Papaya health benefits. As a fruit is contains enzymes and compounds that can prevent cancer, ageing and can promote healthier heart…

Papaya use warning and cautions. Papaya is generally safe for human consumption even for children and pregnant women. But caution is given to those who have latex allergy as Papaya can cause anaphylaxis attack in some cases.

Scientific Name :Carica Papaya

Common Name: Papaya, Paw paw, Papaw

Papaya is one of the all year round favorite dessert fruits known for its sweet, juicy, melt on your mouth flesh. Papaya is not only delicious but it is likewise packed with vitamins and minerals that offer many health benefits for the usual papaya lover.

According to Wikipedia, papaya may have probably originated from the tropics of America especially southern Mexico where it was first cultivated and was later propagated in other tropical and sub-tropical countries in the continents of America, Australia, Africa and Asia.

Papaya Description:

The papaya plant which has a semblance of a tree has usually one erect trunk that can grow to about 4 to 7 meters in height. Papaya tree is characterized with large green leaves that have seven to nine deeply palmate lobes with elongated hollow petioles spirally confined at the top of the trunk. Older leaves are shed off as the tree grows leaving scars at the trunk.

Papaya has male and female flowers that appear at the axils of the leaves and need pollination by wind or insects in order to mature into fruits. Male flowers are thin and tubular while female flowers are large and rounded at the edge. However, there are papaya trees that bear hermaphrodite flowers that can self-pollinate which are popularly cultivated in commercial scale.

Papaya fruits have smooth skin, green while young turning yellow when ripe. Papaya fruit varies in size and shape depending on the variety and type of plant. The common Philippine papaya is usually pear shape about 10 to 40 cm in length upon maturity. Ripe papaya feels soft, the skin has a yellowish color and when opened it has soft orange-yellowish flesh with numerous small black seeds embedded at the hollow center.

Among the many compounds found in papaya, the two most important ones to provide health benefits are chymopapain and papain. These two compounds are found in the fruit, latex, leaves and roots at varying amounts. The amount of phenolic compounds also varies with the sex of papaya tree, its cultivar and age.

Listed below are the more common compounds found in carica papaya and may not be complete. For a more comprehensive list, visit USDA Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases.

Papaya leaves Health Benefits: Used as a poultice, prepared as a decoction or tea

Poultice of crushed papaya leaves are used to treat pain associated with arthritis and rheumatism

Tea from boiled papaya leaves is used to treat heart problems and fever.

Decoction of dried papaya leaves is used to treat variety of stomach problems

Papain extracted from the fruit and leaves is also the main ingredient of an ointment popularly used as a topical application for cuts, rashes, stings and burns.

2 tablespoons of pounded papaya leaves juice taken once a day is used to treat low platelet count in dengue fever,

Papaya Roots Health Benefits: Used as poultice or prepared as decoction

Decoction of pounded papaya roots are used as digestive tonic and to cure dyspepsia

Extracts from papaya roots are used to abort early pregnancy .

Extracts of papaya roots are also used to treat insect bites.

Papaya Latex or Milky Sap Health Benefits:

The milky sap or latex from young papaya fruit is used to treat skin wounds and ulcers. It is used to constrict the blood vessels to check bleeding.

Latex from papaya is used to purge intestinal parasites or worms.

The latex or milky sap of papaya is also used to prevent and abort pregnancy.

Papaya Fruit Health Benefits:

The ripe papaya fruit is used to promote good digestive activity. It is used as a laxative and as diuretic.

The ripe fruit is used to treat various stomach or digestive problems.

Juice from ripe papaya fruit is combined with calamansi extract to treat acne and pimples.

The ripe and unripe papaya fruit is used in whitening soaps and lotions to improve skin color and texture.

Papaya Seeds and Flowers Health Benefits:

Grounded seeds of papaya fruit is used to purge intestinal worms

A decoction of boiled flowers or powdered seeds is used to promote menstruation.

Extracts from the flowers mixed with honey is used to treat respiratory problems such as cough, hoarseness and others.

Carica Papaya may have potential health benefits for blood related medical problems.

The Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences, issue of March 2011, reported a study on the phytochemistry and heamotological potential of the ethanol seed, leaf and pulp extract of Carica papaya. In this study, it was identified that the phytochemical contents in the seeds, leaf and pulp of Carica papaya were almost the same but in varying proportions. It was also observed that the phytochemicals found in Carica papaya significantly improved (P<0.05) the production of certain blood parameters in treated albino rats. This study suggests that Carica papaya may have potential health benefits for blood related medical problems. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21902066)

Carica Papaya may have Anti diabetic health benefits

The Journal of Natural Product Research, issue of December 2011 reported that a study done in INFORMM, Malaysia identified the phytochemicals in Carica papaya that may have anti diabetic properties. The ethanol extracts of Carica papaya and Pandanus amaryfollius were administered to a group of streptozotocin induced diabetic rats to measure its anti diabetic effects. Results have shown that there was a significant reduction (P<0.05)in the blood glucose level in the Carica papaya treated group in comparison to a control group. Histologically the pancreas of the treated groups indicated significant regeneration of the β-cells and liver tissues indicated a reduction in fatty changes and pyknotic nucleus. Moreover, the kidney tissues of the treated groups indicated significant recovery in the cuboidal tissue. The study suggests that the phytochemicals found in C. Papaya and P. amaryfollius may be responsible for the anti diabetic health benefits. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21707251)

Carica papaya Health Benefits for Digestive Disorders

In a published report in Nuero Endocrinology Letters 2013, a research was done in Vienna, Austria to verify the folkloric health benefits of Carica papaya for digestive disorders. Clinical trials involving volunteers with chronic (prevailing) indigestions and dysfunctions in the gastrointestinal tract were given papaya preparation (Caricol). They were compared to a control group given a placebo. Results have shown that there was a significant improvement in the symptoms of “indigestion” and “bloating” for those under the papaya preparation as compared to the control group. The study concludes that the papaya preparation (Caricol®) contributes to the maintenance of digestive tract physiology. It ameliorates various functional disturbances, like symptoms of IBS. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23524622)

Papaya and Pregnancy: Safety and Side Effects

The British Journal of Nutrition, August 2002. published a study done in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, National University, Singapore on the common belief of some Asian communities that eating papaya can be unsafe for pregnant women. In a laboratory experiment, the effects of ripe papaya blend (500 ml/l water) and papaya crude latex to the uteri of pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats was compared to a control group given with water only. Results have shown that ripe papaya has no adverse or noticeable side effects, while the crude latex induced spasmodic contraction of the uterine muscles. The study suggests that normal consumption of ripe papaya during pregnancy may not pose any significant danger. However, the unripe or semi-ripe papaya (which contains high concentration of the latex that produces marked uterine contractions) could be unsafe in pregnancy. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12144723)

Antihelminthic and Anti-amoebic Health Benefits from Carica Papaya Seeds

In the Journal of Medicinal Food, March 2007, an article has been written about a study done on the effectiveness of dried Carica papaya seeds against human intestinal parasitosis. The study was done in the College of Health Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria., where 60 children with evidence of intestinal parasites were given either dried seeds of Carica papaya mixed with honey or honey alone. 76.7% of those who were given honey mixed with dried seeds of papaya were cleared of parasites after 7 days while 16.7% of those who took honey alone. This study concludes that air-dried C. papaya seeds are efficacious in treating human intestinal parasites and without significant side effects. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17472487)

Anti-cancer and Immunomodulatory Health Benefits of Carica Papaya

A study done in the Institute of Medical Science in The University of Tokyo, Japan, reported that aqueous solution of Carica papaya leaf extract have significant growth inhibitory activity on tumor cell lines. The study further suggests that Carica papaya leaf extract may potentially provide the means for the treatment and prevention of selected human diseases such as cancer, various allergic disorders, and may also serve as immunoadjuvant for vaccine therapy. (Journal of Ethnopharmacology, February 2010: Aqueous extract of Carica papaya leaves exhibits anti-tumor activity and immunomodulatory effects)

Antibacterial and Wound Healing Health Benefits of Carica Papaya fruit Seeds.

The West Indian Medical Journal, December 2003, published an article on the antibacterial activity of Carica papaya fruit extract against common wound organisms . The study was done in The University of the West Indies, Kingston 7, Jamaica, where the seed extracts from the fruit showed inhibition of bacterial activity against B cereus, E coli, S faecalis, S aureus, P vulgaris and S flexneri. This study suggests that Carica papaya has antibacterial effects that could be useful in treating chronic skin ulcers to promote healing.

Papayas are available in most grocery stores, supermarkets and fruit stores. In buying ripe ready to eat Papaya, select those that are slightly soft, have no sunken dark spots, and have no cracks. Select Papayas that have a slight neck shape as these are better since they are probably tree ripened.

Papayas can also be bought unripe and can be ripened at home for later consumption. Unripe Papayas are firmer and the skin has a green color. Unripe Papayas can be stored in a basket or paper bag at room temperature. Do not refrigerate unripe Papayas. As the Papaya ripens the skin color will turn yellowish and the texture softer.

It is best to store ripe Papaya in a refrigerator. Just like any other fruits, when an Papaya is sliced open and exposed to air, the Papaya flesh will soon oxidize. To store sliced Papaya, sprinkle lemon juice, wrap with plastic and keep in refrigerator.

Ripe papaya fruit does not have any serious side effects at moderate consumption.

Ripe papaya just like carrots contains carotene which may turn the palms and soles yellowish when consumed at large amount but this does not impose any health danger.

The leaves and roots of Carica papaya contain cyangenic glucosides which form into cyanide, while the leaves contain tannins. These two compounds may have adverse side effects when taken at large concentrations.

Powdered Papaya when inhaled can induce allergies.

In animal studies, aqueous extracts of Carica papaya can cause temporary infertility and irregular oestrous cycles that is reversible when treatment was stopped.

Extracts of papain found in Carica papaya were also found to induce abortion after conception by dissolving the protein needed by the newly fertilized egg to adhere to the uterus wall. The abortificient property is a matter of high dose side effect of Carica papaya toxicity which affects the fetus.

Malunggay Herbal Medicine A tropical herb known for its nutritional value to combat malnutrition. It is also known for its medicinal properties against cancer.

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