Papaya/papita - Health benefits, application, chemical constituents and many more

               Papaya/papita

papaya is a well-known fruit worldwide, and its highest production occurs in tropical and subtropical regions. It is well known for its exceptional nutritional and medicinal properties throughout the world. This tasty fruit of Papaya is popular among family members of all ages for the delicious dishes derived from it. Papaya have bisexual flower on different plants.

Papaya, a juicy and tasty fruit, belonging to family Caricaceae is scientifically known as Carica papaya L. It is grown in various parts of  the world, including India, tropical America and Europe. Papaya tree is basically a short lived Indian tree. In the historic times, it was considered as an exotic fruit because of  its  buttery taste and appearance. 

It shows Antioxidant, Diuretic, Anti-hypertensive, Hypolipidemic, Anti-helmintic, Wound-healing, Anti-fungal, Anti-bacterial property.

Click here for more information about Anti-oxidant and free radical

It has different names in different languages such as Marathi name(papaya, popai),  Hindi name(Papita, andakharbuja, papaya, papeetha),  English name(Papaya fruit, melon tree, papain, papaya, paw paw),  Tamil Name(Pappali, pappali phalam, parangi aamanakku, poppayi, cittamukkikamaram, kapakkini maram),  Telugu name(Boppayi, bapaipundoo, bappayi, boppayi,poppaya),  Malayalam name(apappaya pazham, kaplam, kappalam, karmmos, papaya pazham),  Kannada Name(Parangimara, akka thangi hannu, bappangaayi, papaya, peragi, parangi hannu mara, poppaya, Pappayi hannu), Bengali Name(Papeya),  Urdu name(arand kharbuza),  Persian name(aanabahe-hindi),  Arabic name(aanabahe-hindi)

Parts plant used

whole Papaya plant including its leaves, seeds, ripe and unripe fruits and their juice is used.

Vitamin and mineral content

Vitamin : A, C, E, K, B1, B5, B9, B2, B3

Mineral : Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sodium, Zinc

Enzymes : papain  and  chymopapain,  glutamine  cyclotransferase,  peptidase  A  and  B  and lysozymes

Carotenoids : β carotene, crytoxanthin, violaxanthin, zeaxanthin

Alkaloids : Carpinine, carpaine, pseudocarpaine, vitamin C and E, choline, carposid

Monoterpenoids : 4-terpineol, linalool, linalool oxide

Flavonoids : quercetin, myricetin, kaempferol

Glucosinolates: benzyl  isothiocyanate,  benzylthiourea,  β-sitosterol,  papaya  oil,  caricin  and  an enzyme myrosin

• Raw papaya pulp contains 88% water, 11% carbohydrates, fibre and negligible fat and protein. Fresh papaya fruit contains 87.67% moisture content.

• The oil extracted from the seed principally presents oleic fatty acid followed by palmitic, linoleic and stearic acids, whereas the leaves have high contents of food fibers and polyphenolic compounds, flavonoids, saponins, pro-anthocyanins, tocopherol, and benzyl isothiocyanate.

• papaya contains many biologically active compounds. Two important compounds are Papain and Chymopapain, which aid in digestion. Papain is also used to treat arthritis.

                      - Female and hermaphrodite trees yield cruder papain than male trees and older  fruits yield more papain than younger.

                      - Activity of the papain is higher in the extracts from the younger fruits than the  older fruits. 

                      - Papain and fibrin helps in thinning of the blood and inhibits clotting

• Phytochemically, the whole plant contains enzymes (Papain), carotenoids, alkaloids, monoterpenoids, flavonoids, minerals and vitamins.

                     - phytochemicals  from  male and female trees differ in the quantity of the compounds. For  example,  phenolic  compounds  tend  to  be  higher  in male  trees  than   female  trees.  

• The  quantity of fresh Papaya latex and dry latex (crude papain) varies with the sex of the tree and the age of the tree.  

                     - The latex contains a mixture of endopeptidases rich in cysteine: papain, chymopapain A and B, endopeptidase papain III and IV.

• Carpaine in papayas, slows the heart rate in humans and thus reduces blood pressure. Its action is similar to the drug prescribed for heart patients, digitalis. The alkaloid is reported to be able to kill worms and amoebas.

Phytochemical Composition
Pulp	Seeds	Leaves
Glutathione peroxidase Glutathione transferase Glutathione reductase Catalase Glucose-6-phosphate Total phenols Terpenols Alkaloids Flavonoids Saponins	Benzyl isothiocyanate glucosinolates Fatty acids oleic, palmitic, linoleic and stearic Tocopherols (α and δ) β-cryptoxanthine β-carotene Carotenoids Phenolic compounds	Polyphenols Flavonoids Saponins Pro-anthocyanin Lycopene Tocopherol Benzyl isothiocyanate

Properties and benefits

Properties

• Rasa(Taste) of leaf – Katu (Pungent),Tikta (Bitter)

• Guna(Properties) – Laghu (Light for digestion), Ruksa (Dry), Tikshna (Pungent)

• Taste conversation after digestion – Katu(pungent)

• Veerya(Potency) – Ushna (Hot)

• Effect on Tridosha – pacifies Kapha, pitta(less) and Vatadosha

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Benefits in

• Hrudya – cardiac tonic/good for heart

• Grahi – absorbent, bowel binding, useful in IBS, diarrhoea

• Kasa – cold, cough

• Shwasa – asthma, respiratory disorders involving difficulty in breathing

• Yakrutodara – Liver enlargement, hepatomegaly

• Pleehodara – splenomegaly, enlarged spleen

• Mandagni – low digestion strength

• Shotha – oedema, swelling, inflammatory conditions.

• Visha – toxic conditions

• Pacifies burning sensation within the body and body parts; controls the fever. Controls the raktapitta condition [bleeding diathesis].

Benefits, uses, application

1) The ripened fruit of papaya is consumed to relieve constipation.

               - Ripe fruit consumed regularly helps in habitual constipation. 

2) The ripe fruit, when eaten fresh, improves digestion and is reported to have a complimentary laxative effect.

               - Papaya helps in the digestion of proteins as it is a rich source of proteolytic enzymes.

               - It effectively treats and improves mostly all types of digestive and abdominal disorders.

               - papain is a digestive enzyme found in papaya is extracted, dried as a powder and used as an aid in digestion. 

3) It is used as a disinfectant and as an anti-ulcer medicine. 

4) The papaya fruit is consumed to strengthen the muscles of the heart.

5) The raw papaya is consumed as vegetable to treat intestinal worm, piles and hepatomegaly.

6) Papaya fruit reduces swelling, fever and adhesions after surgery.

7) The milk of the raw papaya is applied over insect bites, wounds, bleeding piles, scorpion bitten area to relieve the pain and to treat it.

             - Leaves are used for dressing wounds and injuries.

             - Skin and pulp poultice of papaya shows good wound healing.

8) The milk of raw papaya is applied locally to relieve skin diseases like eczema, ringworm.

9) The cold infusion prepared from the leaves of papaya is given in a dose of 20-30 ml to treat local swelling, fever, difficulty during micturition.

10) The leaves of the papaya plant are slightly heated and applied locally over the part of the body to relieve pain and swelling.

11) Papaya seeds are made into fine powder and administered in the dose of 5-6 grams, in the empty stomach to remove or destroy parasitic worms.

            - The black seeds of the papaya are edible and have a sharp, spicy taste. They are sometimes ground and used as a substitute for black pepper.

12) Green fruits of papaya are used to treat high blood pressure, dyspepsia, constipation, amenorrhoea, general debility, expel worms.

 

13) Papaya leaves has numberless benefits, in some parts of Asia young leaves are steamed and eaten like spinach.

14) For Dengue fever : According to study it is concluded that papaya leaf juice helps increase white blood cells and platelets, normalizes clotting, and repairs the liver. Eating papaya fruit also increase platelets. 

                  - Compared with the seeds and pulp, the concentrations of vitamins and minerals are different in the leaves, because they play an important role in fruit development.

15) Papaya peel with little honey and milk moisturizes the skin and protects soothe.

            Click here for more information about Honey

16) Peel face mask also helps to reduce dark spots.

17) Unripe papaya fruit is used as contraceptive in some Asian countries.

18) Eating at least 200gm of ripe fruit, eliminate acid reflux.

19) A decoction formed by boiling the outer part of the roots Cure of dyspepsia.

20) Applying raw papaya juice eliminate many skin problems with this it help in removing dead worn-out skin cells and replace it with healthy new cells, thereby improves or maintain skin tone and premature aging of skin.

21) papaya demonstrated, in recovery from toxic effects on the liver, are the decrease in hepatic damage with the increase in antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), and catalase in the liver and decreases in the enzymes alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP)

22) For people who consume excess of proteins like meat or protein supplements, having a few slices of Papaya can help in easy digestion of proteins. It contains Papain, a phytochemical which acts as proteolytic. It helps in easy breaking down of proteins. 

24) Papaya is also very good for weigh loss because of its high fiber and Anti-oxidant content and being hot in nature increase metabolism in very less amount. 

      

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Reference :

1) Dravya Guna Vigyan - Book

2) sciencedirect.com

3) INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH JOURNAL OF PHARMACY ; ISSN 2230 – 8407

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14) Bhavaprakash Nighatu

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