Cucurbita ficifolia Extract Aids Insulin Production
In an interesting study completed recently in China, it was found that Cucurbita ficifolia is useful in lowering blood sugar in rats with induced diabetes. Cucurbita ficifolia also is known as the Shark Finn Melon or an Asian Pumpkin.
I found it amazing that this article was reported by some mainstream news as simply a pumpkin. It wasn’t until I found the actual abstract of the research that contained the exact name of this so called pumpkin that I realized it was basically misreported. That is too bad, because this melon looks like it has some great qualities. If you read the entire abstract you can see that they believe the higher plasma insulin levels was produced by actually more B-Cell mass, meaning that this shark fin melon demonstrated regenerative properties on the mice.
I have found no source for ordering this type of melon, but I read about it and it is similar to spaghetti squash in its texture and how you cook it. If anyone knows where to order it, please let me know in a comment to this post.
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Posted on July 31, 2007 | 1 Comment | Filed under : Cucurbita Ficifolia, Herb Research
One Comment so far ...
I have looked all over the Houston groceries that cater to Asian and Hispanic, but have not found this pumpkin. since it is native to central america, we should be able to find it somewhere in the southern US or California.
But, you can purchase the seeds at http://www.jlhudsonseeds.net/VegetablesO-Z.htm
scroll down the page to :
“NEW–Squash Chilacayote. (e,h) VSQU-CH. Packet: $2.00
Cucurbita ficifolia. Enormous vines with huge watermelon-sized squash. Deep green skin streaked white, with pure white flesh with large flat black seeds. A single vine can cover hundreds of square feet, producing dozens of the giant squash. Our friends in México like to eat the flesh boiled with a little brown sugar, sometimes with the ground seed added, or cornmeal–nice on a chilly morning. The seeds are also roasted for a snack. May be daylength sensitive,so may not do well in the north.”
I also discovered a source in Austin Texas for the chemical in the Asian pumpkin thought to cause the benefits. I would think, though, that it may be a combo of antioxidants and this chemical along with other compounds in the pumpkin that work together. Here is the source for D-chiro-inositol:
Comment on September 29, 2007 10:56 pmhttp://www.chiralbalance.com/index.html