic drinks. Seeds are also Proline 20·2 Serine 31·7 greatly valued and in Chiapas, Mexico, they are used with Threonine 18·4 honey to prepare desserts known as palanquetas. Edible oil Tryptophan 15·3 is also obtained from the seed of pumpkin which is rich in Tyrosine 22·1 oleic acid. Many varieties of pumpkins are available, and Valine 28·2 Nutrition Research Reviews some of them are described elsewhere(13). Fatty acids (mg/g dry weight) 12 : 0 0·02 14 : 0 0·16 14 : 1 0·07 Botanical description 15 : 0 0·02 16 : 0 13·0 Pumpkin is a creeping or climbing plant, monoecious, annual 16 : 1n-7 0·17 although persistent for a certain period, giving the impression 18 : 0 7·8 of being a short-lived perennial, without swollen reserve 18 : 1n-9 45·4 roots. It is resistant to low temperatures but not to severe 18 : 1n-7 0·98 18 : 2n-6 31·0 frosts. It has five vigorous, slightly angular stems and leaves 18 : 3n-6 0·09 with 5 to 25 cm petioles that are ovate–cordate to 18 : 3n-3 0·19 suborbicular–cordate, with or without white spots on the 20 : 0 0·58 surface and have three to five rounded or obtuse, apiculate 20 : 1 0·13 22 : 0 0·16 lobules, the central one bigger than lateral ones. Male flowers 22 : 1 0·08 are long and pedicellate and have a campanulate calyx that is 24 : 0 0·15 5 to 10 mm long and almost as wide, 5–15 £ 1–2 mm linear 24 : 1 0·09 sepals and a tubular campanulate corolla that is rather * The sources of the data in the table were USDA broader towards the base, 6 to 12 cm long and yellow to pale Nutrient Composition Tables, various studies orange. They have three stamens. Female flowers have sturdy including de Escalada Pla et al. (65) and other peduncles, 3 to 5 cm long, an ovoid to elliptical, multilocular websites. ovary, sepals that are occasionally foliaceous and a corolla that is somewhat larger than that of the male flowers. They or stripes towards the apex; (2) minutely spotted white and have a thickened style and three lobate stigmas. The fruit is green; (3) orange, white, cream or flesh white. The flesh is sweet globose to ovoid–elliptical, with three colour patterns: and the seeds are ovate–elliptical, flattened, 15–25 £ 7–12mm, (1) light or dark green, with or without longitudinal white lines and a dark brown to black or creamy white colour(14). Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.202.126, on 25 Sep 2021 at 03:10:29, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954422410000107 186 M. Yadav et al. Phytochemistry of pumpkin Medicinal bioactivities of pumpkin Pumpkin has been considered as beneficial to health Although pumpkin is a well-known edible plant, most parts because it contains various biologically active components of this plant are also used in traditional systems of medicine such as polysaccharides, para-aminobenzoic acid, fixed around the world. Although a large number of compounds (15) oils, sterols, proteins and peptides(15 – 17). The fruits are a have been isolated from pumpkin spp. , only some of good source of carotenoids and g-aminobutyric acid(17,18).