Pumpkin seeds have nutritional value that can improve bowel and prostate health, improve sleep and reduce the risk of cancer, according to Cleveland Clinic.
False social media claims, however, are overstating the power of pumpkin seeds.
"Did you know? Pumpkin seeds contain a substance called cucurbitin that treats worms and other parasites by paralyzing them so they can be expelled from your body," reads the text of an Instagram post shared Oct. 23.
The post received more than 1,000 likes in less than a month. A recently deleted post from the page Daily Natural Medicine featured the same claim and generated close to 5,000 likes and 2,000 shares in less than two weeks. Several social media users shared this post.
But the claim is false. Pumpkin seeds are not an effective treatment for any sort of infection from a worm or parasite, experts told USA TODAY.
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USA TODAY reached out to the posters for comment.
Pumpkin seeds contain chemical compounds called cucurbutin and cucurbitacin, Dr. Amita Gupta, infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins Medicine, told USA TODAY in an email.
These compounds are responsible for giving pumpkin seeds a bitter taste and are a plant's defense against being eaten by animals,...
*This content was translated by AI. Professional basketball team Busan KCC has filed a criminal complaint against two officials from Daegu Korea Gas Corporation on charges of defamation. On the 24t...