Is pumpkin hot or cool in nature? Read this and you will understand
Pumpkin is called different names depending on where it is grown, with alternative names such as maigwa, fangwa, and wogua. It is the fruit of the Cucurbitaceae plant pumpkin, and its nutritional components are relatively complete, with high nutritional value. Young pumpkin is richer in vitamin C and glucose than mature pumpkin, while mature pumpkin has higher levels of calcium, iron, and carotene. Now let us take a look together at whether pumpkin is hot or cool in nature!
Is pumpkin hot or cool in nature?
Pumpkin is neither hot nor cool, but neutral. Traditional Chinese medicine holds that pumpkin is warm in nature and sweet, can warm the body, and tonify the vital energy of the organs. However, because pumpkin is a warm-natured food, eating too much can also affect health. If too much pumpkin is eaten, it can easily cause symptoms of internal heat in the human body, so it is not suitable for patients with internal heat or heat-syndrome diseases, otherwise it may be detrimental to the condition.
What happens if you eat too much pumpkin?
1. Yellowing of the skin: If pumpkin is eaten as a staple food all day long, excessive consumption will cause the β-carotene in pumpkin to deposit in the stratum corneum of the human skin epidermis, resulting in the phenomenon of skin yellowing.
2. Causing bloating: The starch, sugars, cellulose, and other components rich in pumpkin can easily cause bloating. If eaten in excess, it is even more likely to cause bloating or worsen bloating.
3. Causing allergies: Pumpkin can potentially become an allergen. When eaten in small amounts, it may not show up, but after excessive consumption, allergic symptoms such as skin redness and swelling, diarrhea, and indigestion may appear.
4. Promoting damp-heat: Pumpkin is warm in nature. If eaten too much over a long period, it will promote damp-heat. Especially for those with intense stomach heat, those with qi stagnation and abdominal fullness, and those with damp-heat and qi stagnation, it is even more important to eat less.
What are the benefits of eating pumpkin?
1. Detoxifying effect: Pumpkin contains vitamins and pectin. Pectin has good adsorption properties and can bind and eliminate bacterial toxins and other harmful substances in the body, such as lead, mercury, and radioactive elements among heavy metals, and can play a detoxifying role.
2. Helping digestion: The pectin contained in pumpkin can also protect the gastric and intestinal mucosa from irritation by rough foods and promote the healing of ulcers, making it suitable for patients with stomach problems. The components it contains can promote bile secretion, strengthen gastrointestinal peristalsis, and help food digestion.
3. Lowering blood sugar: Pumpkin is rich in cobalt. Cobalt can activate human metabolism, promote hematopoietic function, and participate in the synthesis of vitamin B12 in the human body. It has a special therapeutic effect on preventing and treating diabetes and lowering blood sugar.
4. Anti-cancer effect: Pumpkin can eliminate the mutagenic effect of the carcinogen nitrosamine, has an anti-cancer effect, and can help the recovery of liver and kidney function and enhance the regenerative capacity of liver and kidney cells.
5. Promoting growth: Pumpkin is rich in zinc, participates in the synthesis of nucleic acids and proteins in the human body, is an inherent component of adrenal cortical hormones, and is an important substance for human growth and development.