Pumpkin seeds help urine control in women

Many women suffer from stress incontinence. The toll of having babies can weaken pelvic muscles resulting in leakage with coughs, laughs, or even in some cases when the person stands up too quickly.

People have known about the link between pumpkin seeds, and bladder health for years. The native American tribes ate pumpkin seeds to support the flow of urine in men.

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Now, researchers have developed a product containing a mixture of pumpkin seed extract, Equisetum arvense and Linum usitatissimum, that is highly effective on stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and with minimum adverse events.

It was a clinical assessment in 86 women aged from 32 to 88 recruited from 20 urological and gynaecological outpatient clinics in Slovakia over a 12-week period with a diagnosis of stress incontinence grade I and II.

The researchers evaluated changes in day-time and nocturnal urinary frequency (bathroom visits) and stress urinary incontinence episodes (leaks) and found at least 30 per cent improvement in urinary leakage episodes.

In addition, 89.4 per cent of women in the study reported no side effects from this therapy and 97 per cent acknowledged improvement of symptoms. Reported side effects were: a headache (3.5 per cent), flatulence (4.1 per cent) and gastrointestinal discomfort (diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting).

In the present study, the researchers said the mixture of pumpkin seed extract, Equisetum arvense and Linum usitatissimum, achieved a much better improvement in control of urine leakage compared to using pumpkin seed and soy isoflavone extracts.

The 2018 study ,according to the Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine demonstrated that a 12-week treatment with a mix of Cucurbita Pepo Seed extract, Equisetum arvense and Linum usitatissimum – Flax A (CELcomplex®) is highly effective on stress urinary incontinence (SUI) with minimum adverse events.

Stress urinary incontinence is the involuntary loss of urine on exertion, sneezing or coughing. There are different types of urinary incontinence. The most common type in younger and middle-aged women is stress incontinence.

Epidemiological research has revealed several factors associated with an inability to control urination in women.  It is caused by obesity, ageing, childbirth and by a weakening of the bladder sphincter and pelvic floor muscles.

Smoking, a high body mass index, and constipation are also associated with an increased risk of urine leakage. It affects almost 50 per cent of middle-aged and older women and significantly impacts the quality of life.

However, the researchers suggested further studies may be needed in order to determine the effectiveness and efficacy of these natural plant substances in other populations.

No medications have been approved for the treatment of urine leakage in the U.S and only one – duloxetine (Cymbalta, Eli Lilly) has been approved in Europe.

In clinical trials, duloxetine has reduced urine leakage episodes by 50 per cent or more and has increased the quality of life in women with SUI. Side effects leading to discontinuation included dry mouth, fatigue, nausea and constipation.

The seeds and oil from pumpkin seeds have been used for many years for the relief of difficulties associated with an enlarged prostate gland and irritable bladder. The advantage of pumpkin seeds treatment arises from its tonic influence on the bladder and sphincter relaxation.

The Equisetum arvense (commonly called horsetail) is traditionally used globally in urinary tract diseases. The Linum usitatissimum (common flaxseed or linseed) has a long history of medicinal use and its main effects are laxative, expectorant and inflammation of urinary organs among others.

Previously, researchers had proved that using pumpkin seed and soy isoflavone extracts was useful in the treatment of urine leakage. Over a six-week period, nocturnal urinary frequency improved by 39 per cent; daytime urinary frequency improved by 16 per cent and the number of incontinent episodes was lowered by 79 per cent in incontinent females aged 52 to 86 years.

In another study conducted in 50 incontinent women (aged 35 to 84 years) using the same pumpkin seed-soy extract supplement for six weeks, the overall improvement in all incontinent events was 67 per cent.

Despite popular belief that watermelon is made up of only water and sugar, researchers at the University of Ibadan have also found the rind and juice extracts of watermelon helpful for the prevention and management of prostate enlargement.

For more than a century, corn silk has also been a remedy for urinary conditions such as inflamed bladders and painful urination. It was also used to treat the prostate. Some of those uses have continued into modern times; corn silk is a contemporary remedy for all conditions of the urinary passage.

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