General Description
Papaya (also known as paw paw) is a small tree native to the tropical
regions of the Americas, now found in tropical areas throughout
the world. The tree's hollow trunk produces large, deep-lobed leaves
and smooth-skinned, melon-like fruits, which are born directly on
the trunk's surface, without intervening branches. When shallow
cuts are made in the fully grown, unripe fruit, they produce a milky
latex known as papain, which contains a mixture of protein-digesting
enzymes. When ripe, the fruit is a popular food.
Health Applications
- Digestive aid
- Wound healing
- Antiparasitic
- Antibacterial
History and Traditional Use
Papaya has been used in folk medicine for digestive complaints
and for expelling intestinal worms. It has been used topically
to treat burns and skin ulcers. Papain serves as the primary ingredient
in many commercial meat tenderizers.
Chemical Composition
The primary active constituents in papaya are a group of proteolytic
(protein-digesting) enzymes which includes papain, chymopapain,
and papaya proteinase III.1 Papaya also contains
vitamin C, malic acid, and citric acid.
Contemporary Uses
In many tropical regions, papaya is still used for some of its
traditional medicinal applications, and modern research suggests
it may be of therapeutic value in some of these cases. In vitro
and in vivo studies indicate that papaya may be beneficial for
expelling intestinal worms2-4 and protecting
against gastric ulcers.5 Research has shown
that papaya juice is a powerful free-radical scavenger,6,7
and that it inhibits the growth of many types of bacteria.7,8
Papaya latex has also been shown to have an antifungal effect
against Candida albicans.9 Studies indicate
that topical application of papaya may aid the healing of burns
and other skin wounds,10-11 most likely as
a result of its antibacterial activity.
Dosage/Toxicity
Papaya is consumed widely as a food with no evidence of toxicity.
Papaya tablets containing 10 to 50 mg of papain are commonly used
as digestive aids and appear to be safe, although their effectiveness
for this purpose has not been proven. |
