Pumpkin seed has been used in traditional medicine as an anthelmintic (an agent used to expel intestinal worms), taeniacide (an agent which kills tapeworms) and as a diuretic (Bombardelli and Morazzoni, 1997). Its modern clinical uses are comparable to its traditional uses in North American aboriginal medicine. For example, the Cherokee people used pumpkin seed as an anthelmintic and also as a pediatric urinary aid to treat bed-wetting. The Iroquois people prepared an infusion of the seeds as a diuretic given to children with reduced urination. The Menominee people of Wisconsin used the seed to facilitate the passage of urine (Moerman, 1998). The seeds have been reported to eliminate both tapeworms and roundworms (Budavari, 1996; Tyler, 1993). An amino acid, curcubitacin, is thought to be responsible for the seed's anthelmintic actions (Tyler, 1993). To use pumpkin seed as an anthelmintic agent, one method of preparation is to pound or grind 200–400 g of unpeeled seeds into a pulp, then mix the pulp with milk and honey until reaching a porridge-like consistency. Ingestion on an empty stomach in the morning, in two doses, is recommended, followed by castor oil 2–3 hours later. Another method is to combine 150 g of unpeeled, crushed pumpkin seeds with senna electuary. An electuary is a preparation made by mixing the drug (e.g., senna) with honey or syrup to form a pasty mass (Weiss, 1988).
Heeft iemand hier ervaring mee of denkt iemand een gezondheidsprobleem hierin te zien?
PS iemand enig idee wat castor oil is?
