Health benefits of papaya

Abstract

Papaya (Carica papaya L.) is well known for the its exceptional nutritional and medicinal properties throughout the world. From the past, the whole Papaya plant including its leaves, seeds, ripe and unripe fruits and their juice is used as a traditional medicine. The fruit has a large oval shape, yellowish green and yellow flesh. Phytochemically it contains the enzymes papain, chymopapin, which is biologically actives and has medicinal and nutritional value. They also contain carotenoids, alkaloids, monoterpenoids, flavonoids, minerals and vitamins. Nowadays, Papaya is considered as a Nutraceutical fruit due its multifaceted medicinal properties. The important medicinal properties of Papaya include Anti-fertility, Uterotonic, Diuretic, Anti-hypertensive, Hypolipidemic, Anti-helminthic, Wound-healing, Anti-fungal, Anti-bacterial, Anti-tumor and free radical scavenging activities1. Papaya is rich in enzymes papain which is effective against cancer. Papaya leaf extract has been used for a long time in a traditional medicine to treat fever in some infectious disease such as dengue, malaria and chikungunya.