zucchini
Zucchini is summer squash, a vegetable.
- botanical information
- origin
- history
- nutritional information
- Chinese herbology
- cautions and contraindications
botanical information:
Botanical name: Cucurbita pepo
Common name: courgette (parts of Europe), garden marrow, ltalian squash, ong marrow, vegetable marrow (Britain), zucchini (Italy, U.S.), zucchini squash
origin:
Origin: Derived from summer squash of Central America (grown by 5500 B.C.E.). Italians in Milan developed zucchini in the late 1800s and gave it its name.
history:
History: Italians in Milan developed zucchini in the late 1800s and gave it its name. Zucchini became popular among Italian immigrants in the Los Angeles area after the end of World War I. Zucchini is now more popular than all other forms of squash combined.
nutritional information:
Nutrition: Zucchini is high in beta-carotene (vitamin A, a natural antioxidant), folic acid, vitamin C, and vitamin E. Minerals include potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphate, copper, and zinc. Zucchini seeds contain traces of protease trypsin inhibitors, a cancer-preventing substance that inhibits activation of viruses and carcinogens in the digestive tract.
One-half cup serving of boiled zucchini has 18 calories, 0.3 grams of fat, 1.0 mg of sodium, 0.8 grams of protein, 3.9 grams of carbohydrate, and 1.3 grams of dietary fiber.
Chinese herbalism:
Chinese gender: yin (cool)
cautions and contraindications:
Non-toxic to animals: The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) Animal Poison Control Center has determined that zucchini squash “has not been reported as having systemic effects on animals or as having intense effects on the gastrointestinal tract.” —ASPCA
See also: squash.
