How often do you have to get up at night to visit the bathroom? Some people sleep through the night with no difficulty but others have their sleep disrupted because they need to urinate every few hours. One reader suggested an unorthodox treatment for this problem: pumpkin seed oil!
Will Pumpkin Seed Oil Help Control Nighttime Urination?
Q. My husband uses roasted pumpkin seed oil on his salads. He learned to love it growing up in Austria where it is very popular.
One evening I read that it is good for urological issues. I’ve been plagued with UTIs and often have to get up in the middle of the night to trek to the bathroom. I decided to give it a try.
Even though I was VERY skeptical, I am thrilled. I’ve taken pumpkin seed oil capsules for probably two years or more, and I haven’t had a UTI in more than a year. Also, I do not get up at night any longer. UTIs are a nightmare, so this is a real benefit.
A. Pumpkin seed oil is rich in healthful mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids (Foods, March 2018). It has a reputation for helping men with enlarged prostates manage their urinary difficulties (Archivio Italiano di Urologia, Andrologia, July 4, 2016). Scientists report that it may be used to treat symptoms such as nocturia (frequent nighttime urination) and overactive bladder (Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine, Jan-March, 2014).
We could find no studies demonstrating that pumpkin seed oil can prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs). We are sure you appreciate your relative freedom from these infections, however.
