Pumpkin seeds, also called pepitas, are the seeds of the squash Cucurbita pepo. Some varieties, such as the Styrian oil pumpkin, grow seeds with no outer husk. The numbers on this page are for dried shelled kernels without salt, so whole seeds in the hull and salted seeds will differ.
An ounce (28 g) has 158 calories, 8.6 g of protein and 1.7 g of fiber. It also gives 20% of the Daily Value of zinc, 42% of copper and 40% of magnesium. Per 100 g, the 592 mg of magnesium ranks second among 132 foods on this site. The 7.81 mg of zinc is 71% of the Daily Value.
Much of the research below was done on pumpkin seed oil or extracts, not on seeds eaten as food, and each card says which. Most trials are small or short, and some were paid for by the companies that sell the product. The best-known work is on prostate and bladder symptoms, where a large trial found the whole seed worked better than an extract.
Health benefits of pumpkin seeds
The top findings from 18 studies, strongest evidence first
What the stars mean
- Strong. Several randomized trials, pooled in a meta-analysis, point the same way, or regulators (FDA or EFSA) have approved the claim.
- Moderate. Good randomized trials support it, but there are fewer of them, or their results vary.
- Limited. Small, short or single trials, or mixed results. Promising, but it needs confirmation.
Population and lab studies get no stars: they show a link or a mechanism, not proof.
How we rate evidence →- ★More men improved on seeds for prostate symptomsIn 1,431 men with enlarged-prostate (BPH) symptoms, 58.5% responded to 10 g of seed a day for 12 months, against 47.3% on placebo. A seed extract did no better than placebo, and the authors ask for a confirmatory study.
- ★Smaller blood sugar rise after a mealAdding 65 g of pumpkin seed to a high-carbohydrate meal lowered the blood sugar rise by about 35% in healthy adults, and flaxseed did not. This was one meal, so long-term effects are unknown.
- ★More hair with pumpkin seed oil capsulesIn 76 men with hair loss, 24 weeks of pumpkin seed oil (400 mg a day) raised hair counts by 40%, against 10% on placebo. The capsules held the oil, not whole seeds.
- ★Higher HDL cholesterol in postmenopausal womenIn 35 postmenopausal women, 2 g of pumpkin seed oil a day for 12 weeks raised HDL (“good” cholesterol) from 0.92 to 1.07 mmol/L. The authors call it a pilot trial.
- ★Lower systolic pressure in a very small trialIn postmenopausal women with raised blood pressure, 3 g a day of pumpkin seed oil for 6 weeks lowered the top number. Placebo did not, but only 12 women took the oil.
All 18 studies, strongest evidence first
Men with prostate-related urinary symptoms who ate 10 g of pumpkin seed a day responded more often than on placebo (58.5% against 47.3%), but a seed extract did no better than placebo
Randomized, partially blinded, placebo-controlled trial (the GRANU study) in 1,431 men aged 50 to 80 with symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). They took 5 g of seed twice a day, 500 mg of extract twice a day, or placebo for 12 months. A response meant a fall of at least 5 points on the symptom score. The authors call the seed result descriptively significant and ask for a confirmatory study.
Adding 65 g of pumpkin seed to a high-carbohydrate meal lowered the blood sugar rise by about 35%, and flaxseed did not
Randomized, single-blind crossover trial in healthy adults with normal blood sugar; glucose was measured in 15 of them. Each person ate three meals, with no seed, pumpkin seed or flaxseed. This was one meal, so long-term effects are unknown, and appetite and food intake did not differ.
Pumpkin seed oil capsules relieved BPH symptoms, but less than the drug tamsulosin did, in a 3-month trial
Single-blind randomized trial in 73 men aged 50 or older with BPH. They took 360 mg of pumpkin seed oil twice a day or 0.4 mg of tamsulosin at bedtime. Symptom scores fell in both groups, more with tamsulosin, and no one on the oil had side effects. The study was supported by Hamadan University of Medical Sciences.
Taking 400 mg of pumpkin seed oil a day for 24 weeks raised hair counts by 40% in men with hair loss, against 10% on placebo
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 76 men with mild to moderate male pattern hair loss. The capsules held the oil, not whole seeds. Self-rated improvement was also higher, and side effects did not differ. The paper says it was supported by a grant from Dreamplus Co., Ltd.
In postmenopausal women, 2 g of pumpkin seed oil a day for 12 weeks raised HDL cholesterol from 0.92 to 1.07 mmol/L
Randomized, double-blind pilot trial in 35 women, 21 on the oil and 14 on wheat germ oil as placebo. Diastolic blood pressure and menopausal symptom scores also improved. The authors call it a pilot and ask for larger studies.
In postmenopausal women with raised blood pressure, 3 g of pumpkin seed oil a day for 6 weeks lowered brachial and central systolic blood pressure, and placebo did not
Randomized trial in which 12 women took the oil and 11 took placebo. Wave reflection (augmentation index) also fell, while arterial stiffness and heart rate variability did not change. A very small trial.
Pumpkin seed oil lowered prostate symptom scores within 3 months in men with BPH, but did not change prostate size
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 12 months in 47 men with BPH, average age 53.3. They took 320 mg a day of pumpkin seed oil, saw palmetto oil, both oils together, or a placebo. Urine flow improved from 6 months on pumpkin seed oil, and adding saw palmetto oil did not help further.
Pumpkin seed oil (Prostafit) improved BPH symptom scores over 6 months, but less than the drug prazosin
Trial in 100 men with BPH who were randomly divided into two equal groups, one taking the oil product and one taking prazosin. Symptom score and quality of life improved in both groups, and PSA did not change. Small, with few details given in the abstract.
An oil-free pumpkin seed extract cut the prostate symptom score by an average of 30.1% in 12 weeks, with no comparison group
Single-arm pilot study in 60 men with a starting score of 14.8, taking the extract once a day at bedtime. Night-time urination and leftover urine also fell, but without a placebo group some of the change may not be due to the extract. The paper says two companies, Apomedica and Frutarom, funded it.
In routine care, a pumpkin seed soft extract lowered the prostate symptom score by 4.7 points after 12 months
Noninterventional study of 130 men with BPH symptoms taking the extract for up to 24 months, with no comparison group; 83 were analyzed at 12 months. Quality of life improved and sexual function scores did not worsen. The paper says it was sponsored by Omega Pharma.
Pumpkin seed oil from a related species, Cucurbita maxima, lowered overactive bladder symptom scores over 12 weeks
Study of 45 people who took 10 g of the oil a day, with symptoms scored after 6 and 12 weeks. The abstract describes no placebo group, and the oil came from C. maxima, not C. pepo.
A pumpkin seed peptide extract did not change body weight or fat in overweight adults overall in a 12-week trial
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 50 overweight adults taking 600 mg a day of an extract, not seeds. In a post hoc subgroup of 13 people with the most body fat, weight differed by 2.30 kg, but such subgroup results are exploratory. The sponsor, Greenyn Biotechnology, developed the extract and funded the study.
Pumpkin seeds lowered calcium-oxalate crystals in the urine of 20 young boys in an area of Thailand with many bladder stones
The boys, aged 2 to 7, first received extra oxalate and then pumpkin seeds or a phosphate supplement (60 mg per kg of body weight a day), and results improved the longer they took the seeds. It measured urine crystals, not actual stones, and it dates from 1987.
Pumpkin seeds alone made 9 of 12 confirmed tapeworm carriers pass the whole worm (75%), and with areca nut extract the rate reached 88.9%
Community study of tapeworm (Taenia) infection in Sichuan, China. Seeds alone took about 14 hours to work, against about 2 hours for seeds with areca nut extract. Mild nausea and dizziness affected about 46% of people given the combination. The comparison groups had only 12 and 11 people.
Rats on an atherogenic diet that were given pumpkin seeds had LDL cholesterol fall from 3.33 to 0.70 mmol/L
Rats fed a diet that causes atherosclerosis got pumpkin seeds in their food for 37 days. Total cholesterol fell from 4.89 to 2.55 mmol/L and HDL rose. Arginine alone did not lower LDL, so the effect was not due to the seeds’ arginine. An animal study.
Rats given pumpkin seed oil for 12 weeks had lower blood pressure and a better cholesterol profile, and the oil prevented the changes seen after ovary removal
Female rats, with or without their ovaries removed, got pumpkin seed oil or corn oil 5 days a week for 12 weeks. The groups held only 5 or 6 rats each. An animal study of the oil, not seeds.
Plant sterols from hull-less pumpkin seed oil reduced prostate enlargement and lowered 5-alpha-reductase in rats
Rats with testosterone-induced prostate enlargement received the isolated sterols (3.3 mg per kg of body weight a day) for 4 weeks. The sterols, 87.64% of them of the delta-7 type, came from the oil of the Styrian pumpkin. The authors state they received no funding.
A pumpkin seed extract slowed the growth of prostate, breast and colon cells by about 40 to 50% in a dish, with less effect on skin cells
Lab study of an extract of Styrian pumpkin seeds on human cell lines, including cells from enlarged prostate tissue. Skin cells were slowed by only about 20%, and the extract did not switch on androgen, estrogen or progesterone receptors. Cell results do not show an effect in people.
Who should be careful with pumpkin seeds
Most people can eat pumpkin seeds freely. Take a little care if one of these applies:
- Seed allergy. Pumpkin seed allergy is uncommon, but it can be severe. Pumpkin seed is not on the mandatory allergen label lists, so packages may not name it. In a Turkish series of 25 children with the allergy, reactions were immediate in all, 64% had anaphylaxis, and 76% were also allergic to tree nuts. With a seed or nut allergy, ask an allergist first.
- Raw seeds and Salmonella. A 2026 outbreak in France made 81 people ill between May and August, and investigators traced it to pumpkin seeds grown in France. A recall followed on 28 August. For most people the chance is small, but check recall notices.
- Prostate or bladder symptoms. The EU herbal monograph says to use pumpkin seed products only after a doctor has excluded serious causes. See a doctor if symptoms worsen or you have fever, blood in the urine, painful urination or trouble passing urine.
How to choose, store and eat pumpkin seeds
- Shelled or whole: the numbers here are for shelled kernels without salt, 158 calories and 1.7 g of fiber in 1 oz (28 g). If you eat whole seeds, chew them well, because case reports describe hard stool plugs from seeds eaten with the hull, mostly in children.
- With a meal: in a crossover trial, 65 g of pumpkin seed added to a high-carbohydrate meal lowered the blood sugar rise by about 35% in healthy adults. That is a large portion, more than 2 oz.
- Seed, oil or extract: the 1,431-man prostate trial used 5 g of seed twice a day, and the EU monograph lists 2.5 to 7.5 g of seed twice a day. Trials of oil used 2 g to 10 g a day, and extracts are medicines that need a doctor’s advice.
Check the label for salt and for whether the seeds are whole or shelled kernels, since the numbers differ. Styrian pumpkin seed oil is a dressing for salads, soups and desserts, and cooking with it destroys its essential fatty acids, according to Wikipedia. Because of the 2026 outbreak in France, check recall notices before eating raw seeds.
Sources
- Acikalin B, Ocak M, Sekerel BE. Immunoglobulin E-mediated pumpkin seed allergy in children: Case series and narrative review with a structured literature search. Allergy Asthma Proc. 2026.
- Dölle-Bierke S, Gonzalo-Fernández A, Sabouraud-Leclerc D, et al.. Frequency and Severity of Allergic Reactions to Non-Mandatory Labelled Allergenic Foods-Data From Two Large European Cohorts. Allergy. 2026.
- Jones G, Laurent E, Fougère E, et al.. Nationwide outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis linked to consumption of pumpkin seeds, France, 2026. Euro Surveill. 2026.
- Community herbal monograph on Cucurbita pepo L., semen (final). European Medicines Agency, HMPC. EMA/HMPC/136024/2010. 2012.
- Mirza MS, Al-Wahibi K, Baloch S, et al.. Rectal bezoars due to pumpkin seeds. Trop Doct. 2009.
- Cândido FG, de Oliveira FCE, Lima MFC, et al.. Addition of pooled pumpkin seed to mixed meals reduced postprandial glycemia: a randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial. Nutr Res. 2018.
- Vahlensieck W, Theurer C, Pfitzer E, et al.. Effects of pumpkin seed in men with lower urinary tract symptoms due to benign prostatic hyperplasia in the one-year, randomized, placebo-controlled GRANU study. Urol Int. 2015.
- Pumpkin seed oil. Wikipedia.
History of pumpkin seeds
Pumpkin seeds come from a squash first grown in the Americas. Cucurbita pepo was domesticated in Mexico, and a genetic study points to a wild squash, subspecies fraterna, as the likely ancestor of cultivated pumpkins. According to Wikipedia, the oldest remains come from Oaxaca and are about 8,000 to 10,000 years old, older than maize or common beans as crops in the same region.
Squash was not first grown for food. At a rockshelter in Honduras, people used bottle gourds and wild squash from about 10,950 years ago, mainly as watertight containers. Domesticated C. pepo appeared there much later, about 2,190 years ago, alongside signs of use as a food crop.
The name pepita comes from Mexican Spanish, where pepita de calabaza means little seed of squash. Seeds are a common ingredient in Mexican cooking, including pipián sauces for mole, and sikil pak is a pumpkin seed salsa from the Yucatán. In Greece, lightly roasted, salted seeds in their hulls are a popular snack.
Pumpkin seeds were also medicine. From 1863 to 1936 the United States Pharmacopoeia listed them against tapeworms. In Europe, the medicines agency EMA adopted a herbal monograph for pumpkin seed on 20 November 2012, covering traditional use for urinary symptoms from BPH or overactive bladder. It says the use rests only on long-standing tradition.
In Styria, in southeastern Austria, the hull-less seeds of the Styrian oil pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo var. styriaca) are roasted and pressed into a dark oil. It is a culinary specialty of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire and an export of Austria and Slovenia. The oil looks dark green in a thin layer and red in a thick one, a trait called dichromatism. The usual Styrian dressing mixes it with cider vinegar, and a few drops go on vanilla ice cream.
The name Steierisches Kürbiskernöl, Styrian pumpkin seed oil, has been a Protected Geographical Indication in the EU since 1996. Commission Regulation 1263/96 of 1 July 1996 added it to the list of protected names.
Sources
- Castellanos-Morales G, Ruiz-Mondragón KY, Hernández-Rosales HS, et al.. Tracing back the origin of pumpkins (Cucurbita pepo ssp. pepo L.) in Mexico. Proc Biol Sci. 2019.
- Domic AI, VanDerwarker AM, Thakar HB, et al.. Archaeobotanical evidence supports indigenous cucurbit long-term use in the Mesoamerican Neotropics. Sci Rep. 2024.
- Pumpkin seed. Wikipedia.
- Cucurbita pepo. Wikipedia.
- Pumpkin seed oil. Wikipedia.
- Commission Regulation (EC) No 1263/96 of 1 July 1996 supplementing the Annex to Regulation (EC) No 1107/96 on the registration of geographical indications and designations of origin. European Commission. 1996.
- Community herbal monograph on Cucurbita pepo L., semen (final). European Medicines Agency, HMPC. EMA/HMPC/136024/2010. 2012.
- Li T, Ito A, Chen X, et al.. Usefulness of pumpkin seeds combined with areca nut extract in community-based treatment of human taeniasis in northwest Sichuan Province, China. Acta Trop. 2012.
Frequently asked questions about pumpkin seeds
Are pumpkin seeds good for you?
For most people, yes, though the evidence for specific health effects is limited. An ounce (28 g) of kernels has 158 calories, 8.6 g of protein, 1.7 g of fiber and 20% of the Daily Value of zinc. None of the 18 studies here reaches moderate or strong evidence, and most tested oil or extracts.
Are pumpkin seeds good for the prostate?
They may ease urinary symptoms a little, but the proof is thin. In a 12-month trial of 1,431 men, 58.5% of those eating pumpkin seed responded against 47.3% on placebo, while a seed extract did no better than placebo. Two small trials found the oil worked less well than the drugs tamsulosin and prazosin. See a doctor about prostate symptoms first.
How many pumpkin seeds should you eat a day?
No study sets an ideal amount. The 1,431-man trial used 5 g of seed twice a day, the blood sugar trial used 65 g in one meal, and the EU monograph lists 2.5 to 7.5 g twice a day. An ounce (28 g) has 158 calories, so the portion adds up.
Can you eat pumpkin seed shells?
Many people do, but the numbers on this page, including 1.7 g of fiber per ounce, are for shelled kernels, so whole seeds will differ. Chew them well: case reports describe hard stool plugs in people, mostly children, who ate seeds without removing or chewing the hull. Shelled kernels avoid the hull altogether.
Do pumpkin seeds help with hair loss?
One trial says the oil might, but it is a single study. In 76 men with male pattern hair loss, 400 mg of pumpkin seed oil a day for 24 weeks raised hair counts by 40%, against 10% on placebo, with funding from a company grant. No trial here tested eating the seeds for hair.
Are pumpkin seeds high in zinc and magnesium?
Yes. An ounce gives 2.21 mg of zinc (20% of the Daily Value) and 168 mg of magnesium (40%). Per 100 g the figures are 7.81 mg of zinc (71%) and 592 mg of magnesium (141%). These are for shelled kernels without salt, and no study here tested whether eating them improves zinc or magnesium status.
Do pumpkin seeds lower blood sugar?
Possibly after one meal, but the evidence is thin. In 15 healthy adults, adding 65 g of pumpkin seed to a high-carbohydrate meal lowered the blood sugar rise by about 35%, and flaxseed did not. It was a single meal, and no long-term trial in people with diabetes is included here.
Are pumpkin seeds nuts?
No, they are the seeds of a squash, not tree nuts. Allergy to them is uncommon, but 76% of the 25 children with pumpkin seed allergy in a Turkish series were also allergic to tree nuts. If you have a nut or seed allergy, ask an allergist before trying them.