Thank you for your interest in the health aspects of GERBS pumpkin seeds! We are based out of the scenic and historic shoreline of Bristol, Rhode Island offering a certified all-natural pumpkin seed free of any chemicals, preservatives, free radicals, cooking oils, or artificial coloring & flavors. From the beginning to the end of each day, our top priorities are customer satisfaction and taste, we accomplish this, by making GERBS out of the highest quality ingredients giving our product its Gourmet appeal. After our pumpkin seeds are cleaned, seasoned, roasted, and packaged, all within 24-hours, our seeds have a shelf life of ONE year without adding any PRESERVATIVES! Furthermore, since Gerbs are made in our facility, we can guarantee each bag is free of gluten, wheat, peanuts, and other tree nuts of any kind!

Compared to most snack foods, pumpkin seeds have considerably less sodium. They contain the necessary
unsaturated fat that the body needs on a daily basis. They have No Trans fats and are Low in carbohydrates.
As well our Whole Roasted varieties are high in Fiber! Unlike most snack foods, which leave you feeling hungry,
GERBS have enough good calories per serving to leave you feeling Satisfied, Satiated and infused with Energy.

Also did you know:
• Pumpkin seeds just got voted one of the 14 super foods of the world! Subtly sweet and nutty with a malleable, chewy texture, the roasted seeds from inside your Halloween pumpkin are one of the most nutritious and flavorful seeds around (The World’s Healthiest Foods).

• Pumpkin seed has been used in traditional medicine as an anthelmintic (an agent used to expel intestinal worms), taeniacide (an agent which kills tapeworms) and as a diuretic (Bombardelli and Morazzoni, 1997).

• Its modern clinical uses are comparable to its traditional uses in North American aboriginal medicine. For example, the Cherokee people used pumpkin seed as an anthelmintic and also as a pediatric urinary aid to treat bed-wetting. The Iroquois people prepared an infusion of the seeds as a diuretic given to children with reduced urination. The Menominee people of Wisconsin used the seed to facilitate the passage of urine (Moerman, 1998). The seeds have been reported to eliminate both tapeworms and roundworms (Budavari, 1996; Tyler, 1993). An amino acid, curcubitacin, is thought to be responsible for the seed's anthelmintic actions (Tyler, 1993).

• In addition, Commission E also approves the use of pumpkin seed for the treatment of irritable bladder; the seeds may help to reduce childhood incidence of bladder stones in areas where the condition is endemic. A study in Thailand demonstrated that pumpkin seeds reduced oxalcrystalluria (formation of bladder stones due to the accumulation of oxalate crystals) in boys between the ages of 2 and 7, while increasing pyrophosphate, glycosaminoglycans, and potassium values (Suphakarn et al., 1987).

• Pumpkin seeds have one of the highest levels of Antioxidants of any nut, seed, or food for that matter. They are also loaded with tons of vitamins and minerals that the body needs. ‘A handful a day to keep the doctor away.’

• Pumpkin seeds have been used homeopathically in China for thousands of years in the prevention and treatment of various diseases (cancers) and ailments. Many forecasters believe that pumpkin seeds will follow in the same path as green tea, going from rather obscurity to worldwide recognition as one of natures ‘cure alls’.

• Renowned physician Doctor Andrew Weil M.D. states that eating raw or freshly toasted pumpkin seeds, whole grains, nuts, and other seeds not only reduces the risk of prostate cancer, pumpkin seeds are a natural iron substitute, and eating pumpkin seeds is an important factor in a healthy diet when managing diabetes.

• Pumpkin seeds are the fastest growing segment of the nut and seed market as more and more of their Medicinal properties are discovered.

• Pumpkins not only help to naturally boost your body’s immune system but their extract is one of the leading prescriptions given by doctors for men to promote a healthy Prostate system. Countries where men have traditionally consumed pumpkin seeds to reduce prostate enlargement include Bulgaria, Turkey, and the Ukraine (Tyler, 1993; Weiss, 1988).

• Pumpkin seed contains amino acids (e.g., cucurbitin); approximately 1% phytosterols in free and bound forms; squalene; chlorophyll pigments (chlorophyll b and pheophytin a); 4–5% minerals including selenium, zinc, calcium, copper, iron, manganese, phosphorous, and potassium; approximately 30% pectins; approximately 25–51% proteins (Bombardelli and Morazzoni, 1997; Wichtl and Bisset, 1994); approximately 30–50% oil, composed mainly of fatty acids including palmitic, stearic, oleic, and linoleic acids; tocopherols (b- and g-tocopherol); carotenoids (lutein and b-carotene).

• Pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds are also good sources of magnesium and research has indicated that magnesium and vitamin K may be helpful in reducing Osteoporosis or bone loss.

• Pumpkin seeds are also a great source of five of the B vitamins. One-quarter cup of roasted seeds contributes (Better Nutrition, 10/06 Elaine Magee:
* 11% daily allowance of B1 (0.12 mg)
* 16% daily allowance of B2 (0.18 mg)
* 41% daily allowance of niacin (5.8 mg)
* 4% daily allowance of B6 (0.05 mg)
* 8% daily allowance of folic acid (32 mcg)