Description
Other Names:
Papaw / Pawpaw / Melon-Tree / Papaotin / Papoid / Caroid / Papita (Hindi) / Eranda Karkati (Sanskrit) / Gandul / Mamao / Papain
Botanical Description:
- Growing to a height of up to 25 feet in tropical America.
- The palm-like trunks have soft wood and sometimes divide into several erect stems, each with a head of large, palmately lobed leaves that are nearly orbicular in outline.
- The lobes themselves are pinnately lobed.
- Male and female flowers are usually on separate trees; slender racemes of funnel shaped, yellow male flowers become up to three feet long; the female flowers have yellow, twisted petals and grow singly or in sparse corymbs.
- The fruit is a large, oblong or nearly spherical, fleshy berry with a yellow or orange rind like a gourd.
- It may be from 3 to 20 inches long and weigh up to 12 pounds or more.
Part of Plant Used:
- An active principal obtained from the juice of the unripe fruit
- Fruit pulp
- Seeds
Main Uses:
- Papayas are a good source of anti-oxidants such as carotenes, vitamin C, and flavanoids.
- They are also a good sources of folic acid, vitamins E and A, potassium, and dietary fibre.
- Preliminary studies have concluded that papaya juice contains agents that reduce high blood pressure.
- Papaya and its seeds have proven anti-parasitic and anti-amoebic activities. It offers a natural, harmless, preventative strategy against intestinal parasites.
Other Traditional Uses:
- Allergies
- Amenorrhea
- Anaemia
- Anti-fungal
- Anti-microbial
- Anti-oxidant
- Anti-tumour
- Asthma
- B vitamins – source
- Beta-carotene – source
- Binds the stools
- Calcium – source
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Colon cancer
- Diarrhoea
- Enzymes – rich source
- Liver – clean & healthy
- Immunity – boosts
- Indigestion
- Inflammation – reducing
- Iron – source
- Lung swelling
- Magnesium – source
- Manganese – source
- Osteoarthritis
- Phosphorus – source
- Potassium – source
- Protein digestion – aids
- Sports injuries
- Trauma
- Vitamin A – source
- Vitamin E – source
- Zinc – source
Interactions:
- People who take blood medication (Sulfinpyrazone) or blood thinning medication (Coumadin / Aspirin etc.) should consult with their health care practitioner before taking this herb as it may be anti-coagulant.
- There are no other known interactions; however, with the proliferation of available drugs it is always advisable to consult with your doctor or health care practitioner before taking this and any other supplements.
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