Pumpkin seed
In a one-year trial of 1,431 men with prostate symptoms, pumpkin seed extract capsules did not differ from placebo, and whole seeds had more responders at descriptive significance only. Pumpkin seed oil relieved symptoms less than tamsulosin. In 76 men with pattern hair loss, hair counts rose 40% against 10% on placebo. Side effects matched placebo.
- Status
- Dietary supplement and food in the US. Not approved by the FDA as a drug for any use.
- Also called
- pumpkin seed oil, Cucurbita pepo, pumpkin seed extract, pumpkin seeds, pepita oil, PSO, Styrian pumpkin seed oil
- Taken for
- prostate health, enlarged prostate, urinary symptoms, overactive bladder, bladder health, hair loss
Strong several reviews agree · Moderate one review or consistent trials · Limited one or a few small studies · Untested no study in people, listed with what it rests on
Shown to help2
Reported risks0
No risks sourced yet.
What people take it for, and what was found
Shown to help2
Hair loss
One trial found hair count rose 40% on pumpkin seed oil against 10% on placebo in men with androgenetic alopecia over 24 weeks.
The numbers and sources
- Effect
- In 76 men with mild to moderate androgenetic alopecia, 400 mg of pumpkin seed oil a day for 24 weeks raised mean hair count 40%, against 10% on placebo, and self-rated improvement was higher [3]. In 60 women with female pattern hair loss, pumpkin seed oil and 5% minoxidil foam over 3 months both reduced hair shaft diversity and vellus hairs [4].
- Population
- 76 men [3]. 60 women [4].
- Sources
- [3], [4]
- Caveats
- One placebo-controlled trial [3]. Trial [4] had no placebo group.
Overactive bladder
One uncontrolled study found lower overactive bladder symptom scores after 12 weeks of pumpkin seed oil in 45 adults.
Compared with before the oil, in the same people [5]
The numbers and sources
- Effect
- In 45 people with overactive bladder, oil from Cucurbita maxima pumpkin seeds at 10 g a day for 12 weeks significantly lowered the Overactive Bladder Symptom Score at 6 and 12 weeks [5].
- Population
- 45 adults with overactive bladder in Japan [5].
- Sources
- [5]
- Caveats
- No placebo or control group, so the fall cannot be separated from time or expectation. The abstract does not give the size of the change. The oil came from a different pumpkin species, Cucurbita maxima, than most other trials on this page [5].
Not shown to help1
Urinary symptoms from an enlarged prostate
One trial found no benefit from pumpkin seed extract, with more responders on whole seed, 58.5% against 47.3%, in men with an enlarged prostate.
The numbers and sources
- Effect
- In the GRANU trial, 1,431 men aged 50 to 80 took pumpkin seed (5 g twice a day), pumpkin seed extract capsules (500 mg twice a day) or placebo for 12 months. The share whose symptom score fell by 5 points or more did not differ between extract and placebo. With whole seed, 58.5% responded against 47.3% on placebo, a difference the authors call descriptively significant [1]. In 73 men aged 50 and over, 360 mg of pumpkin seed oil twice a day lowered symptom scores less than tamsulosin at 1 and 3 months [2].
- Population
- Men with lower urinary tract symptoms from benign prostatic hyperplasia [1][2].
- Sources
- [1], [2]
- Caveats
- GRANU tested seeds and a seed extract, not the oil, and was only partially blinded [1]. Trial [2] was single-blind with no placebo group.
- Why limited
- This rests on one trial, of 1,431 people. Strength counts independent studies that agree, so one trial is limited at any size.
Doses studied
The hair trial used 400 mg of pumpkin seed oil a day for 24 weeks [3]. The tamsulosin comparison used 360 mg of oil twice a day for 3 months [2]. GRANU used 5 g of whole seed twice a day or 500 mg of seed extract twice a day for 12 months [1].
Risks
Checked, no increase found1
Side effects in trials
Small trials found side effects about as common as on placebo, with none reported on pumpkin seed oil against tamsulosin.
The numbers and sources
- Effect
- Adverse effects did not differ from placebo in the 24-week hair trial [3]. GRANU reported the products as well tolerated [1]. No side effects were reported on pumpkin seed oil in the tamsulosin comparison, against dizziness in 5.9% on tamsulosin [2].
- Population
- Participants in the trials above [1][2][3].
- Sources
- [3], [1], [2]
- Caveats
- The trials were not designed to detect rare harms.
Claims tested and not found
- That pumpkin seed extract capsules ease prostate urinary symptoms. In GRANU, the 12-month response rate on 500 mg twice a day did not differ from placebo [1].
Sources
- 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. Urologia Internationalis. 2015. https://doi.org/10.1159/000362903
- Zerafatjou N, Amirzargar M, Biglarkhani M, et al. Pumpkin seed oil (Cucurbita pepo) versus tamsulosin for benign prostatic hyperplasia symptom relief: a single-blind randomized clinical trial. BMC Urology. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12894-021-00910-8
- Cho YH, Lee SY, Jeong DW, et al. Effect of pumpkin seed oil on hair growth in men with androgenetic alopecia: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2014. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/549721
- Ibrahim IM, Hasan MS, Elsabaa KI, et al. Pumpkin seed oil vs. minoxidil 5% topical foam for the treatment of female pattern hair loss: A randomized comparative trial. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.13976
- Nishimura M, Ohkawara T, Sato H, et al. Pumpkin Seed Oil Extracted From Cucurbita maxima Improves Urinary Disorder in Human Overactive Bladder. Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine. 2014. https://doi.org/10.4103/2225-4110.124355