Surprising Health Benefits of Papaya

Papaya is an incredibly delicious and healthy tropical fruit loaded with nutrients. Papayas are believed to be used by Christopher Columbus on his discovery voyage. He called papaya as angel of fruits. Papayas are pear shaped or sometimes spherical in shape and can be as long as 20 inches. Believed to be a native of Central America, growing along the Caribbean coast, the tree was considered sacred by the Mayans for its various medicinal properties. The fruits are not the only segment of the tree that was considered valuable, the leaves, seeds, and flowers too possess healing powers.

Health Benefits of Papaya

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1. Cholesterol control: The antioxidants, flavonoids and fibre help in reducing the cholesterol accumulation in the arteries, which in turn reduces the risk of heart attack. The lipid and triglyceride content can also be reduced with regular consumption of the papayas.
2. Helps in weight loss: The various minerals and vitamins along with rich fibre found in the papayas help in detoxifying your body. The dietary fibre found in the papaya aids weight loss by promoting a feeling of fullness and controls the cravings for food.
3. Digestive benefits: The enzyme papain found in the papaya is very effective in reducing the damage caused by eating junk and oily foods. The enzyme helps in breaking down of proteins and is useful as a home remedy for indigestion. The rich fibre found in papaya also helps in relieving constipation.
4. Helps ease menstrual pain: The enzyme called papain also helps in regulating and easing flow during menstrual periods.
5. Good for diabetics: Though they are sweet to taste, papayas are low in sugar content as well as glycaemic index. The vitamins and phytonutrients present in them prevents the risk of heart disease in diabetics. The diabetic patients can eat to their full content without having the fear of their sugar levels.
6. Anti-inflammatory: The various minerals and vitamins like A, B, C and K present in papaya help improve immunity and prevents infections. It also helps in healing of burns and wounds.
7. Can be used as cleanser: Slices of papaya can also be used as a natural skin cleanser. The enzymes present in them works like wonder to give a radiant and glowing skin naturally.
8. Anti-ageing properties: The papaya fruit is rich in vitamin C, E and antioxidants like beta-carotene which helps prevent your skin from free radical damage and keeps wrinkles and other signs of ageing away. Papaya peel also helps reducing the signs of aging. The peel contains enzymes that can remove dead cells from the surface of the skin. This helps remove wrinkles and age spots.
9. Arthritis: Papaya is also rich in minerals such as potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium and copper. Regular consumption of the fruit can help in building up the calcium levels in the body. Papayas can help heep a check on arthritis and bone and joint pains in the long run.
10. Good for the eyes: The beta carotene, vitamin A, zeaxanthin, kryptoxanthin and lutein present in the papaya keeps the mucus membrane in the eyes healthy and prevents any signs of damage.
11. Anti-cancer: The consumption of flavonoids, phytonutrients and powerful antioxidants like beta-carotene has been shown have inverse association with the development of prostate and colon cancer.
12. Stress buster: The antioxidants and vitamin C in particular is a good way to refresh the body energy after a long tiring day. The vitamin C helps in regulating the flow of stress hormones.
13. Treatment of dengue fever: Dengue is an infection caused by mosquito bite which affects mainly the blood platelets. The juice made from papaya leaves are often used to treat dengue fever to help boost the blood platelet count. A simple remedy to get back the platelets count is to give the patient a glass of papaya leaf juice. It is prepared by grinding the leaves with a small amount of water.
14. Hair growth: Apart from keeping the skin healthy, papayas are very effective for maintaining healthy hair. The scalp produces sebum which is rich in vitamin A. when papaya is applied to scalp, it also gives the same effect as sebum. It keeps the hair shiny, smooth and silky.