Everyone these days has an unhealthy lifestyle, they consume packed food and intake food supplements that are harmful to the body. The body sometimes needs fresh fruits and cooked food to sustain and develop nutrients in the body. Consuming fresh fruits help the body in preparing itself for the diseases that might harm the body and the immune system. Papaya is an amazing fruit that one can consume for making the body healthy as well as ready to fight diseases.
What is Papaya?
Papaya also is known as Carica Papaya is a tropical fruit that is a native of Mexico and is also available in South America and South Asian countries. It is one of the widely cultivated crops, it’s every part starting from the fruit pulp, seeds to the leaf is very beneficial for the human body. Papaya is required in culinary requirements and medicinal activities by folks. Papaya leaf is used to treat illness and is required to promote health in various other ways.
Can We Drink Papaya Leaf Juice Daily?
Papaya leaf is beneficial for the human body, thus one can consume papaya leaf juice daily. However, as human research in this is lacking thus, it is important to enquire with your doctor or local physician before deciding any intake of papaya leaf juice daily. Papaya leaf juice can be consumed by an adult three times a day but in a limited amount. Adults can drink up to 30 ml before breakfast, 30 ml before lunch, and 30 ml before dinner. It is advised not to increase the quantity to avoid trouble in the stomach and stay away from any side effects. Kids can be given a lesser quantity as compared to adults, which are 5 to 10 ml before all the meal times. It is important to know that one needs to make papaya juice daily and consume fresh papaya juice; it is advised not to keep the juice stored for more than 24 hours.
How to Use Papaya Leaf?
Papaya leaf is easy to use. One can just take some papaya leaves and put them in a blender or mixer and grind together. Dark green juice will be prepared, which is quite bitter, so one can accompany some sugar and jaggery after consuming the juice.
Benefits of papaya juice
May Treat Dengue
Papaya leaf and the fruit is said to treat dengue. Dengue is a mosquito-borne disease, and it has no cure at present. In dengue the platelets in the blood become quite low which can lead to bleeding. Papaya helps in improving and increasing the platelet count in the blood when one is treated during dengue fever. The symptoms of dengue include fatigue, headache, vomiting, nausea, fever, and skin rashes. The papaya leaf is very prominent in treating dengue, it is famous for its medicinal properties that can help in treating dengue.
Help Control Blood Sugar Levels
Papaya leaf is known as a natural therapy for treating diabetes. The papaya fruit and leaf have antioxidant properties and the capacity of lowering the sugar in the blood. The papaya leaf helps the pancreas to protect the insulin-producing cells from dying early. However, research in the area of curing high levels of sugar with papaya fruit and leaves is lacking.
Anti-inflammatory Properties
Papaya and papaya leaf is used to treat various inflammations in the body. These inflammations can be external and internal. The papaya fruit and the leaf contains various anti-inflammatory nutrients such as flavonoids, papain, and Vitamin E. Thus, papaya leaf can help in treating muscle pain, joint papain, and skin rashes. However, scientific evidence is insufficient to understand whether papaya leaf and fruit can be used to treat chronic inflammations.
Support the Digestive System
Papaya leaf and fruit are often used to treat digestive symptoms such as gas, heartburn, and bloating. Papaya leaf contains fiber, a nutrient that can effectively help in the digestion process by acting as a catalyst in the digestion process. Papaya leaf also has a compound known as papain which helps in the breakdown of proteins into smaller proteins and amino acids. Because of this breakdown, the food becomes easy to digest. However, most of the benefits related to papaya leaf are only said to improve the digestion process, but there is no clear research or scientific evidence to support these statements.
Help in Improving Hair Growth
People these days suffer from hair loss a lot, this is because the water or the weather conditions don’t suit them. Hair loss is also due to the high levels of oxidative stress in the body and the scalp. It can be treated by eating antioxidant-rich fruits and related supplements that have papaya in it. Papaya leaf and fruit can be applied on the scalp in the form of a mask. It can also be consumed by eating the fruit or drinking it as a juice. Papaya fruit can help in alleviating oxidative stress and thus improving the hair growth on the scalp. Consuming papaya leaf and fruit can also help in making the scalp and hair healthy, this is because the antioxidant helps in reducing the high amount of oxidative stress in the body and scalp.
Have Anti-Cancer Properties
Papaya leaves are known to treat certain types of cancer. The compound papain forms a protective layer around the cells and stops the cells from getting infected with cancer. The extracts of papaya leaf can help in inhibiting the growth of cancer in the prostate and breasts. This has been found in the test tube studies, thus papaya leaves may stop certain types of cancer. However, there is no clear evidence or research regarding the above statement.
Helps in Making The Skin Healthy
Papain in papaya is a protein that helps in removing the dead skin cells and exfoliating the skin, making it smooth, healthy, and clear. Papaya leaves can be applied on the skin either by cutting the leaf and pulp and using it in the form of extracts or by applying it topically. The enzymes in papaya leaf have been known to promote the healing of wounds, in one of the studies, it was surprising to find that the papaya leaf extracts helped in removing the scar tissues from the skin of rabbits, as curated by the trusted National Centre for Biotechnology Information.
Side Effects of Papaya Leaf
- Disturbs digestive system when consumed in large amounts
Papaya is safe when taken by mouth, most people take it by mixing it in food and meals. Papaya is also safe when it is taken in the form of medicine for curing the problems and diseases in the body. The Papaya Latex is quite unsafe when taken in large amounts from the mouth. Thus, it’s advised not to consume large amounts of papaya latex from the mouth. Papaya latex contains papain which is a protein enzyme that is possibly unsafe when consumed in large quantities, this is because it can harm the esophagus making the digestive system disturbed.
- Papaya Latex is unsafe for application over the skin
Papaya latex is possibly unsafe for application on the skin. It depends on skin to skin. Some skin type is very sensitive, and thus there should be more precaution for sensitive skin types. Application of Papaya latex on the skin can lead to irritation and allergic reaction in some skin types. Thus, it is advised to consider a piece of medical advice before deciding to apply papaya on the skin.
- Precautions to take when consuming papaya in diabetes
The fermented papaya helps in lowering the blood sugar levels. Those people who are having diabetes and taking papaya as a supplement to control the sugar level, actually need to pay close attention to the adjustments that are required for controlling the sugar level. It is advised that one must not take papaya in case a person has a low blood sugar level already because in that case, it will lower the blood sugar level more leading to fatigue and making conditions fatal and life-threatening.
- People suffering from underactive thyroid need to be cautious while consuming papaya
People who suffer from underactive thyroid need to be extra careful while consuming papaya. There are known concerns that eating large amounts of latex papaya and papaya as a fruit as well can make the conditions worse, making the body sicker and worsening the situation and condition of the thyroid. When the body suffers from thyroid the whole body becomes sensitive and vulnerable thus eating papaya in underactive thyroids will make the conditions worse.
- People who have latex allergy should avoid papaya
People who are allergic to latex or have sensitivity in their body when it comes to consuming latex in any form, it is possible that a person might have an allergy to papaya as well. Papaya contains higher levels of latex and if consumed by people who are latex allergic it can have fatal results. In these situations, the allergic person might start to have irritation in the body, and might require professional medical help. Thus it is advised to once check with your doctor if you can consume papaya and in what amounts.
- People who might undergo surgery are advised to stop the consumption of Papaya
Papaya helps in lowering the sugar level in the blood, so if you are possibly going under a surgery it is advised that you stop the consumption of papaya so that the sugar level of blood doesn’t get disturbed.
- Papain allergic people are advised to stop the consumption of papaya
It is advised that people who are allergic to papain stop the consumption of papaya. Papain is a protein enzyme that is beneficial for digestion, but those who are allergic to papain are advised not to take the risk of consuming papaya, thus is because papaya contains a high amount of papain. Thus, precautions are better than cures.
Can It Be Taken During Pregnancy?
Pregnancy is one of the crucial, sensitive, and vulnerable stages in a woman’s life. In this stage, it is required to be cautious before consuming anything. Papaya is possibly unsafe when taken during pregnancy and breastfeeding. The pregnant woman is advised to avoid the consumption of papaya or supplements that contain papaya. It is also said that do not take papaya in medicinal amounts if you are pregnant. Papain, the protein enzyme that acts as a catalyst during digestion plays a big role here. It is said that unprocessed papain can poison the fetus. It is also said that consuming papaya or large amounts of unprocessed papain can lead to birth defects in the fetus. There is no evidence in terms of the consumption of papaya advised during breastfeeding. Thus it is advised to consume only that much papaya that is included in the food.
It is advised to be on the safe side, and refrain from large amounts of papaya other than the amount that is present in everyday food and meals. There is however no reliable information neither any research that effectively showcases the risks that are attached to papaya consumption during pregnancy, thus it is possibly unsafe to consume papaya during pregnancy and breastfeeding. It is advised to consult a doctor before thinking of consuming papaya during pregnancy because there might be allergies and one would be warned of possible complications that might take place. This will help in making the mother and child safe from any harm that can be caused by consuming papaya.
Conclusion
Papaya is a beneficial and nutritious fruit, it has a variety of benefits mentioned above, but at the same time, it can have some side effects too. It is said that too much of anything is harmful always, so it is advised to always consult medical help before consuming papaya.
Sources:
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/papaya-leaf
- https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-488/papaya
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3757281/
