Herb & supplement monograph

Pumpkin Drug Interactions, Uses, Effectiveness, Safety & More

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS ·Updated July 2026

What is this page for?

First and foremost: how Pumpkin interacts with medications. The heart of this page is the interaction list — every drug Pumpkin is known to interact with, and how serious each one is.

But these pages have grown well beyond that into a full monograph — what Pumpkin is, what people use it for and how strong the evidence is, its safety and side effects, and answers to the questions we’re asked most — written and reviewed by the clinical staff at HelloPharmacist. It’s educational information from our licensed clinical databases, not medical advice, and we don’t sell or endorse products. Our editorial policy

Check Pumpkin against your medication

Add one medication

✓ Supplement

Pumpkin

1 Your medication

Start typing any prescription or over-the-counter drug name.

Reviewed by licensed pharmacists Sourced from Natural Medicines

On this page

Interaction report

Drugs that interact with Pumpkin

1 medication has a known interaction with Pumpkin, graded by severity. Select any drug for the full evidence-based detail.

Don’t want to scroll the list? Just ask.

Tell us the medications you take and we’ll check each one against Pumpkin using our pharmacist-reviewed interaction data.

AI summaries are generated from our Pumpkin interaction data for education only — always confirm with your pharmacist. How we use AI

2,830 drugs

Lithium Carbonate (prescription Drug)Eskalith, Lithium Carbonate

Moderate Lithium

Pumpkin might reduce excretion and increase levels of lithium.

Read the full Pumpkin + Lithium Carbonate (prescription Drug) interaction Lithium Carbonate (prescription Drug) drug page: uses, dosage & side effects

Read The List Like a Pharmacist

What Severity, Likelihood & Evidence Mean

Severity — How Serious It Can Be

Major. Clinically significant; generally best avoided, or used only under direct professional supervision.
Moderate. May need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one.
Minor. Generally not clinically significant, but still worth noting and mentioning to your pharmacist.
No known interaction. Checked against our sources with nothing documented — not the same as proven safety.

Likelihood — How Well It’s Documented

Likely. Well-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction
Probable. Interaction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
Possible. Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists
Unlikely. Interaction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.

Where This Data Comes From

Interaction records are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database (TRC Healthcare), the same reference used by pharmacists and hospitals.
Each drug listed above links to the full report for that exact Pumpkin combination — clinical detail, likelihood, evidence level, and citations.
Content is reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

The big picture

The kinds of drugs Pumpkin affects

Every type of medication (drug category) Pumpkin is known to interact with. Open any category for the detail — or search your exact drug in the checker above.

All 1 drug category Pumpkin interacts with

Lithium

Pumpkin might reduce excretion and increase levels of lithium.
Pumpkin is thought to have diuretic properties. Theoretically, this might reduce excretion and increase levels of lithium. The dose of lithium might need to be decreased.

Likelihood Probable Evidence D

Monograph

Pumpkin: Uses, Safety & Side Effects

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS · Reviewed July 2026 ·

The bottom line

Pumpkin is a nutritious squash, and its seeds and seed oil are the parts most often used as supplements, mainly for urinary and prostate symptoms. The evidence for these uses is limited and mostly preliminary, though eating pumpkin as a food is safe and a good source of vitamin A, fiber, and antioxidants. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using concentrated pumpkin seed supplements.

Scientific name: Cucurbita pepo
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Part used: Fruit flesh, seeds, and seed oil
Common forms: Whole food, capsules, softgels (seed oil), powders, raw or roasted seeds

People commonly use it for

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) symptoms
Overactive bladder
Eye and skin health (vitamin A source)
General nutrition and fiber
Hair health

Popular and traditional uses — not proof it works. See “Uses & effectiveness” below for the evidence.

Safety at a glance

OverallLikely safe

Pumpkin as food is well tolerated; concentrated seed-oil supplements are generally safe for most adults.

PregnancyInsufficient reliable information

Insufficient reliable information available; avoid using amounts greater than those found in food.

Read the full pregnancy detail

BreastfeedingInsufficient reliable information

Insufficient reliable information available; avoid using amounts greater than those found in food.

Read the full breastfeeding detail

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center). Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Jump to a section

Overview

Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo) is a type of squash that is native to North America and now grown around the world. The bright orange flesh is a popular food, while the seeds and the oil pressed from them are the parts most often used in dietary supplements.

Pumpkin flesh is rich in vitamin A (from beta-carotene), vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. Pumpkin seeds contain healthy fats, protein, zinc, magnesium, and plant compounds called phytosterols. Supplements usually come as seed oil softgels, capsules, or powders, and the raw or roasted seeds are eaten as a snack.

How it works

Pumpkin contains several compounds that may explain its possible effects. The fruit is high in beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A, important for vision and skin. It also provides antioxidant vitamins and fiber, which supports digestion and may help with cholesterol.

Pumpkin seeds and seed oil contain phytosterols, healthy fatty acids, zinc, and other plant compounds. Researchers think phytosterols and these other components may influence hormones and bladder muscle tone, which is the proposed reason for their use in prostate and urinary symptoms.

It is important to know that many of these mechanisms are based on laboratory and animal research, and the way they work in people is not fully understood.

Effectiveness

Does Pumpkin work?

Here’s what the research actually shows for each use — graded by Natural Medicines and reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD.

Evidence overview · 6 uses evaluated

1 Possibly effective 5 Insufficient evidence

How to read these evidence grades

Natural Medicines’ 7-point scale. We show each rating’s label word-for-word.

1EffectiveStrong, consistent evidence it works.

2Likely EffectiveGood evidence, though not yet conclusive.

3Possibly EffectiveSome evidence suggests a benefit.

4Possibly IneffectiveSome evidence it may not help.

5Likely IneffectiveFairly strong evidence it doesn’t help.

6IneffectiveStrong evidence it doesn’t work.

7Insufficient Reliable Evidence to RateToo little research to say either way.

Possibly Effective Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)