MAYBE YOU MAY REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME YOUR MOM SLICED OPEN A PAPAYA WHEN YOU WERE A KID?
Probably the first thing you noticed was its deep coral color. The second was likely its unique aroma. Unfortunately, in the USA, a first experience with papaya is often with an overripe fruit and so the odor can be overbearing. But a perfectly ripened papaya, on the other hand, smells and tastes like a dream! The mild, sweet and floral flavors are unique, and so the papaya remains one of the most beloved and ubiquitous fruits across the world’s tropics!
The paw-paw trees that produce papaya are native to southern Mexico and the tropics of the Americas. But today you can find papaya from Malaysia to Africa. It’s also a versatile plant — the entire fruit, its leaves, its seeds, and latex are used commercially. The uses of papaya are equally prolific; beyond being a mere table fruit, the papaya is used in medicines and is ingested raw (or as a smoothie) to improve digestion due to its high beta carotene content — more on that in a moment.
To the Mayans, papaya trees were symbolic of the “Tree of Life” — and Christopher Columbus called it “the fruit of angels”. (Old Chris did have a flare for marketing, in case you didn’t know.)
Papaya’s hue reveals its richness in carotenes (vitamin A precursors) and antioxidants. It is a wonderful source of vitamins; papayas have so much vitamin C that one medium papaya provides more than 200% of the minimum daily requirement, as well as folate, B5, potassium and magnesium.
Potassium and magnesium are essential minerals for the consistent and efficient functioning of the entire body, for the reduction of muscle cramps and spasms and for the promotion of sound sleep.
Its bioactive constituents like papain are wonderful for digestion. Its soluble fiber not only protects against colon ailments, including cancer, but also supports cardiovascular health. Papain cultures, which can break down the tough protein chains in muscle meat, have been used to tenderize meat for thousands of years.
And, like many other deeply orange foods, there is a relationship to purification. The papaya flesh and its black glistening seeds (and, yes, they’re edible and taste a bit peppery) have been used in ancient medicine to rid the body of parasites (like ringworm).
It has been used to cure ailments from diabetes to hypertension to malaria. These aspects are actually what comprise the 4 Praises for Papaya we’ll be singing today:
Moon Timing
Papain, the very same enzyme which helps us with inflammation and digestive needs, is also prescribed by folk medicine practitioners in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh to soften and reduce the pain of cramps and, in general, regulate a woman’s cycles.
It’s also considered a botanical prophylactic (I’ll leave it to you to use your favorite search engine to discover the reason). However, and this is an important WARNING: it’s not for pregnant women, as the latex in papaya is believed to induce contractions of uterine muscles in pregnancy.
Parasites
The leaves, seeds and the milk of the papaya tree are used to cure intestinal problems and kill intestinal worms and parasites. A 2007 study of 60 Nigerian children with strong evidence of intestinal parasites “showed an over 75% clearance rate of infection in just seven days.
This was after the children received a 20 ml dose of crushed papaya seeds and honey as a parasite treatment making papaya seeds just as “efficacious in treating human intestinal parasites and without significant side effects” as some prescriptions. However, my advice with the seeds is to start slow.
Happy Hearts
Concentrated pro-vitamin A carotenoid phytonutrients in the papaya work to prevent the oxidation of cholesterol. This is powerful! Why? Because it is oxidized cholesterol that sticks to and gunks up the blood vessel walls. Paraoxonase (an enzyme) in papaya enables your body to absorb much more vitamin C and E from supplements or other foods you eat; it is this enzyme which actively inhibits LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol oxidation.
Immunity & Papaya
Finally, papaya’s abundance of carotenoids (pre-vitamin A and C) are ideal pathways to boost your body’s natural immunity expression. So, if you feel rundown or are suffering from a cold, fever, or flu, add a papaya a day to your diet. These antioxidants can also reduce inflammation, fight disease, treat allergies, sports injuries and other causes of trauma and help keep you looking young.
HERE’S WHERE YOU CAN HELP…
For two years, I’ve scoured the Internet seeking sources that can back up the health and benefit claims of fruits, vegetables, and supplements (sometimes called “boost”).
In the chart below are the health claims I and others have discovered about papaya. Where you see a footnote, you’ll find a link to the source. If there is not a footnote, then that means that the specific health claim is made, but neither I nor anyone I know has been able to locate sources of research or credible anecdotes to back up the claim.
So, if you are aware of a direct source of research or anecdotes to back up the claims, please post them in the comments. I’ll check them out and if they meet our standards, I’ll make sure that they’re included in the next edition of the blog and give you a shout out!
Reported Health Benefit Claims of Papaya:
| Helps with emphysema | |
| Helps with osteosclerosis | Improves heart health |
| Prevents macular degeneration | |
| Improves cardiovascular health |
Helps prevent rheumatoid arthritis [9] |
| Lowers cholesterol |
Promotes healthy skin [4] |
| Helps prevent stroke | |
|
Prevents diabetic heart disease [4] |
Prevents some forms of throat disease |
So, the next time you’re at the market, grab a papaya. It’s not just for vacations anymore!
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9395671
Fischer N. Flavour components in selected Exotic Fruits. Food Australia. 1998;50:165–168.
https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/natural/488.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23983897
Franco MRB, Amaya D, Rodriguez MH, Damasio and Carrillo JLI. Volatile Components and Flavour of Paw paw (Carica Papaya). A Reappraisal. Alimentose Nutrcxao. 1993:99–108.
Oke JM. Antidiabetic Potency of Pawpaw. African Journal of Biomedical Research. 1998;1:31–34.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25944987
https://www.curejoy.com/content/papaya-seeds-gut-health-liver-kidney-detox/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23931131
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23524622
https://dailynutritionreview.com/blog/2013/10/25/antifertility-and-contraception-fruit-papaya/
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