Papaya is a delicious tropical fruit which has a great taste, mouthwatering flavor and great health benefits. Originally from the tropics of America the taste and its numerous health benefits made it popular in all the continents.
Papaya enjoys a rich history, and has been used since very long for medicinal uses in day to day life. The Mayans used to worship papaya trees and called it the “Tree of Life”. It is said to be one of the favourite fruits of Christopher Columbus. The story goes that when his crew landed in America after a long sea voyage on meager meal, the native people welcomed them with extravagant feast, which caused digestive problems. The natives took the voyagers to the forest and offered them papaya and they got cured. The leaves, seeds and the milk of the papaya tree are used to cure intestinal problems and kill intestinal worms and parasites. Women from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh use them to prevent pregnancy and for abortion. Above all, papaya is a very delicious food that has been enjoyed lavishly by people as a part of cuisines and salads.
Nutritional Values of Papaya:
Papaya comes loaded with nutrients. Every part of a papaya tree, from the fruit to the leaves contains some medicinal properties. The nutritional values of papaya per 100 grams are:
VITAMINS
Vitamin A : 1,750 I.U
Vitamin B : Thiamine 0.03 mg.
Riboflavin : 0.04 mg.
Niacin : 0.3 mg.
Vitamin C : 56 mg.
Also contains Vitamin E and K.
MINERALS
Calcium : 20 mg.
Iron : 0.3 mg.
Phosphorus : 16 mg.
Potassium : 470 mg.
FAT : 0.1 gm.
CAROHYDRATES : 10gm.
PROTEIN : 0.6gm.
CALORIES : 39
Health Benefits of Papaya:
Papaya is great for the skin and can be used as a face pack to get its benefits. It helps to get rid of acne and it helps to open clogged pores. The fermented flesh of papaya also called as papain helps to dissolve the dead cells, giving fresh and glowing skin as a result.
Papaya is a fruit that is rich in fiber and lowers cholesterol levels. It contains enzymes that help prevent oxidization of cholesterol, which in return helps to prevent heart-attacks.
The antioxidants in papaya help in controlling premature ageing. This quality of the papaya helps you to get a younger look.
The seeds of papaya too possess medicinal properties. They are very good in treating intestinal worms in the body.
Papaya helps in preventing constipation and aids in digestion. The enzyme papain is a digestive enzyme that helps in natural digestion.
Papaya juice helps in curing infections of the colon by clearing the pus and mucus from it. You need to take it regularly to heal quickly.
Papaya is good to cure the skin infections and wounds that don’t heal quickly.
It is low in calories and high in nutritional values. Hence, it is a good food for those who want to lose some weight.
For pregnant ladies, regular consumption of a small slice of papaya helps to cure nausea and morning sickness.
Papaya contains anti-inflammatory enzymes that help in relieving pain for those who are suffering from arthritis, edema and osteoporosis, and it also possesses anti-cancerous properties that can help preventing cancer.
Papaya is rich in Vitamin A and Vitamin C that helps in boosting the body’s immunity and hence is very good for those who are suffering from fever, cold or flu.
Shampoos that contain papaya are very good to control dandruff.
Raw papaya helps in controlling the menstrual irregularities in women. Papaya helps to ease menstrual cramps and helps in promoting regular flow of menstruation.
Here were some good reasons to eat papaya at least once in a week. Papaya can be taken with fruit salads, or in other cuisines or can be applied directly on the skin, it is bound to show some positive results and benefit your health.
Papaya Contains Antioxidants
One of the benefits of eating papaya is that it helps to prevent cancer. Papaya is a rich source of antioxidants that the body needs to fight against cancer-causing cells. Vitamin C, E and beta-carotenes are antioxidants that prevent all kinds of cancers. So adding a daily serving of papaya to your diet may lessen your risk of developing cancer.
Papaya is Used to Treat Digestive Disorders
Papaya is a great source of proteolytic enzymes that are very important in digesting food. The most important of these proteolytic enzymes found in papaya is papain. Papain breaks down proteins in food, allowing for better digestion. Papain is used in prescription of digestive enzymes to treat individuals with cystic fibrosis or pancreatic conditions; producing for them what the body cannot produce naturally. Eating papaya is also a benefit because papain taken orally treats less serious digestion disorders such as bloating and chronic indigestion. In these cases papain is extracted, dried and sold as tablets.
Papaya Boosts Male Virility
Another great benefit of papaya is to boost male virility. Papaya contains an enzyme called arginine which is known in the medically community to boost blood flow around the penis. Arginine boosts nitric acid in the body to relax the muscles surrounding the blood vessels tat supply the penis. These blood vessels then dilate and increase blood flow. A more concentrated form of arginine is used to treat erectile dysfunction.
Papaya Prevents Premature Aging
Many alternative medical practitioners believe that one of the benefits of papaya is to control premature aging. Papaya helps the body to properly digest food and when the body digests all the nutrients it needs, the body will remain vital for a long time.
Papaya is Used as a Cleanser
Taking a quarter pint (150ml) of papaya juice, cucumber juice and green bean juice in alternating hours for 12 hours can be a benefit to your colon. These juices work as potent natural cleansers when combined.
Papaya is also rich in fiber, which travels through the body and binds itself to cancer-causing toxins in the colon. The fiber in papaya flushes out the toxins in the colon and so one of the benefits of papaya is that it helps prevent colon cancer especially, due to its antioxidants and its fiber content.
Papaya Prevents Heart Attacks and Strokes
The antioxidants in papaya prevent cholesterol from oxidizing. When cholesterol becomes oxidized it forms plaque in the blood vessel walls that can eventually build up and cause a heart attack or stroke.
Also, fiber is known to lower cholesterol. The fiber in papaya converts a substance called homocysteine into harmless amino acids that the body can process, but without the breakdown, homocysteine can eventually damage blood vessel walls, causing strokes or heart attacks.
Papaya Treats Inflammation
Papain and chymopapain, protein-digestive enzymes found in papaya lowers inflammation and improve healing from burns. Papain breaks down the inactive proteins in the skin, removing dead tissue from burns. This benefits the body as it helps heal skin injuries, relieves psoriasis, removes warts, treats ringworms and cold sores.
Also vitamins C, E and beta carotenes are good at reducing inflammation and as such these nutrients are used to treat asthma, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis among many other inflammatory ailments.
