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Papaya

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Papaya (disambiguation).

The

papaya

(fromCaribviaSpanish) is thefruitof theplant

Carica papaya

, in the genus

Carica

. It is nativeto the tropics of the Americas, and was cultivated inMexicoseveral centuries before the emergence of theMesoamerican classic cultures. It is sometimes called a "big melon" or a "paw paw" but the North Americanpawpawis a different species, in the genus

Asimina

.It is a large tree-like plant, the single stem growing from 5 to 10 meters tall, with spirally arrangedleaves confined to the top of the trunk; the lower trunk is conspicuously scarred where leaves and fruit were borne.The leaves are large, 50-

70 cm diameter, deeply palmately lobed with 7 lobes. The tree is usually

unbranched if unlopped. Theflowersare similar in shape to the flowers of the

Plumeria

but are much smallerand wax like. They appear on the axils of the leaves, maturing into the large 15-

45 cm long, 10

30 cm

diameter fruit. The fruit is ripe when it feels soft (like a ripeavocadoor a bit softer) and its skin has attainedan amber to orange hue. The fruit's taste is vaguely similar topineappleandpeach, although much milder without the tartness.It is the first fruit tree to have its genome deciphered.

[1]

Cultivation and uses of papaya

Originally from southernMexico, Puerto Rico,Central Americaand northernSouth America, the papaya is now cultivated in most countries with atropical climate, such asBrazil,India,South Africa,Sri Lanka,Haiti, andSoutheast Asia.Theripefruit is usually eatenraw, without theskinorseeds. The unripe green fruit of papaya can be eaten cooked, usually incurries,saladsandstews. It also has a relatively high amount ofpectin, which can be used to make jellies.Green papaya fruit and the tree'slatexare both rich in an enzyme calledpapain, aproteasewhich is useful intenderizing meatand other proteins. Its ability to break down tough meatfiberswas utilized for thousands of years byindigenousAmericans. It is included as a component in powdered meat tenderizers, and is also marketed in tablet form to remedydigestiveproblems. Green papaya isused inThai cuisine, both raw and cooked.

[2]

Papainis also popular (in countries where it grows) as a topical application in the treatment of cuts,rashes, stings and burns. Papainointmentis commonly made from fermented papaya flesh, and isapplied as a gel-like paste.Harrison Fordwas treated for aruptured discincurred during filming of

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

by papain injections.

[3]

Womenin India,Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and other parts of the world have long used green papaya as a folk remedyforcontraceptionandabortion.

[

citation needed

]

Enslaved women in the West Indies arealso noted for consuming papaya to prevent pregnancies and thus preventing their children frombeing born into slavery. Medical research in animals has confirmed the contraceptive andabortifacient capability of papaya, and also found that papaya seeds have contraceptive effects inadult malelangur monkeys, possibly in adult male humans as well.

[4]

Unripe papaya is especiallyeffective in large amounts or high doses. Papaya is notteratogenicand will not causemiscarriagein small, ripe amounts.Phytochemicalsin papaya may suppress the effects ofprogesterone.

[5]

The stem and the bark are also used in rope production.The black seeds are edible and have a sharp,spicytaste. They are sometimes ground up and usedas a substitute forblack pepper. In some parts of Asia the youngleavesof papaya aresteamedand eaten likespinach. In parts of the world papaya leaves are made into tea as a preventative forMalaria, though there is no real scientific evidence for the effectiveness of this treatment.

[6]

The papaya fruit is susceptible to thePapaya Fruit Fly. This wasp-like fly lays its eggs in young fruit.In cultivation it grows rapidly fruiting within 3 years, however it is highly frost sensitive.In the 1990s, two varieties of papaya, SunUp and Rainbow, that had beengenetically-modifiedto beresistant to the papaya ring spot virus, were introduced intoHawaii.

[7]

By 2004, non-geneticallymodified and organic papayas throughout Hawaii had experienced widespread contamination fromthe genetically-modified varieties.

[8]

Allergies and side-effects

Contents

[hide]

1 Cultivation and uses of papaya2 Allergies and side-effects 3 Medicinal potential 3.1 Diseases 4 Names in other languages 5 Photo gallery 6 Notes and references 7 See also 8 External links

This section

does notciteanyreferences or sources

. Please helpimprove this articleby addingcitations toreliable sources. Unsourced material may bechallengedandremoved.

(May 2009)

[edit]

Papaya, raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy

40 kcal 160 kJ

Carbohydrates

9.81 g-

Sugars 5.90 g

-Dietary fibre

1.8 g

Fat

0.14 g

Protein

0.61 gVitamin A

equiv. 55 μg

6%-beta-carotene

276 μg

3%Thiamine (Vit. B1)

0.04 mg

3%Riboflavin (Vit. B2)

0.05 mg

3%Niacin (Vit. B3)

0.338 mg

2%Vitamin B6

0.1 mg

8%Vitamin C

61.8 mg

103%Calcium

24 mg

2%Iron

0.10 mg

1%Magnesium

10 mg 3%

Phosphorus

5 mg

1%Potassium

257 mg

5%Sodium

3 mg

Percentages are relative to USrecommendationsfor adults.

[edit]

Papaya

Papaya tree and fruit, from Koehler's

Medicinal-Plants

(1887)

Scientific classification

Kingdom:Plantae (unranked):Angiosperms(unranked):Eudicots (unranked):Rosids Order:Brassicales Family:Caricaceae Genus:

Carica

Species:

C. papaya

Binomial name

Carica papaya

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Papaya is frequently used for hair conditioner but should be used in small proportions. Caution should be taken when harvesting, as papaya isknown to release a latex fluid when not quite ripe, which can cause irritation and provoke allergic reaction in some people. The papaya fruit,seeds, latex, and leaves also containscarpaine, ananthelmintic alkaloid(a drug that removes parasitic worms from the body) which can be dangerous in high doses.It is speculated that unripe papayas may causemiscarriagedue to its latex content that may cause uterine contractions which may lead to amiscarriage, though this has never been proven. Papaya seed extracts in large doses showed to have a contraceptive effect on rats and monkeys,but in small doses were shown to have no effect on the unborn animals.Excessive consumption of papaya, as of carrots, can causecarotenemia, the yellowing of soles and palms which is otherwise harmless.

[

citation needed

]

Medicinal potential

The juice has been seen to have an antiproliferative effect on liver cancer cells cultured in the laboratory,probably due to its component oflycopene.

[10]

Papaya seed could be used as an effective antibacterial agent forEscherichia coli,Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, although further research is needed before advocating large-scale therapy.

[11]

2 Raw, Fresh Papya leaves ground into juice can increase platelet count dramatically in a matter of days.

Diseases

Main article: List of papaya diseases

Names in other languages

Translations are available atWiktionary:papaya.

Photo galleryNotes and references

University of Granada 2.

GreenPapaya Salad Recipe - ThaiTable.com 3.

Entry on Harrison Ford's back treatment.4.

Lohiya,N. K.; B. Manivannan, P. K. Mishra, N. Pathak, S. Sriram, S. S. Bhande, and S. Panneerdoss (March 2002). "Chloroform extract of

Carica papaya

seeds induces long-term reversible azoospermia in langur monkey" (

[

dead link

]

–

Scholar search

Asian Journal of Andrology

: 17

–

26.Retrieved 2006-11-18.5.

Oderinde, O. "Abortifacient properties of Carica papaya (Linn) seeds in female Sprague-Dawley rats".

Niger Postgrad Medical Journal

.PMID12163882.6.

http://www.echotech.org/network/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=576 Papaya treePapaya leaffemale flowersPapayaPapaya trunk withimmature fruittree and flowers, fromKoehler's

Medicinal-Plants

(1887)Hawaiian papaya (withlilies and ginger)Tanzanian Papaya treeAn Indian papaya treeA variety of yellow papayainKerala-India, the non-ripen fruit have even yellowskin, looks like ripepapaya.Carica papaya tree withfruits in

Cáceres

-Brazil

[edit][edit][edit][edit]

Papaya. Moche Culture.Larco Museum Collection.TheMocheoften depictedpapayas in their ceramics.

[9]

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