It May Be Round and Plump, but It Makes You Slim: Pumpkin

With Thanksgiving and Halloween in October, pumpkins should be commonly found in grocery stores at this time of the year. While it is commonly consumed as pies and soups and even made into a jack-o-lantern, not many people know the pumpkin’s effects on our bodies.

Pumpkin is well-loved in Korea and China for weight loss and to get rid of post-partum water retention/edema. Within TCM texts, it is said to tonify the middle jiao and therefore raise Qi, reduce blood cholesterol, and reduce blood glucose levels. When we say we tonify the middle jiao, it means to strengthen the Spleen and Stomach (digestive system).

Abundant pectin within pumpkin gets absorbed in our intestines and creates a gluey matter. This substance prevents lipid absorption while it also carries out excess cholesterol from the body along with itself. Therefore, pumpkin is a good food for someone who has hypercholesterolemia/hyperlipidemia or coronary artery disease, or those who are at risk of it. In addition, it has the highest content of Cobalt (Co) amongst the vegetables. This Co is an essential trace element required by pancreatic cells and therefore pumpkin is also good for diabetic patients. Pumpkin’s high fibre, low carbohydrate, and low calorie content make it an appropriate food for overweight/obese individuals and constipation. Its other properties like antitoxic effects and the boosting effect for the regenerative capacity of liver and kidney cells mean that it is an excellent food for individuals with occupational risk of lead, mercury, or other toxic metal exposure as well as cancer patients.

However, as with all other foods, it has cautions too. According to “Compendium of Materia Medica (本草纲目)”, “Overconsumption of it brings about beriberi and jaundice”, and according to “Truth-Seeking Herbal Foundation (本草求眞)”, “It is best to avoid in beriberi, but when one consumes it Dampness and Qi stagnate together, and in jaundice or arthritis where there is a lot of water retention and inflammation the condition can worsen when it is consumed with lamb meat.” For some of us who may have consumed pumpkin extract in the past, you may have noticed a sweet taste to it. This sweet taste is usually not from the pumpkin itself. It is likely that licorice (Gan Cao) was added during the extraction process. While licorice makes things taste better for our palate and it will synergize the pumpkin’s effect of strengthening the Spleen and Stomach and tonifying Qi, its antidiuretic effect antagonizes the pumpkin’s effect on reducing water retention/edema. The same applies to dates. While dates are good in their own way for strengthening the Spleen and Stomach, nourishing the Blood, and calming the mind, too much licorice and/or dates added to pumpkin extract can do more harm than good for those who intend to consume it for their diabetes or for losing weight.                                 

The conclusion is the same regardless of the food we are talking about. If we know about what we are consuming, it can be a tonic. If we consume it without knowing, it can be a poison. Also, too much of a good thing can be harmful. Always keep in mind the importance of moderation and balance. Next time, we will talk about dates which is a popular fall crop and herb.