Papaya

Papaya is an exotic fruit packed with numerous health benefiting nutrients. This exotic fruit is packed with numerous health benefitting nutrients. It is one of the favorites of fruit lovers for its nutritional, digestive, and medicinal properties.  

Papaya plant is grown extensively all over the tropical regions under cultivated farms for its fruits as well as for latex, papain, an enzyme that found wide applications in the food industry.

 Botanically, the plant belongs to Caricaceae family of flowering plants, in the genus; Carica. Scientific  name is Carica papaya .

In some traditional medicines, papaya seeds employed has proven natural remedy for many ailments. The seeds can be applied as inflammatory cure, antiparasitic, and analgesic. It can be used to treat stomachache, and ringworm infections.

MEDICINAL PROPERTIES

Papaya has been known as a food or as a quasi drug. It has wide consumption owing to its pharmacological properties and can be used as a folk remedy for various disorders. It contains different kinds of immuno-stimulating agents and antioxidants.  Its pulp is utilized in hospitals of Africa for wounds healing as well as curing burns because management of chronic not healing ulcers poses difficulty and many clinical problems. An amalgamation of papain-urea has been proven effective in conducting enzymatic wound debridement.

 According to Reed, papaya latex is very useful for curing dyspepsia and is externally applied to burns and scalds; it also cures diarrhea, bleeding hemorrhoids, and whooping cough. 

Papaya juice helps in alleviating infections of the colon by clearing away infection, pus, and mucus. Its ripe fruit is a carminative, diuretic, expectorant, sedative, and has preventive action against dysentery, skin diseases, psoriasis, and ringworm.

 Papaya also exhibits therapeutic assets against various pathological disorders. The unripe fruit is used as a remedy for ulcers and impotence. 

It has the ability to exhibit bacteriostatic activity against human enteric pathogens;  it aids in reducing menstrual irregularities and promotes natural menstruation flow in women. It has been recommended for controlling the most ubiquitous problem of hair dandruff. The green leaf presents an imitable source of vital and essential nutrients while the yellow one provides iron. It may have a synergistic action to reduce enlarged spleen and liver and it is used in snakebite to remove poison. 

Papaya fruit is thought to contain some immune stimulating and antioxidant agents; its juice is prescribed to cure gastrointestinal maladies.

NUTRITIONAL STATUS

Among fruits, papaya is greatly esteemed worldwide owing to its distinct pharmacological and functional attributes. It is an imperative fruit that reveals unique and exceptional nutritional worth. Hence, as a nutraceutical, its consumption may exert an inflammatory cure response.

 In contrast to various other fruits, papaya holds a higher quantity of carotene. The comparative low calories content (32 kcal/100 g of ripe fruit) and high in nutritive value makes papaya a preferred and excellent dietary article for obese and those who are on a weight reducing regime.

Papayas contain soft, easily digestible flesh with a good amount of soluble dietary fiber that helps to have normal bowel movements; thereby reducing constipation problems. 

Fresh, ripe papaya is one of the fruits with the highest vitamin-C content (provides 60.9mg or about 101% of DRI, more than that of in oranges, or lemons). Research studies have shown that vitamin-C plays many vital roles like free radicals scavenging, boosting immunity, and anti-inflammatory actions.

Papaya fruit is also rich in many essential B-complex vitamins such as Folic acid, pyridoxine (vitamin B-6), riboflflavin, and thiamin (vitamin B-1).

 Fresh ripe papaya also contains a good amount of potassium (257 mg per 100 g) and calcium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids and helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure countering effects of sodium. 

Papaya is an exotic fruit which contains variety of compounds with extraordinary diverse composition.

Thanks for reading!

Article By:

Ojo Olalekan Solomon

Food, Nutrients & Health

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