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At a Glance
- Best evidence In the 1-year GRANU trial of 1,431 men, whole pumpkin seeds helped more men than placebo, but a pumpkin seed extract didn’t1.
- Pumpkin seed oil itself Small trials found symptom scores fell with 320–720 mg a day, but it worked less well than the prescription drugs tamsulosin and prazosin234.
- Prostate size Trials didn’t find a change in prostate volume23.
- Safety No side effects were reported with pumpkin seed oil in the tamsulosin trial3. Pumpkin seed allergy is rare8.
- Top pick Micro Ingredients Saw Palmetto with Pumpkin Seed Oil – the #1 pick in our guide to the best pumpkin seed oil with saw palmetto supplements: 400 mg of cold-pressed pumpkin seed oil and 400 mg of saw palmetto per serving.
The Short Answer: Pumpkin seed oil may ease mild urinary symptoms from an enlarged prostate (BPH) a little, but the evidence is thin. The largest trial found that whole pumpkin seeds helped more men than placebo, while a pumpkin seed extract didn’t1. Trials of the oil itself are small, and in two of them it worked less well than standard prescription drugs34.
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It’s well tolerated, so it’s a reasonable option for mild symptoms after a doctor has checked you. If you want to try it, compare products in our guide to the best pumpkin seed oil with saw palmetto supplements.
How Pumpkin Seed Oil Is Thought to Work
Pumpkin seed oil is pressed from the seeds of Cucurbita pepo. It’s rich in plant sterols, especially a type called delta-7 sterols. In a 2021 rat study, these sterols lowered the enzyme 5-alpha reductase, which turns testosterone into DHT, a hormone linked to prostate growth7. This hasn’t been shown in people, so treat it as a theory. For how this compares with saw palmetto, see how saw palmetto blocks DHT.
What the Research Shows
| Study | Who and what | Result |
|---|---|---|
| GRANU 20151 | 1,431 men; pumpkin seeds 5 g twice a day, seed extract 500 mg twice a day, or placebo; 12 months | Seeds: 58.5% improved vs 47.3% placebo. Extract: no difference |
| Korea 20092 | 47 men; oil 320 mg/day, saw palmetto, both, or placebo; 12 months | Symptom scores fell from baseline with oil; no change in prostate size; combination didn’t improve |
| Iran 20213 | 73 men; oil 360 mg twice a day vs tamsulosin; 3 months | Both improved; tamsulosin more. No side effects with oil |
| Iran 20144 | 100 men; pumpkin seed oil product (Prostafit) vs prazosin; 6 months | Both improved; prazosin more |
| Pilot study 20195 | 60 men; oil-free pumpkin seed extract; 12 weeks; no comparison group | Symptom scores down 30% |
| Observational 20226 | 130 men; pumpkin seed soft extract; up to 24 months; no comparison group | Symptom score down 4.7 points at 12 months; sexual function not affected |
Placebo-Controlled Trials
Only two of the trials we found compared pumpkin seed products with placebo. In GRANU, the largest, whole seeds helped more men than placebo, but the extract didn’t, and the authors said the results need confirming1. In the Korean trial, men on pumpkin seed oil had lower symptom scores than at the start, and their urine flow improved after 6 months. Each group had only about a dozen men, and prostate size didn’t change2.
Trials Against Prescription Drugs
In a 2021 trial, symptom scores fell with both pumpkin seed oil and tamsulosin, but more with tamsulosin. Dizziness, headache and ejaculation problems occurred only in the tamsulosin group3. A 2014 trial found the same pattern against prazosin4. Neither trial had a placebo group, so some of the improvement may have been a placebo effect.
Studies Without a Comparison Group
Two studies of pumpkin seed extracts found symptom scores fell by about 30% over 12 weeks5 and by 4.7 points over a year6. Without a comparison group, these can’t show how much was due to the extract.
Our Top Pumpkin Seed Oil Pick
Micro Ingredients Saw Palmetto with Pumpkin Seed Oil
400 mg pumpkin seed oil400 mg saw palmetto2 softgels a day
The #1 pick in our guide to pumpkin seed oil with saw palmetto supplements. Each serving gives 400 mg of cold-pressed pumpkin seed oil, close to the 320 mg a day used in the 12-month Korean trial, plus 400 mg of saw palmetto. In that trial, the combination didn’t add benefit over either oil alone.
Pumpkin Seed Oil vs Saw Palmetto
The two are often sold together, but they’ve rarely been tested together. In the Korean trial, both oils on their own lowered symptom scores from baseline, while the combination didn’t improve any measure2. For saw palmetto alone, a 2023 Cochrane review of 27 studies found little or no benefit for urinary symptoms9. See our guides to saw palmetto for BPH and saw palmetto benefits.
How Much Pumpkin Seed Oil to Take
There’s no official dose. Studies used:
- 320 mg of oil a day for 12 months2
- 360 mg of oil twice a day (720 mg) for 3 months3
- 5 g of whole pumpkin seeds twice a day for 12 months, the only form that beat placebo in GRANU1
Follow the product label. For pumpkin seed oil’s other uses, see our guide to pumpkin seed oil benefits.
How Long Does It Take to Work?
In the tamsulosin trial, symptoms were checked at 1 and 3 months and had improved in both groups3. In the Korean trial, scores fell by 3 months and urine flow improved by 6 months2. GRANU measured results after 12 months1. If you notice no change after about 3 months, talk to your doctor about other options.
Safety and Side Effects
- Trials: No side effects were reported with pumpkin seed oil in the tamsulosin trial3 or the prazosin trial4, and the Korean trial described it as safe2.
- Sexual function: Not affected in a 2-year study of a pumpkin seed extract6.
- Allergy: Pumpkin seed allergy is rare but has been reported8.
- PSA: PSA levels didn’t change with Prostafit4.
- See a doctor first: Urinary symptoms can have other causes, including prostate cancer and infection. Get checked before treating yourself, and right away if you see blood in your urine, can’t pass urine, or have pain or fever.
Final Verdict
Pumpkin seed oil is a well-tolerated, low-risk option that may ease mild prostate symptoms a little. But the trials are small, it worked less well than prescription drugs, and in the largest trial only whole seeds, not an extract, beat placebo.
If you’d like to try it after seeing your doctor, Micro Ingredients Saw Palmetto with Pumpkin Seed Oil gives 400 mg of pumpkin seed oil per serving, close to the 320 mg used in the 12-month Korean trial. Compare all 7 picks in our guide to the best pumpkin seed oil with saw palmetto supplements.
Important: This guide is for general information and isn’t medical advice. Don’t use pumpkin seed oil in place of seeing a doctor about urinary symptoms.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does pumpkin seed oil help an enlarged prostate?
Is pumpkin seed oil as good as tamsulosin?
No. In a 3-month trial, tamsulosin lowered symptom scores more, though pumpkin seed oil caused no side effects3.
How much pumpkin seed oil should I take for my prostate?
How long does pumpkin seed oil take to work for the prostate?
Can I take pumpkin seed oil with saw palmetto?
Yes, they’re often combined, but in one small trial the combination didn’t improve any measure, while each oil alone lowered symptom scores2.
Are pumpkin seeds better than pumpkin seed oil for the prostate?
In GRANU, 5 g of whole seeds twice a day beat placebo, while an extract didn’t1. No trial has compared seeds with oil directly.
Sources & History
References
- Effects of Pumpkin Seed in Men With Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Due to Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia in the One-Year, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled GRANU Study — Urologia Internationalis, 2015
- Effects of Pumpkin Seed Oil and Saw Palmetto Oil in Korean Men With Symptomatic Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia — Nutrition Research and Practice, 2009
- Pumpkin Seed Oil (Cucurbita pepo) Versus Tamsulosin for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Symptom Relief: A Single-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial — BMC Urology, 2021
- Pumpkin Seed Oil (Prostafit) or Prazosin? Which One Is Better in the Treatment of Symptomatic Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia — Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, 2014
- Effects of an Oil-Free Hydroethanolic Pumpkin Seed Extract on Symptom Frequency and Severity in Men With Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: A Pilot Study in Humans — Journal of Medicinal Food, 2019
- Extract From Cucurbita pepo Improves BPH Symptoms Without Affecting Sexual Function: A 24-Month Noninterventional Study — World Journal of Urology, 2022
- Phytosterols in Hull-Less Pumpkin Seed Oil, Rich in Δ7-Phytosterols, Ameliorate Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia by Lowering 5α-Reductase and Regulating Balance Between Cell Proliferation and Apoptosis in Rats — Food & Nutrition Research, 2021
- Food Allergy to Pumpkin Seed — Allergologia et Immunopathologia, 2010
- Serenoa repens for the Treatment of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Due to Benign Prostatic Enlargement — Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2023
Update history
- Rewritten with a study table (GRANU, Korean, tamsulosin and prazosin trials, two studies without a comparison group), corrected dosing and timeline to match the trials, added the finding that the saw palmetto combination didn’t add benefit, and replaced secondary sources with original studies.
