My Vedic Life

What is Papaya :

The Papaya, a previously exotic and rare fruit, is now available at most times of the year. Papaya is used for a healthy immune system, healthy skin, supports platelet immunity, and a good digestive system.

How is it prepared and available:

Papayas are a soft, fleshy fruit that can be used in a wide variety of culinary ways. Here we will explore more on the health benefits, uses, how to incorporate more of them into your diet, and what nutritional value papayas have.

What are its benefits:

• Papayas are rich in fiber, antioxidants, and Vitamin C, which help in the prevention of increased cholesterol in your arteries. Too much cholesterol leads to several coronary diseases, including heart attack, stroke, and hypertension.
• Papayas contain more than 200% of your daily dose of Vitamin C. It is beneficial for keeping several diseases at bay, including scurvy. Vitamin C is essential in creating collagen, which in turn helps in connecting bodily tissues. The deficiency of vitamin C leads to several symptoms, such as anemia, weakness, skin problems, and gum disease. Therefore, it is good to have a bowl of papaya regularly to keep such health problems at bay.
• Papaya aids in weight loss because it is low in calories and a good source of fiber along with low GI. The fiber content that is present in papayas keeps you feeling full for a long time, thus, reducing cravings.
• One of the biggest symptoms of diabetes is craving sweet foods. Papaya benefits include being immensely helpful for people suffering from diabetes, as the fruit is low in GI and high in fiber, thus preventing blood sugar to rise in diabetics.
• Eating papaya every day benefits you by helping your liver digest fast foods and saturated fats, keeping your body healthy. Papayas have a digestive enzyme called papain along with fiber, which aids your body in breaking down food.
• Papaya health benefits also include your mental state of mind. It is recommended to have a bowl of papaya every day, especially if you have a stressful workplace. Papayas help in regulating the flow of stress hormones through Vitamin C.
• Papaya fruit contains 'fibrin' which helps to prevent clotting of blood and enables blood flow. Papaya benefits you by making you look younger. With the fruit being an excellent source of Vitamin C, it helps build collagen in your body, resulting in your tissues binding together. Altogether, eating a bowl of papaya every day can ensure that you look at least five years younger than your actual age.
• Papaya possesses therapeutic and chemopreventive properties owing to anti-oxidants or cytotoxic phytochemicals that may prove effective against some forms of cancer.
• Leaves are used as a vegetable, useful in dressing wounds, smoke is used for asthma, and the infusion is used for gonorrhea and urinary complaints.
• The stem bark has anti-hemolytic and anti-fungal activity, useful in dengue fever, jaundice, sexually transmitted diseases, etc.
• The milk of raw papaya relieves skin diseases like ringworm and eczema.

Ayurvedic Properties of Papaya:

• Taste ("Rasa"): Pungent ("Katu") and bitter("Tikta")
• Qualities ("Guna"): Light to digest ("laghu"), dry ("rooksha")
• Effect on Tridosha: Pacifies "Kapha" and "Vata" dosha.