Squash

by Gudrun Maybaum
December 2001

Common name: Winter Squash
Botanical name: Cucurbitae
Family name: Cucurbitaceae

Squash is a vegetable that looks beautiful, is rich in flavor, has a high nutrient content, a long storage capability, variety, and versatility.

Squash originated in central America and was already cultivated by native Americans when the first settlers arrived in this country. They used squash roasted on the open fire or dried as food, and dried and wove it into mats. The Cherokees made a pumpkin seed tea for edema, gout and kidney stones.

Squash saved a lot of settlers from starvation in the early days of the new world and was therefore heartily embraced by them. They learned to love the multipurpose fruit and carried it eastward in the mid-1800s. The most famous squash, the pumpkin, became a traditional Thanksgiving food. Early pilgrims sliced of the top of the pumpkin, removed the seeds, filled it with milk, spices and honey and baked it in hot ashes; this was the forefather of today's pumpkin pie.

Though Dr. W.H. Graves wrote in “Medicinal Value of Natural Foods” (published in 1936) that winter squash is “indicated in cases of diarrhea, piles, colitis and stomach and bowel ulcers,” it was just recently that we started to discover the nourishing and healing properties of squash.

The Tokyo National Cancer Institute rates winter squash at the top of the vegetable list as a factor in populations with low cancer rates. Deep orange squashes, especially, are cited as a defense against esophageal, stomach, lung, bladder, laryngeal and prostate cancer.

According to the National Cancer Institute, squash is one of the top three foods for prevention and control of lung cancer. In a study, smokers who ate 2½ servings of squash a day reduced the risk of lung cancer greatly. Also, the regular consumption of squash and other orange vegetables provides protection from second-hand smoke.

Winter squash provides not only a high amount of fiber and carbohydrates, it is rich in alpha and beta carotene, vitamins C, E, and B6, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, zinc and magnesium.

Besides the high amount of beta carotene as a cancer-fighting ingredient, squash also contains a respectable amount of vitamin C. This combination makes it an effective blocker of free radical scavengers.

Its amounts of potassium and magnesium, combined with the insoluble fiber, make squash a great food to improve cardiovascular health, lower cholesterol and prevent high blood pressure, strokes and heart attacks.

The seeds are not only a great-tasting snack but rich in essential fatty acids and protease trypsin inhibitors, which prevent the activation of viruses in the digestive tract. They also help to expel tape- and roundworms, are helpful in controlling urinary and bladder problems and constipation. In some African countries, the seeds are used as a laxative.

To store winter squash, buy firm, not waxed, heavy feeling and unblemished ones with the stem intact, and store in a cool dry place. They can last up to two months. At room temperature, squash lasts about three weeks.

References:

Super Healing Foods by Frances Sheridan Goulart
Food as Medicine by Earl Mindell, R.Ph.Ph.D.
The Healing Foods by Patricia Hausman & Judith Benn Hurley
School of Natural Healing by Dr. John R. Christopher
Medicinal Value of Natural Foods by Dr. W.H. Graves

Online:

http://www.angelfire.com/on/cucurbitaceae/
http://encarta.msn.com/find/concise.asp?z=1&pg=2&ti=761555284&cid=1#p1