The papaya originated on the lowlands above the limestone shelves of eastern Central America, where it still grows wild today. In the 1500s, Spanish and Portuguese sailors took to the fruit and spread it to their other settlements in the West and East Indies. The papaya was then taken to the tropical Pacific Islands. Eventually the papaya reached all tropical regions. Hardier varieties even grow in some subtropical locales.
Papaya trees may grow to be 10 meters (30 feet) tall. They look somewhat like palms with their characteristic branchless tree trunk shaft. Atop this shaft rests a radiating crest of giant uniquely cut leaves, beneath which a cluster of fruits is typically found. The large ovoid fruit grows like a melon and can range in size from 0.5 to 9 kilograms (1 to 20 pounds).
The papaya tree is an amazingly generous producer of fruit. In mineral-rich tropical regions, papayas can grow from a seed to a fruiting, seed-bearing plant in nine months!
Varying widely in size, shape, and color, the most common varieties of papaya are yellow, orange, or red-skinned. Hawaiian papayas are a bit smaller than other varieties. The Hawaiian fruits are fist-sized and pack a strawberry-like flavor. Mexican papayas grow much larger. One Mexican variety I often purchase in Tijuana is the rosa “red” papaya, which has a high enzyme content.
The sweet flesh of the papaya is melon-like, yet softer. In the center of the fruit rest edible, yet very spicy, black peppercorn-like seeds. In their flesh, papayas contain a large quantity of alkaline minerals (especially calcium), vitamin A (unusual for a fruit), and a high concentration of collagen-healing vitamin C.
Papayas cleanse and soothe the digestive tract. They help calm indigestion and alleviate flatulence. After eating two medium-sized papayas each day for a week, one will feel remarkably cleansed from the inside out. Papayas greatly enhance skin beauty, nail strength, and hair luster. Raw-foodists who eat papaya regularly develop radiant, glowing eyes.
In many countries, especially Mexico, papaya juice is a favorite delicacy. The juice can be applied topically to lighten freckles and nourish the skin. As a food, it makes for a tasty, cleansing, nourishing beverage that retains all the properties of the fruit flesh.
Unripe to three-quarters-ripe papayas contain a high concentration of a unique protease enzyme called papain. Protease is a proteinsplitting enzyme similar to the stomach enzyme pepsin. Papain is renowned for its anti-cancer and skin-cleansing properties. The enzyme is present in the fresh milky juice of the unripe fruit, and in the brownish powder that remains after the milky juice dries. Very little of this enzyme is found in the fully ripe fruit.
Due to their remarkable skin-enhancing qualities, papaya enzymes have come into vogue in the cosmetic skin-care industry. Remember, the skin is nourished by a diet rich in enzymes (from raw foods) and minerals. When half-ripe papayas are both eaten and applied to the skin, their enzymes soften and dissolve dead skin layers, while simultaneously the alkaline minerals nourish and support the creation of healthy skin. The enzymes immediately set to work tightening the skin’s collagen tissue. Enzymes are capable of protecting and repairing elastic collagen fibers, which both protect us against wrinkles and alleviate existing skin damage.
—Papaya Facial Treatment—
To cleanse and clarify the skin, obtain three-quarters-ripe papayas, cut the fruit, and rub your face with the fruit. The more unripe the fruit, the stronger the enzymes will be. Beware: if the enzymes are too strong, they can burn the skin, particularly the delicate membranes around the eyes and lips. Let the fruit soak in for five to ten minutes before washing. After a treatment with papaya, the complexion appears youthful, radiant, and fresh.
—Papaya Healing Properties—
Papain has anti-cancer properties, as the enzymes eat the protein-laden material surrounding certain cancerous tumors. Half-ripe papayas are typically prescribed by raw-food nutritionists for women with breast cancer. This is because the enzyme content is higher, and the sugar content of the fruit is lower (low-sugar diets are generally recommended for cancer).
Recent research demonstrates that eating papayas reduces the risk of atherosclerosis, strokes, and heart attacks. This is partially due to carpaine, an alkaloid compound in papayas with anti-tumor properties and organ-healing qualities. Carpaine lowers the concentration of fats and cholesterol in the blood stream. It also helps to regenerate a hardened, dysfunctional liver.
—Anti-Parasite Properties—
The black “peppercorn” seeds inside the papaya may be eaten. They have a sulfur-rich peppery taste, much like wild mustard, arugula, and watercress. One tablespoon of seeds chewed up each day can both guard against and flush out parasites. This is especially important to know if one is (or has been) travelling or living in the tropics.
Papaya seeds can be used either fresh or dried. For maximum effectiveness, one tablespoon of fresh seeds should be chewed well and eaten once a day on an empty stomach. If the taste of plain seeds is too strong, mix with dates or honey. Dried or fresh seeds may also be blended into drinking water. As an anti-parasite program, consume papaya seeds once a day for a week, and then repeat the treatment two weeks later. If traveling in parasite-friendly tropical regions, papaya seeds should be eaten every day.
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