What Is Pumpkin Seed Oil Good For? Hair, Prostate and Diet

Pumpkin seed oil is the dark green oil pressed from pumpkin seeds, sold as a salad oil and in capsules. In one supplier-funded 24-week trial of 76 men with pattern hair loss, hair counts rose 40% on 400 mg a day against 10% on placebo. The largest urinary trial tested whole seeds, not the oil.^{1, 2} Pumpkin seed and its oil have no authorised health claim in Great Britain, and the NHS route for thinning hair or urinary symptoms starts with a GP. Pumpkin seed oil sits beside saw palmetto in the Wellgard men's health guide.

Evidence at a glance

• Trials: one placebo-controlled hair trial of the oil (76 men) and three controlled urinary trials of seed, seed extract or oil (1,431, 73 and 47 men).
• Largest single trial: 1,431 German men aged 50 to 80 for 12 months, testing 10 g of whole seed a day and a seed-extract capsule, not the oil.
• Strongest measured outcome: hair counts up 40% on 400 mg of oil a day against 10% on placebo at 24 weeks, in a supplier-funded trial of 76 men.
• Not tested: a second placebo-controlled trial of the oil on its own for men's hair, or oil capsules for longer than 12 months.

Sources checked on 13 October 2026.

What is pumpkin seed oil, and is it the same as eating pumpkin seeds?

Pumpkin seed oil is the fat pressed from the seeds. In one study of 12 pumpkin varieties, 73.1 to 80.5% of it was unsaturated, chiefly linoleic and oleic acids, with vitamin E compounds (tocopherols) that varied widely by variety.³ The seeds are the zinc source (see foods high in zinc); the oil studies we read give no zinc or protein figure for the oil. The oil trials gave 320 to 720 mg a day in capsules, and the largest urinary trial gave whole seed, so results do not transfer between forms.

Can pumpkin seed oil help hair loss?

The NHS says male and female pattern baldness is permanent and usually runs in the family, to see a GP if you're worried about your hair loss, and that "No treatment is 100% effective".⁴

The one placebo-controlled trial gave 76 Korean men with mild to moderate pattern hair loss 400 mg of oil or a placebo a day for 24 weeks. Hair counts at the most affected spot rose 40% on oil against 10% on placebo, and a blinded assessor rated 17 of 37 men on oil improved against 3 of 39 on placebo; hair thickness did not differ.¹ The trial was supplier-funded: the capsules' supplier paid for it and held the randomisation codes. A published comment noted that front-of-scalp results were collected but not reported.⁵

A 2025 network analysis of 19 trials (1,658 people) placed pumpkin seed oil among the supplements that raised hair density against placebo, an outcome it rated moderate certainty. Its pumpkin seed oil result comes from that same Korean trial, so it is not independent confirmation.⁶

In women, a three-month trial of 60 women with female pattern hair loss compared pumpkin seed oil with minoxidil foam, without a placebo group; counts of new upright hairs rose in the oil group.⁷ How zinc relates to hair is covered in zinc and hair loss.

Is pumpkin seed oil good for the prostate?

The NHS says to see a GP about difficulty peeing or needing to pee more often, and to ask for an urgent GP appointment or NHS 111 help for blood in your pee, pain when peeing or being unable to pee, as these symptoms can sometimes come from conditions such as prostate cancer.⁸ Its prostate cancer page says to get checked if symptoms change, get worse or do not feel normal.⁹

The NHS lists tamsulosin among medicines "that help you to pee".⁸ The GRANU authors say a confirmatory study or systematic review is needed before a recommendation.² We found no pooled analysis; a 2016 narrative review counted six clinical studies, all reporting improvement.¹³ NICE's guideline for NHS clinicians (published 2010, updated 2015) says: "Do not offer homeopathy, phytotherapy or acupuncture for treating LUTS in men" (lower urinary tract symptoms).¹⁴ No pumpkin seed product is on the MHRA list of registered traditional herbal medicines (27 October 2025); the EU herbal medicines committee published a pumpkin seed monograph in 2013.

Does pumpkin seed oil change testosterone or DHT?

In the hair trial, free testosterone did not change in either group, and DHT and PSA were not measured.¹ The "DHT-blocking" idea comes from work in rats, which the trial's authors cite as their reason for testing the oil. In the Korean urinary trial, PSA did not change on pumpkin seed oil alone.¹⁰ None of the human studies we read measured oestrogen, so the "phytoestrogen" question has no human answer yet.

Is it safe to take pumpkin seed oil every day, and who should avoid it?

The trials report it well tolerated: GRANU over 12 months,² and no side effects on oil in the Korean urinary trial¹⁰ or the tamsulosin trial.¹¹ In the hair trial, one man on oil and one on placebo reported itching, one on oil had mild stomach discomfort, and liver enzymes and creatinine, a kidney marker, did not change.¹

Pumpkin seed allergy is rare but can be severe: in a 2026 series of 25 children, 64% had anaphylaxis and most were also allergic to tree nuts (76%) or other seeds (72%); the 14 earlier published cases were mostly adults.¹⁵ Anyone with a seed or nut allergy, pregnant or taking medicines should ask a pharmacist first. We found no published study of interactions with medicines: an absence of studies, not proof of none.

How much pumpkin seed oil did the trials use, and for how long?

For hair, 400 mg of oil a day for 24 weeks.¹ For urinary symptoms, 320 mg of oil a day for 12 months,¹⁰ 720 mg a day for 3 months¹¹ and 10 g of whole seed a day for 12 months.² None of the trials here gave more than 720 mg of oil a day. These are amounts tested, not a recommendation; compare them with the oil per capsule on a label.

What we don't know

• No second placebo-controlled trial has tested the oil on its own for men's hair.
• No trial has given oil capsules for longer than 12 months.
• GRANU's positive arm was whole seed, so it says nothing direct about the oil.
• The Korean hair trial did not report its front-of-scalp results.

Frequently asked questions

Which is better for hair loss, pumpkin seed oil or saw palmetto?

No trial has compared them, so neither can be ranked. In the 2025 network analysis both scored higher than placebo on blinded doctor ratings (low certainty), from separate trials compared only through placebo, and its saw palmetto arm included a multi-ingredient product.⁶ The Wellgard guide to saw palmetto covers its own trials.

How long does pumpkin seed oil take to work for hair?

In the one trial, hair counts were up 30% at 12 weeks (5% on placebo) and 40% at 24 weeks (10% on placebo). The men's own ratings matched placebo at 12 weeks and were higher at 24.¹

Can women take pumpkin seed oil for hair loss?

The one trial in women compared pumpkin seed oil with minoxidil foam in 60 women for three months, without a placebo group, so it cannot show the oil caused the change; its abstract does not say how the oil was used.⁷ The NHS says to see a GP if you're worried about your hair loss.⁴

Should you take pumpkin seed oil in the morning or at night?

No trial has compared timing. The Korean urinary trial gave capsules in the morning and evening after a meal;¹⁰ the hair trial gave them 30 minutes before breakfast and dinner.¹

Sources

1. Cho YH et al. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2014. Randomised placebo-controlled trial, 76 men, 24 weeks; supplier-funded (the capsules' supplier funded it and held the randomisation codes); some figures from the full text. PubMed 24864154
2. Vahlensieck W et al. Urologia Internationalis 2015 (GRANU). Randomised, partly blinded placebo-controlled trial, 1,431 men, 12 months. PubMed 25196580
3. Stevenson DG et al. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2007. Analytical study, 12 pumpkin varieties. PubMed 17439238
4. NHS. Hair loss. Page last reviewed 24 January 2024. nhs.uk/symptoms/hair-loss
5. Verma H. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2015. Letter on the 2014 trial. PubMed 25918542
6. Zhou L et al. Frontiers in Nutrition 2025. Network meta-analysis of 19 randomised trials, 1,658 people; its pumpkin seed oil estimate rests on source 1. PubMed 41561175
7. Ibrahim IM et al. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology 2021. Randomised comparative trial, 60 women, 3 months, no placebo; funding not checked. PubMed 33544448
8. NHS. Enlarged prostate. Page last reviewed 8 April 2025. nhs.uk/conditions/enlarged-prostate
9. NHS. Symptoms of prostate cancer. Page last reviewed 31 July 2025. nhs.uk/conditions/prostate-cancer/symptoms
10. Hong H et al. Nutrition Research and Practice 2009. Placebo-controlled trial, 47 men, 12 months; no funding statement in the paper; timing and PSA from the full text. PubMed 20098586
11. Zerafatjou N et al. BMC Urology 2021. Single-blind randomised trial, 73 men, 3 months, against tamsulosin, no placebo; university-funded. PubMed 34666728
12. Theil G et al. World Journal of Urology 2022. Non-interventional study, 130 men, 24 months, no control group; sponsored by the extract's maker, two authors its employees. PubMed 35622117
13. Damiano R et al. Archives of Italian Urology and Andrology 2016. Narrative review, 16 studies, 6 of them clinical. PubMed 27377091
14. NICE. Lower urinary tract symptoms in men: management (CG97). Clinical guideline, published 23 May 2010, last updated 3 June 2015, last reviewed 19 December 2024. nice.org.uk/guidance/cg97
15. Acikalin B et al. Allergy and Asthma Proceedings 2026. Case series, 25 children, with a review of 14 earlier cases. PubMed 42343505

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