Papaya As a Healing Food

The papaya is a tropical fruit that originated in Mexico and is now found in every tropical country. Also known as paw-paw (Australia), mamao (Brazil), and tree melon, the papaya is a fast-growing, short-lived, woody, "weed" that grows to perhaps 10 or 12 feet (3 or 4 meters) tall. This tropical fruit requires constant warmth for growth. Its flavor is similar to cantaloupe, with a musky smell. Papayas must be stored at temperatures above 45º F (7º C).

Papayas consumed in the United States are grown in Hawaii and Mexico. Hawaiian papayas are pear-shaped, show a yellow skin when they are ripe, and generally weight about 1 pound (450 g). The flesh inside Hawaiian papayas is pink or orange, with clusters of tiny black seeds in the center.

Mexican papayas mature to sizes much larger than their Hawaiian cousins, up to 2 feet (70 cm) long and weighing up to 15 pounds (7 kg). Their flesh may be orange, yellow, or pink. Hawaiian papayas tend to have a more concentrated flavor than papayas from Mexico.

The seeds of both varieties are edible and taste like black pepper. The digestive enzyme papain, associated with papaya, is extracted from the leaf, which is not edible, and is not found in the fruit.

Alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, vitamin A, and related chemicals are abundant in papayas. Community outreach programs in Indonesia have promoted regular consumption of the fruit as an inexpensive and successful means of preventing vitamin A deficiency symptoms, especially "dry eye," in children. Epidemiologists in the state of Kerala in India have found that regular consumption of papayas is associated with 56 percent reduction in the incidence of bladder cancer.

Fermented papaya preparation (FPP), which combines papayas with fermenting agents used to make miso, has become a popular health food in Japan, where it is used to prevent flu in the elderly and has recently been shown to prevent epileptic seizures in laboratory animals. In the United States, FPP has been FDA-approved under the label "Papaya Dietary Supplement."

Try a lutein-, lycopene, and beta-carotene rich Papaya Relish Recipe or read about Diet & Breast Cancer. Robert Rister is the author or co-author of nine books on natural health.