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Herb library · Herb · Cucurbita pepo

Pumpkin seed

The seeds of the pumpkin, eaten roasted (pepitas), pressed into a dark green oil, and sold in capsules for urinary symptoms. European regulators accept pumpkin seed, on the strength of long use, for urinary symptoms of an enlarged prostate or an overactive bladder. In a one-year trial of 1,431 men, whole seeds did somewhat better than placebo while an extract did not.

Traditional use

Pumpkin seeds are eaten roasted as a snack and pressed for oil. On the strength of long use, the European Medicines Agency accepts it as a traditional herbal medicine for lower urinary tract symptoms in men with an enlarged prostate or in people with an overactive bladder, after a doctor has ruled out serious disease.

What studies show

  • Limited

    Enlarged prostate: in the one-year GRANU trial in Germany, 1,431 men aged 50 to 80 with urinary symptoms took 5 g of pumpkin seed twice a day, a pumpkin seed extract, or placebo. The extract did no better than placebo. With the seeds, more men improved by a meaningful amount (58.5% against 47.3%), but the authors say the finding needs confirming.

Be careful of

Cautions

  • ConditionUrinary symptoms can come from serious problems. The EMA says to use pumpkin seed only after a doctor has ruled these out, and to see a doctor if symptoms worsen or there is fever, blood in the urine, painful urination or trouble passing urine.
  • PregnancyThe EMA does not recommend pumpkin seed extracts in pregnancy or breastfeeding for lack of data, though pumpkin seeds and oil as food have raised no concern. It does not recommend the medicine for anyone under 18.
  • AmountMild stomach complaints are the reported side effect (about 4% of users, per the EMA monograph). The EMA dose for the whole seed is 2.5 to 7.5 g twice a day.
  • Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using this if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving it to a child.

Sources

  1. Community herbal monograph on Cucurbita pepo L., semen (EMA/HMPC/136024/2010, 2012) (opens in a new tab) · EMA · read September 25, 2026
  2. 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) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026

Reviewed September 25, 2026.