When some hears the word papaya, they’d remember the pungent fragrant of a fully ripe papaya, orange and sweet flesh, and not to forget, endless black and rubbery round seeds. Tropical countries always love to use papaya have decorations for it’s beautiful colour and you can literally see papaya tries growing everywhere in tropical countries like Malaysia. It’s easy to plant and yet quite easy to be uprooted for it’s shallow roots, especially on sandy land.
But what’s more is papaya is more than meets the eye. Lets see what our dear orange coloured family of fruits can do for us.
Papaya
(Carica papaya – Caricaceae family)
Papaya called also a tree melon because of its resemblance to a melon; this fruit grows on a giant herbaceous plant and not a tree. Originally from southern Mexico, Central America and northern South America, the papaya is now cultivated in most countries with a tropical climate like India, Malaysia and the Philippines.
The cultivated papaya is a melon like fruit with yellow-orange flesh enclosed in skin that ranges in colour from green to orange to rose. At the papaya’s centre is an oblong cavity containing dozens of small black seeds. It can be round-shaped, pear-shaped, or long like a banana.
The papaya is sometimes referred to as papaw, but this is not correct, as the papaw is a separate fruit that belongs to an unrelated botanical family.
What nutrition value does papaya have?
- Papaya is rich in an enzyme called papain (a protease which is useful in tenderizing meat) and other proteins. It is a valuable and delicious fruit.
- Papayas are also rich in several vitamins A, B, C, and D.
- Rich in calcium, phosphorous and iron.
- Excellent to eat in the morning for they have nutritional value that satisfies the body’s needs in the morning.
- Excellent food for children because it is important for their growth.
- The papaya is high in digestive properties and has a direct tonic effect on the stomach.
What are the health benefits?
- Papayas clean the digestive organ.
- Papayas are diuretic, laxative and refreshing.
- Helps to maintain the acid –alkaline balance of the body.
- Used in the treatment of stomach ulcers and fevers.