8 HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF PAWPAW (PAPAYA)

Pawpaw is a very tasty and delicious fruit that is common in the tropics. In other countries, it is called papaya. Pawpaw has so many health benefits to offer such as improving wound healing and lowering hypertension. Consuming fruits and vegetables has been scientifically proven to reduce the risk of many diseases we face today.

Some of the nutritional content of pawpaw include:

• Vitamin C
• folate
• Vitamin A
• Fiber
• Magnesium
• Copper
• Pantothenic acid
• Alpha and beta carotene
• Vitamin E
• Calcium
• Potassium
• Vitamin K
• Lycopene (1)

1 Relieves constipation and improves digestion
Pawpaw is rich in fiber and water, which eases digestion and helps to maintain a healthy digestive tract.

WH foods have also reported that papaya contains papain, an enzyme that helps in digesting proteins and is in its highest concentration when the fruit is unripe. Papain has been extracted and used in making digestive supplements (2) 

2 Cancer prevention
The consumption of pawpaw has been shown to reduce the risk of developing colon cancer and prostate cancer. The anti-oxidant beta-carotene is responsible for these anti cancer potential. 

Some studies have also showed that eating papaya reduces the growth rate of breast cancer cells (3).

3 Promoting the healing of wounds

When pawpaw is applied topically, it is able to promote the healing of wounds. Pawpaw further helps in preventing burnt areas of the skin from being infected. This beneficial effects have been associated with papain, which is found in pawpaw. Ointments and creams that contain papain as an ingredient have been used to treat bed sores.

One study revealed that the pulp of ripe papaya is beneficial for wound healing when applied topically (4).

4 Healthy Hair
Pawpaw contains vitamin A which is very important for a healthy hair. Vitamin A helps in the growth of our hair and skin. Vitamin A also helps in the production of sebum, which naturally keeps our hair moisturized so that it doesn’t become brittle and dry.

5 Antibacterial properties
Both ripe and unripe papaya have antibacterial potentials against gram negative and gram positive bacteria (5). This is very beneficial in the treatment of wounds and infections caused by bacteria. 

6 Reducing the risk of developing hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases
Papaya juice is able to mean arterial pressure more than blood pressure medications like Hydralazine in hypertensive rats (6). 

Furthermore, the potassium, fiber and vitamin content of pawpaw helps to reduce the risk of developing hypertension. This is because potassium negates the effects of excess sodium which is one of the causes for increased blood pressure. When making dietary changes to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, it is important to eat more potassium and eat less sodium.

7 Weight loss

Pawpaw is rich in fiber and water. Eating fruits that are high in fiber and water makes you fuller which is an important aspect of weight loss.

Further reading: How to lose weight fast

8 Liver protection
Papaya extract has been shown to protect the liver from being damaged by chemicals (7). These chemicals could come from the environment or from some of our processed foods. 

  

Both ripe and unripe pawpaw have similar health benefits. Papaya can be consumed raw or when cooked. Ripe papaya is often added to fruit salad, smoothies or is eaten with lemon|lime juice. 

You may be interested in this: How to use papaya leaves to prevent Breast cancer