Abstract

MENENDEZ CASTILLO, Rosa; ENRIQUEZ RAMIREZ, Luis  and  CHALALA, Madeleine. Preliminary phytochemical characterization of Cucurbita pepo L. cultivated in Cuba. Rev Cubana Plant Med [online]. 2006, vol.11, n.3-4, pp. 0-0. ISSN 1028-4796.

The pumpkin seeds (Cucurbita pepo L.) are used for the phytotherapy of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) as standardized extracts with fatty acids. A preliminary phytochemical study was undertaken by gas chromatography of the composition of the fatty acids present in the oil obtained from Cucurbita pepo L. seeds cultivated in “Dr. Juan Tomas Roig” Experimental Station of Medicinal Plants, located in Havana Province, Cuba. The presence and concentration for each fatty acid determined were evidenced, with values of 32 % of palmitic acid, 2.2 % of stearic acid, 18 % of oleic acid, and 47.7 % of linoleic acid.

Keywords : Cucurbita pepo; pumpkin; bening prostatic hyperplasia (BPH),; fatty acids; phytochemistry.