An annual creeping herb of Cucurbitaceae, Cucurbitaceae, often with nodal roots, stout petioles, wide oval or oval leaves, slightly soft texture, bulging veins, slightly thick tendrils, monoecious, thick pedicels, angular and grooved, depending on species, often with several longitudinal grooves or none outside, and most seeds are oval or oblong.
Originally from Mexico to Central America, it is widely cultivated all over the world. Introduced to China in Ming Dynasty, it is now widely planted in north and south.
The fruit of pumpkin can be used as a dish or as a substitute for food. All parts of the whole plant are also used for medicine. The seeds contain amino acids in pumpkin seeds, and have the effects of clearing away heat, removing dampness, expelling worms, controlling and killing Schistosoma japonicum, clearing vines, preventing miscarriage and radically curing toothache.
morphological character
Annual creeping herbs; Stems usually take root at nodes, reaching 2-5 meters long and densely covered with short white bristles. Petiole stout, 8- 19 cm long, short bristles; Leaf blade is broadly ovoid or ovoid, slightly soft, 5-angled or 5-shallow, sparse and blunt, long12-25cm, wide 20-30cm, with smaller lateral lobes and larger middle lobes, densely covered with yellow-white bristles and fine hairs, often with white spots and convex veins, and the midvein of each lobe often extends to the top, forming a small tip with a light back. Tendrils are slightly stout, covered with short bristles and petiole-like hairs, 3-5 forked.
Main value
Polysaccharide: Pumpkin polysaccharide is a non-specific immune enhancer, which can improve the immune function of the body, promote the production of cytokines, and play a variety of regulatory functions on the immune system by activating complement.
Carotenoids: Carotenoids rich in pumpkin can be converted into vitamin A with important physiological functions in the body, which has important physiological functions for the growth and differentiation of epithelial tissues, maintaining normal vision and promoting the development of bones.
Pectin: Pectin in pumpkin can adjust the absorption rate of food in the stomach and slow down the absorption of sugar. Soluble cellulose can delay the emptying of food in the stomach and control the rise of blood sugar after meals. Pectin can also combine with excess cholesterol in the body, reduce cholesterol absorption and reduce blood cholesterol concentration.
Mineral elements: Pumpkin is rich in cobalt, ranking first among all kinds of vegetables. Cobalt can activate human metabolism, promote hematopoietic function, participate in the synthesis of vitamin B 12 in human body, and is an essential trace element for human islet cells. Vitamin C contained in pumpkin can prevent nitrate from being converted into carcinogen nitrite in digestive tract. Mannitol contained in pumpkin can reduce the harm of toxins in feces to human body. Pumpkin can eliminate the mutation of nitrosamine, a carcinogen. It has anticancer effect. Pumpkin is rich in zinc, which is involved in the synthesis of nucleic acid and protein in human body. It is an inherent component of adrenocortical hormone and an important substance for human growth and development.
Amino acids: Pumpkin contains many kinds of amino acids needed by human body, among which lysine, leucine, isoleucine, phenylalanine and threonine are relatively high. In addition, the genotype of ascorbic acid oxidase in pumpkin is the same as that in tobacco, but its activity is obviously higher than that in tobacco, indicating that the content of immunocompetent protein in pumpkin is higher.
Pumpkin leaf: contains a variety of vitamins and minerals, among which the content of vitamin C is very high, which makes it have excellent heat-clearing and detoxification effects. Boiling water with pumpkin leaves in summer can relieve summer heat and boredom.
First, the efficacy and role of pumpkin
Pumpkin is rich in trace elements cobalt and pectin. Cobalt is an essential trace element for insulin synthesis by islet cells. Pumpkin is rich in cobalt, ranking first among all kinds of vegetables. Eating pumpkin regularly helps to regulate tryptophan levels, thus preventing diabetes and lowering blood sugar. Pectin has good adsorption, which helps to eliminate bacterial toxins and other harmful substances in the body, and can delay the absorption of sugar and lipids in the intestine to achieve the purpose of losing weight.
Pumpkin has the functions of eliminating nitrosamine mutation, preventing cancer, helping the recovery of liver and kidney function and enhancing the regeneration ability of liver and kidney cells. Eating pumpkin can prevent hypertension and some liver and kidney diseases. Pumpkin is rich in zinc, which is involved in the synthesis of nucleic acid and protein in human body. It is an inherent component of adrenocortical hormone and an important substance for human growth and development.
Second, the nutritional value of pumpkin
Every 100g contains 0.6g of protein and 0. 1g of fat. Carbohydrate 5.7 g, crude fiber 1. 1 g, ash 0.6 g, calcium 10 mg, phosphorus 32 g, iron 0.5 mg, carotene 0.57 mg, riboflavin 0.04 mg, nicotinic acid 0.7 mg and ascorbic acid 5 mg. In addition, it also contains citrulline, arginine, asparagine, trigonelline, adenine, glucose, mannitol, pentosan, pectin and so on.
Third, how to eat pumpkin
Buzhong Yiqi: Sweet and sour pumpkin pills: peeled pumpkin, washed and cut into pieces. After steaming in a cage, take out the water and add flour, sugar and salt.
Wait, knead it into dough. Put oil in the pan, heat it to 70%, squeeze the pumpkin into small balls, fry it in oil until golden brown, and take it out. Put base oil in the pot, pour water, add sugar and a little salt, thicken water starch, pour a little balsamic vinegar, and pour meatballs and mix well. This dish has the effects of invigorating the middle energizer, invigorating qi, warming the middle energizer and stopping diarrhea, and is suitable for diarrhea of people with spleen and stomach weakness and physical weakness.
Slimming and beauty: pumpkin in ice juice: peeled and cut into pieces, steamed until soft and glutinous, and served; Soak tremella, wash, blanch, remove and drain. pure
Boil the water, add rock sugar until it melts, let it cool, and then add tremella-put it in the refrigerator for refrigeration. When eating, pour the sugar juice and tremella on the pumpkin. This dish can remove spots, moisturize skin, reduce fat and lose weight. Suitable for people with freckles, chloasma, dry skin and obesity.
Hypoglycemic: pumpkin pie: peeled pumpkin, cut into pieces, cooked and mashed. Add glutinous rice flour and a little milk to make dough. You can also add a small amount of cooking oil to the dough and directly flatten the pumpkin dough and fry it. Regular diet can prevent diabetes and lower blood sugar.
Nourishing yin and benefiting qi: pumpkin ganoderma soup: wash and slice the pumpkin, put it in a bowl with ganoderma lucidum, and steam it in a steamer until the pumpkin is cooked into sunflower shape. glossy ganoderma
Nourishing qi and yin, nourishing the heart and calming the nerves, and strengthening the body; Pumpkin tonic, spleen and stomach. -It can be used for diabetes with deficiency of both qi and yin.
Adjuvant dietotherapy for diseases.
Insecticide: molasses pumpkin seeds: take fresh pumpkin, peel pumpkin seeds, put them in a mortar, add a little cold water and grind them into paste.
Add rock sugar or honey and mix well. It can kill insects when taken on an empty stomach, and is suitable for adjuvant diet therapy of ascariasis and taeniasis in children.