Pumpkin season-natural dewormer

[wellington]

for those who have not come across a thread yet telling you this. Pumpkin, all of it, including, seeds, guts, flesh and skin can be fed to your tortoise and will also work as a natural dewormer. For little ones grind it all up in a mush, seeds included. It's to be fed sparingly http://m.thetortoisetable.org.uk/m/search_7.asp?issearch=true
It can be frozen and canned for later use too. Canning must be with a pressure canner

Oh, and buy the ones you use for jackolanterns, the ones they sell for pies, have more sugars.

 

[Prairie Mom]

This is such good advice! I also had NO IDEA it was a natural dewormer! -Just another happy reason for pumpkin season

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

I've heard the natural dewormer claim a lot, but I haven't seen a good reference for it. Does anyone know details on what the deworming mechanism is supposed to be (what is it in pumpkin seeds that is responsible)? I'd love some literature on this if anyone knows.

 

[Yvonne G]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22684690

Traditional Anthelmintic, Taeniacide, Diuretic:
Parasites: Pumpkin seeds have purported effects against tapeworms. Given their safety, they are often recommended as an addition to other, more reliable therapies. In Germany, 200�C400 grams (about 6�C13 ounces) are ground and taken with milk and honey, followed by castor oil two hours later. Tapeworms can cause severe illness and should be treated only with medical supervision. Human studies conducted in China have shown pumpkin seeds to be helpful for people with acute schistosomiasis, a severe parasitic disease transmitted from snails that occurs primarily in Asia and Africa. The assistance of a physician is required to help diagnose and treat any suspected intestinal parasite infections. Pumpkin seed has been used in traditional medicine as an anthelmintic (an agent used to expel intestinal worms), taeniacide (an agent which kills tapeworms) and as a diuretic (Bombardelli and Morazzoni, 1997). Its modern clinical uses are comparable to its traditional uses in North American aboriginal medicine. For example, the Cherokee people used pumpkin seed as an anthelmintic and also as a pediatric urinary aid to treat bed-wetting. The Iroquois people prepared an infusion of the seeds as a diuretic given to children with reduced urination. The Menominee people of Wisconsin used the seed to facilitate the passage of urine (Moerman, 1998). The seeds have been reported to eliminate both tapeworms and roundworms (Budavari, 1996; Tyler, 1993). An amino acid, curcubitacin, is thought to be responsible for the seed's anthelmintic actions (Tyler, 1993). To use pumpkin seed as an anthelmintic agent, one method of preparation is to pound or grind 200?00 g of unpeeled seeds into a pulp, then mix the pulp with milk and honey until reaching a porridge-like consistency. Ingestion on an empty stomach in the morning, in two doses, is recommended, followed by castor oil 2? hours later. Another method is to combine 150 g of unpeeled, crushed pumpkin seeds with senna electuary. An electuary is a preparation made by mixing the drug (e.g., senna) with honey or syrup to form a pasty mass (Weiss, 1988). The seeds are one of the most efficient vermifuges in the plant kingdom. They are particularly useful against taenia or tapeworms in pregnant women. They are also safely taken by children for whom stronger-acting and toxic preparations are unsuitable. *For maximum effectiveness, the seeds must be taken in the correct manner. Fasting for twelve hours is recommended followed by a saline-based cathartic. This cleanses and disinfects the intestines of any remaining fecal matter and also weakens the tapeworm. Two ounces of seeds are then crushed and added to 3/4 pint of milk that has been sweetened with 1/2 ounce of honey and 1 ounce of cane sugar. One-third of this mixture should be swallowed every two or three hours and after the last dose, a moderate amount of Castor oil should be taken (Hallowell). For those who cannot tolerate milk, try soy or almond milk. The seeds are mildly diuretic and have been used in Central American medicine as a treatment for nephritis and other urinary system problems. Certain varieties of pumpkin that are particularly diuretic, tonic to an irritable bladder, and high in zinc have been recommended in the early stages of prostate problems. However, they do not reduce prostate enlargement.

Anthelmintic activity
Animal data

In vitro experiments and animal studies have demonstrated anthelmintic action of dried seeds and extracts against some Schistosoma japonicum and malarial parasites, but not all parasites (eg, tapeworm).

Many results show up if you do a search for "What makes pumpkin seed anthelmintic?"

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

Fantastic, Yvonne. As always, thank you.

 

[lisa127]

I should have read this earlier. I just bought my redfoot a pie pumpkin this evening.

 

[wellington]

I should have read this earlier. I just bought my redfoot a pie pumpkin this evening.

I have used the pie pumpkins before I found out they have more sugars.

 

[kathyth]

Thanks Barb! Definitely time to stock up

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Now I have yet another reason for giving my gang some leftover Halloween pumpkins.
I can't wait.

 

[stojanovski92113]

I gave some pumpkin to my torts last year for the first time and it was a hit

 

[Pearly]

Yvonne, I can't tell you how much I appreciate you always chiming in with all kinds of great info. I always look forward to reading your posts. I so love this forum! Just wish I had more time to be on it

 

[Eric Phillips]

I decided to deworm myself today and bought a pumpkin pie at Bob Evans.

 

[TerrapinStation]

The Detroit Zoo has a great Halloween decoration setup/tour/trick or treating with THOUSANDS of pumpkins. The best is after the holiday, they give out pumpkins to all the appropriate animals to eat. So Nov 1 is a great day to go to the zoo and get pics of all types of creatures smashing, throwing, eating, stomping, smearing and destroying pumpkins.... very entertaining!

Thanks for the tip, I will have to get our redfoot a little jack-o-lantern!

 

[TerrapinStation]

 

[Foursteels]

If I wanted to try and feed my Russian tortoise pumpkin seeds, should I grind the seed and its shell or just the seed part? I already dried them out by baking them in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

 

[wellington]

If I wanted to try and feed my Russian tortoise pumpkin seeds, should I grind the seed and its shell or just the seed part? I already dried them out by baking them in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

For deworming purposes, you don't dry them. Just feed all parts of the pumpkin.
As for feeding dried seeds, I would grind them up some, they can be pretty poky when dried. I have never fed the dried seeds to my torts, the ones I dry, I feed myself

 

[leigti]

Last year I gave my tortoise a handful of the pumpkin guts with seeds in it. She wouldn't eat the seeds. Any suggestions?

 

[wellington]

Last year I gave my tortoise a handful of the pumpkin guts with seeds in it. She wouldn't eat the seeds. Any suggestions?

Grind them and mix them in with the guts or even the fav food. Same if they won't eat the pumpkin.