Date: 04/04/2023 Shift: Q. No: 68

Papaya is the healthiest fruit with a list of properties that is long and exhaustive. Mostly grown in the tropical regions of the world, papaya is generally considered a goldmine of nutrition, so much so that the famous explorer Christopher Columbus referred to it as the ‘fruit of the angels’.
Papaya is not just known as a delicious fruit but is also known for its medicinal and nutritional values. It is considered a storehouse of natural fibres, carotene, vitamin C and essential minerals, which lower the level of cholesterol and prevent heart diseases. It contains an important digestive enzyme called papain, which helps in digestion. The enzyme is similar to pepsin in its digestive action and is said to be so powerful that it can digest 200 times its own weight in protein. It assists the body in assimilating the maximum nutritional value from food to provide energy and body-building materials.
Papain in raw papaya makes up for the deficiency of gastric juice and fights excess of unhealthy mucus in the stomach, dyspepsia and intestinal irritation. The ripe fruit, if eaten regularly, corrects habitual constipation, bleeding piles and chronic diarrhoea.
The juice, used as a cosmetic, removes freckles or brown spots due to exposure to sunlight and makes the skin smooth and delicate. A paste of papaya seeds is applied in skin diseases like those caused by ringworm. The black seeds of the papaya are highly beneficial in the treatment of cirrhosis of the liver caused by alcoholism. It is also believed that papaya seeds can also be used as an anti-inflammatory agent. A tablespoonful of its juice, combined with a hint of fresh lime juice, should be consumed once or twice daily for a month. The fresh juice of raw papaya mixed with honey can be applied over inflamed tonsils for diphtheria and other throat disorders. It dissolves the membrane and prevents infection from spreading.
Papaya thus has a number of uses. You can munch on it as a salad, have it cooked or boiled or just drink it in the form of a milkshake or juice.