Papaya Leaf
Also known as- Carica papaya, Custard Apple Leaf.
Introduction
The papaya is a small tropical tree with a straight stem marked by scars where leaves have fallen directly from it. Papayas do not have branches.
The papaya fruit is pear-shaped with a bright golden-yellow skin. The flesh of the fruit is a brighter orange-yellow, juicy and silky smooth, with a sweet and sour flavor. The shiny gray or black seeds in the interior of the fruit have a peppery taste and are edible, although they are usually discarded.
The papaya is an extraordinarily useful plant. In the tropics around the world papaya is the breakfast fruit, served either green or ripe. The juice is a popular beverage, and the leaves and young stems are steamed and served as a vegetable. The fruit yields an enzyme, papain, best known as a digestive aid but most commonly used to "clear" freshly brewed beer. The latex is used as a freckle remover, and the seed has antibacterial action against Bacillus cereus, Escherischia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Shigella flexneri. The leaves have been used as a substitute for soap, and for dressing wounds.
Constituents
The leaf contains beta-carotene, calcium, carpaine, fats, flavonols, niacin, papain, tannins, and vitamin C (in higher concentration in the leaf than in the fruit). The leaf, unlike the fruit, is not a source of the protein-dissolving enzyme papain, but the latex (sap) in the leaf stem is. Papain remains in leaf preparations that have been dried over low heat, but it may be destroyed in products that are dried at high heat.
Parts Used
Dried leaf.
Typical Preparations
Infusions or teas, taken in small doses. For convenience it may be taken as a capsule or extract.
Summary
Physicians of nineteenth century America used papaya leaf to treat "fermentative indigestion," a condition of bloating, nausea, and flatulence frequently following excessive consumption of fermented foods. King's Dispensatory noted that teas (decoctions) of papaya leaf helped reduce the oxalic acid content of the urine, presumably reducing the formation of oxalic acid kidney stones.
The primary use of papaya leaf in herbal medicine today is as a vermifuge, that is, to remove intestinal worms. Papaya leaf has less of the protein-dissolving papain than the fruit, so it is less likely to "dissolve" the worms, but it contains tannins that the fruit does not. These tannins protect the intestine from reinfection by "tanning" proteins in the lining of the intestinal wall so that worms cannot attach themselves.
Precautions
Avoid overdosing. Excessive use of the herb can result in a very strong laxative effect.
