Carica papaya popularly known as pawpaw or papaya, is an lozenge tropical fruit, often see in orange-red, yellow-green and yellow-orange hues with a rich orange pulp .Carica papaya were originally found in Central America, while the explorers from Spain and portugal helped bring this fruit to many other subtropical lands, which then journeyed to places like Philippines, some parts of Africa and India.
Carica papaya is a large tree-like plant, with a single stem growing from 5 to 10m(16-33ft) tall, with spirall arranged leaves confirmed to the trunk and the fruit is pear-shaped (usually 7 inches long).The fruit( pawpaw or papaya) is not just healthy, but whole plant parts, fruit, roots,bark,peel,seeds and pulp are also known to have medicinal properties, no wonder the papaya was reputably called "fruit of the angels" by Christopher Columbus.
Fig1:Images of Carica papaya and its fruit.
Nutritional Content Of Carica papaya
Carica papaya is a powerhouse of nutrients and is available throughout the year. It is a rich source of threes powerful antioxidants Vitamin C,A and E; the minerals magnesium and potassium, the B vitamin pantothenic acid and folate and fiber.In addition to all, proteolytic enzymes like papain and chymopapain.The fruit is an excellent source of beta carotene that prevents damage cause by free radicals that may cause some form of cancer.
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Health Benefits Of Carica papaya
The health benefits of Carica papaya is owed due to high content of vitamins A,B and C and proteolytic enzymes like papain and chymopapain which have antiviral , antifugal and antibacterial properties. Some of the health benefits are;
Promote Lung Health: If you are smoker or someone who is frequently exposed to second hand smoke.Eating vitamin A rich foods, such as pawpaw help your lung health and save your life.
Prevent Prostate Cancer: Men consuming lycopene-rich fruits and vegetables such as pawpaw(papaya),tomatoes,pink grapefruit,watermelon and guava were 82% less likely to have prostate cancer compared to those consuming the least lycopene-rich foods.
Diabetes: Studies have shown that type 1 diabetics who consume high-fiber diet have lower blood glucose levels and type 2 diabetics may have improved blood sugar lipids and insulin levels. One medium pawpaw provides about 4.7 grams of from fibers.The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends 21-25 g/day for women and 30-38 g/day for men.
Inflammation: The choline is a very important and versatile nutrient in pawpaw (papaya) that aids our bodies in sleep, muscle movement, learning and memory.Cholin also helps to maintain the structure of cellular membranes, aids in the transmission of nerve impulses, assists in the absorption of fat and reduces chronic inflammation.
Immune Support: Vitamin C and A, which is made in the body from the beta-carotene in papaya are, are both needed for the proper function of healthy immune system.
Skin and Healing: When used topically,mashed papaya appear to be beneficial for promoting wound healing and prevention of burned areas. Researchers believe that the proteolytic enzymes chymopapain and papian in papaya are responsible for its benefical effect. Ointments containing the papain enzyme to have also been used to treat decubitus ulcers or bedsores.
Menstruation: Papaya juice can be of great help to women with irregular periods.Consumption of green ,unripe papayas can also normalize the irregularity in the period cycle.Papayas are considered a as " hot food" meaning that it produces heat in the body.This excessive production of heat in the body stimulates the estrogen hormone.This induces periods in the females.Hence,papaya can be beneficial to handle difficult periods.
The seeds is used to evacuate parasitic intestinal worms and also as a counter-irritant and an alexeritic(counteracts infection or poison).
Improve eyesight: Consuming 3 or more serving per day may keep your sight normal,along with improving and lowering the primary cause of vision loss in older adults.
Antidote for Hypertension: Papaya contains rich amount of potassium, which helps keeping the blood pressure in cheek along with improving the mental alertness.
Facilitate Digestion:The leaves of Carica papaya plant contain chemical compounds of karpin, substance which kills microorganisms that often interfere with digestive function.
Anti-Inflammatory Effects: Protein enzymes including papain and chymopapain and antioxidant nutrients found in papaya:including Vitamin C, E and beta-carotene reduce the severity of the condition such as Asthma,Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Anticancer properties: Researchers have discovered that Carica papaya is effective against breast, pancreatic and other cancers.A papaya leaf extract obtained from dried leaves produced anticarcinogenic effects against tumor cells that were grow in the laboratory. It was observed in a study conducted by a University of Florida researcher Nam Dany and his colleagues, that the effects were stronger when the cells were given a larger doses of tea(leaf extract). They also exposed different types of cancer-affected cells to different papaya leaf extracts and found that the growth of the tumors had slowed down in all the cultures. The fruit has gained credibility and has been used in many western medicines for its anticancer powers.
Bone Health: Low intakes of Vitamins K have been associated with a higher risk for bone fracture. Adequate vitamin K consumption is important for good health,as it act as a modifier of bone matrix proteins, improves calcium absorption and may reduced urinary excretion of calcium.
Hair Benefits: Papaya leaf extracts can be used as a conditioners for adding shine to dull,unrully and lifeless hair.
Treatment for Slipped disk: A drug made from chymopapain is popularly used to treat slipped disk.
Antimalarial and Antiplasmodial Activity: Papayas leaves are made into tea as a treatment for malaria. Antimalarial and antiplasmodial activity has been noted in some preparations of the plant but the mechanism is not understood and not scientifically proven.
Caution:
- some people developed an allergic reactions to the latex and as such care should be taken when harvesting the fruit( especially the unripe one).
- Excessive consumption of papaya can cause carotenemia ( yellowing of the soles and palms) which is otherwise harmless.
- Pregnant women should avoid consumption of unripe pawpaw( papaya) because pawpaw in an unripe stage contains high latex concentration. Pawpaw latex's main constituent are papain and chymopapain which have teratogenic(abnormalities of physiological development) and abortifacient( can induce an abortion) but this concentration get to reduce upon ripening and once completely ripe has almost no latex left.
REFERENCE:
G.Aravind.,Debjit-Bhownik etal.Traditional and Medicinal Plant Uses of Carica papaya.Journal of Medicinal Plant Studies.2013;1:1-15.
Oloyede, O.L. Chemical profile of unripe pulp of Carica papaya. L.Pak J Nutr.2005;4: 379-381.
Owoyele,B.V(2008).Anti-inflamatory activities of Carica papaya leaves.Onflammopharmacology, 16;168-173.
USDA National Nutrient Database For Standard Reference "Nal.Usda.gov.Retrieved 2010-08-18
Bone Health; Looking Beyond Calcium, Nutrition 411,Last reviewed march 2009, Accessed 20 December 2013.
©2015 Elijah Otor
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