Affecting the conditions inside the gut is often the best remedy for curing an intestinal parasite or infection. Pumpkin and pumpkin seeds have recently been praised for their effects on a hookworm-infected gut. The active ingredient in pumpkin is cucrubitacin, which can change the environment of the gut in a way that makes it difficult for hookworms to survive. This compound inhibits hookworms from attaching to the wall of the gastrointestinal tract and reproducing. A handful of pumpkin seeds can quickly remedy the annoyingly serious symptoms of a hookworm infection.