Pumpkin Seed Oil Dosage, Timing and Best Price

Pumpkin seed oil is a deep green oil, rich in essential fatty acids, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals and other health nutrients.

Here is the best pumpkin seed oil dosage, when to take it for the most benefit and where to get good pumpkin seed oil at a low price.

Why Use Pumpkin Seed Oil?

The vitamin E content in pumpkin seed oil is quite high, most notably in gamma-tocopherol which is believed to be a more effective antioxidant than the more commonly known alpha-tocopherol.

Alongside its antioxidant functions, a good intake of vitamin E is also very beneficial for preventing skin problems and improving skin tone.

Pumpkin seed oil is a good source of the mineral zinc for boosting our immune system, maintaining sexual health and once again improving our skin.

Zinc is also an important mineral for prostate function and may help in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Pumpkin seed oil also contains a compound known as delta-7-sterine that competes with dihydrotestosterone at the receptors and may block its harmful action on the prostate in the case of benign prostatic hyperplasia and the hair follicles with male pattern baldness.

Pumpkin seed oil has been used for improving bladder and kidney function; for treating parasitic infections and kidney stones; as a treatment for hair loss, particularly male pattern baldness associated with excessive dihydrotestosterone production; and most commonly to help treat BPH.

For a more in depth look at the nutritional value of this wonderful green oil please see this post on the various benefits of pumpkin seed oil.

Pumpkin Seed Oil Dosage and Timing

Pumpkin seed oil may be both a preventative and useful treatment for men with benign prostatic hyperplasia. A 2009 Korean study found ‘statistically significant’ benefit for a group of men suffering from BPH, given just 320 mg of pumpkin seed oil a day for six months.

In fact, the pumpkin seed oil performed better in the study than saw palmetto oil (a more well-known BPH treatment) and better than pumpkin seed oil and saw palmetto oil combined (which would seem to suggest the higher pumpkin seed oil dosage made the difference).

Another successful pumpkin seed oil study, involving patients with andrological disorders, used Peponen (a brand name pumpkin seed oil), at a dosage of three 300 mg capsules twice a day for the first month (for a total of 1800 mg), then three 300 mg capsules once a day for the remaining months (for a total of 900 mg).

It now seems generally recommended to take at least 1000 mg a day as a good pumpkin seed oil dosage and most pumpkin seed oil capsules come in this dosage. Therapeutic doses for specific conditions may be higher, perhaps taking the same or double the dose several times a day.

Regarding timing, pumpkin seed oil would, like most fatty acid supplements, be best taken with a meal. If you were taking it as a preventative only once a day, it would probably be best with breakfast or the evening meal.

In larger therapeutic doses, a 1000 mg capsule or two could be taken with each main meal of the day. There would generally be more value in splitting doses throughout the day, rather than having it all at once.

The exception to this would be if pumpkin seed oil were being used as a parasite treatment. In this case, the whole amount for the day, first thing in the morning before food should work best.

High quality pumpkin seed oil is often used as a salad dressing mixed with fresh lemon juice or a good apple cider vinegar. It can also be used to add flavor and nutrition to soups, sauces and many other recipes.

It should not, however, be used as an oil for frying or in baking as high temperatures can damage its delicate structure.

Organic Pumpkin Oil

I usually take a teaspoon, around 4 grams, of this organic pumpkin seed oil twice a day, with breakfast and dinner as a preventative against benign prostatic hyperplasia and to maintain healthy hair.

The anti-parasitic properties and potentially improved bladder and kidney function also interests me, along with the many health nutrients in pumpkin seed oil. Fortunately, I also really like the taste of it.

This may seem a large amount, but there have been no reported side effects in any medical research I’ve seen and pumpkin seed oil is a very healthy oil that covers a lot of nutritional bases.

300 mg just seems too small an amount to me to get real health benefits, but of course consult a knowledgeable healthcare professional if you’re in doubt.

The flavor is rich and nutty and it goes well on salads, so you could drizzle a couple of teaspoons worth over mixed salad leaves instead of taking it by teaspoon.

Anyone getting organic pumpkin seed oil by the bottle should keep it in the fridge to maintain freshness. Ideally, use it within a month or two. It should not be heated and is definitely not an oil to use for frying.

Pumpkin Oil Capsules

While I prefer pumpkin seed oil from the bottle, I can see why many people prefer pumpkin seed oil capsules. For one thing, it is much easier to keep track of your pumpkin seed oil dosage and simpler to take than pouring out a spoonful.

Another benefit of the capsules would have to be that the oil is more protected inside and should keep fresh for much longer. Pumpkin seed oil is really sensitive to light. If you are more of an occasional user, it may make better sense to get the pumpkin seed oil capsules and keep them in a cool, dark cupboard.

For good value, high quality pumpkin seed oil capsules, these 1000mg pumpkin seed oil softgels are on special. There is also a new water soluble pumpkin seed extract for prostate problems that many people are reporting significant results with.

For even more options, see this detailed article on where to buy the best pumpkin seed oil online.

Pumpkin seed oil is definitely one of the better tasting ways to improve your health. If you try the pumpkin seed oil dosage suggested here I’d appreciate hearing your results in the comments section below.

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