Pawpaw: Its many benefits for good health

By Sade Oguntola

PawpawTO many people living in towns and cities, all they know about pawpaw tree is its delicious fruit that is always appetizing. Meanwhile every part of the tree, including the seeds inside the fruit has its medicinal purpose both for humans and animals.

According to The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa, Volume 1, by H.M. Burkill, the leaf-pulp is haemostatic (haemostasis is a process that prevents excessive blood loss in the body) and is put on sores to promote healing. The Nyominka of Senegal apply a pad of dried leaves to the head for persistent headache, and young girls suffering from ailments of fatigue connected with puberty are thought to benefit by lying on a bed of fresh leaves of papaya for the duration of the illness.

A leaf-decoction is given in Ivory Coast as a vigorous purgative in cases of difficult child-birth, and also as an abortifacient (induce abortion), in treatment of hernia and affections of the urino-genital system, blennorrhoea (rarely used term for any mucous discharge, especially from the urethra or vagina), orchitis (an inflammation of one or both testicles in men, usually caused by an infection) and chancres (a painless ulceration formed during the primary stage of syphilis).

In Nigeria, water in which its young leaves have been crushed and squeezed is drunk three times daily for similar complaints; leaves are also used as a febrifuge and are said to be beneficial in diabetes.

In tropical folk medicine, the fresh latex is smeared on boils, warts and freckles and given as a vermifuge. In India, it is applied on the uterus as an irritant to cause abortion. The latex is extracted from the green fruit by making incisions on the fruit surface in the morning, and catching the latex in a container hanging beneath. The latex is dried, ground into powder, and packed in tin containers.

Fresh latex can be smeared on boils, warts or freckles to remove them or a finger with whitlow to help it burst. The unripe fruit is sometimes hazardously ingested to achieve abortion. Seeds, too, may bring on abortion. They are often taken as an emmenagogue (agent that promote the menstrual flow) and given as a vermifuge. The root is ground to a paste with salt, diluted with water and given as an enema to induce abortion. A root decoction is claimed to expel roundworms. Roots are also used to make salt.

The leaf also functions as a vermifuge and as a primitive soap substitute in laundering. Dried leaves have been smoked to relieve asthma or as a tobacco substitute. Packages of dried, pulverized leaves are sold by “health food” stores for making tea, despite the fact that the leaf decoction is administered as a purgative for horses in Ghana and in the Ivory Coast it is a treatment for genito-urinary illness. The dried leaf infusion is taken for stomach troubles in Ghana and they say it is purgative and may cause abortion.

In Samoa, the inner bark is used to relief toothache while in the central America, the latex and seeds are used in Central America to treat dysentery and liver abscesses. Pawpaw is used in skin products for a natural ‘face lift’ and rejuvenation. The green fruit and leaves are used in cosmetics as it contains papain, and other enzymes. Pawpaw is beneficial for skin care and repair. Pawpaw contains vitamin A which accelerates the formation of new cells, it protects the external layers of the skin, vitamin C is an anti-oxidant, and builds capillary strength, the skin can be benefited with improved smoothness, softness, and resiliency. Pawpaw reduces the signs of premature ageing and eliminates dead skin cells. Pawpaw tea and fruit contains an enzyme that dissolves surface cell debris making it a great facial peel.

In New Guinea, the crushed leaves are used externally to cure headaches and treat cuts. The stem sap is applied to scores of the fungal disease ringworm. Juice from the fruit is used to treat skin infections, cuts and ringworm. Liquid pressed from the plant and fruit is taken to remedy intestinal parasites and stomach-ache.

In Micronesia, the root is chewed to produce a juice, which is applied directly to treat ringworm. A recent study titled “Ethno-medicinal Plant Resources of South Eastern Nigeria,” by Gordian C. Obute of the Department of Plant Science and Biotechnology, University of Port Harcourt that unveiled some 35 plants of medicinal importance to the people of South-eastern Nigeria also included paw paw.

The study catalogued common plants used by the indigenous people of South-eastern Nigeria for medicinal purposes. According to the study, unripe fruit of pawpaw (Carica papaya) is mixed with garlic and fermented for three days is used as a diuretic. Chewing a handful of seeds of pawpaw, okpurukwa in Ibo, in the morning and evening and add decoction of unripe pawpaw with unripe pineapple, lime, 10cm long sugar cane piece, six bags of Lipton tea in four litres of water has anti-malarial effects. Sap from unripe fruit or trunk is used to treat eczema, razor bumps and nematode infestations.

A similar study by titled “Ethnobotanical potentials of common herbs in Nigeria: A case study of Enugu state” by Aiyeloja A.A and O.A Bello published in the 2006 edition of Educational Research and Review journal, found that 96 plants species were commonly used. The unripe Carica papaya is peeled and soaked in water for three days. One glass of the liquid is taken thrice daily for three days.

Herbal solutions to chicken pox, other skin diseases

By Seye Adeniyi

WE are in the rainy season and it seems a lot of people are now experiencing chicken pox as well as other skin infection. Some of these skin diseases that are now rampant could be traced to poor access to good drinking water, exposure to some chemicals especially irritants that are common in the atmosphere probably as a result of the ever-increasing urbanisation and industrialisation.

But if we are very observant, we would notice that the rate at which people are experiencing chicken pox is a thing of concern and something has to be done to check this. Although medical doctors are doing a wonderful job in curtailing its spread, likewise natural medicine practitioners are doing all they could to assist people in treating this viral infections.

Chicken pox is a mild disease that can affect children especially during their early years. Chicken pox occurs most frequently in cooler weather and seems to affect children from age three to four years. But in most cases, the older the child, the more severe the attack.

Chicken pox usually manifest with a low grade fever and the affected person may be experiencing undue tiredness, fatigue, joint and body aches, a mild headache and a flunctuating body temperature.

After some days, say three to four days, the skin may have become flushed and hot. Later, small “eardrop-shaped blisters” may have appeared on the skin, especially on the upper back or chest.

In more severe cases, the face and extremities are also involved. But within a few days, then skin clears up and the child may feel he/she is well again. By the time the chicken pox would resurface again, the child would be seriously affected with the skin seriously affected as well.

Adults too can have chicken pox .
Treatment: To treat chicken pox in orthodox way, bathe the skin daily with soap and warm water. Then keep the child’s nails closely clipped. This is done to prevent scratching, otherwise germs on the skin may be scratched into the blisters and this may cause more severe infection.

The common treatment for chicken pox is the application of calamine lotion and talcum powder. This has been proven to be effective in controlling the itching that is usually associated with chicken pox .

In more serious cases, some antibiotics may be given to control secondary infection of the skin. Chicken pox should never be handled with kid gloves as it could be fatal sometimes. Also it spread fast within household to other members of the family, so care must be taken when treating affected person to prevent spread.

However, there are some effective natural therapies that can be tried . One of such therapies is using jatropha leaves commonly referred to as Lapalapa pupa in Yoruba land. This jatropha spp leaves would have to be mixed with other herbs before it can treat the chicken pox scar and restore freshness to the skin of the affected person.

Another important herbal material are the leaves of alligator pepper as well as alligator pepper itself. Other important and necessary herbal ingredient to treat chicken pox include, black soap, camwood (i.e. osun), coconut oil known as adin agbon in Yoruba land. People should realise that the fact that palm kernel oil should not be used or substituted for coconut oil as they serve different purposes, especially in treating skin scar caused by chicken pox.

Coconut oil is known as adin agbon while palm kernel oil is called adin, so they are entirely different. Once all these ingredients are ready, grind the cam wood (osun) into fine powdery form and mix with black soap. This should be used for bathing twice a day — in the morning with warm water and also in the night before going to bed.

Coconut oil should be rub on the affected part of the body where the chicken pox scar are present. And for the jatropha leaves, get some appreciable quantity of the leaves, soak in water, add alligator pepper leaves with alligator pepper itself and boil for about 45 minutes to one hour. Allow the solution to cool down, filter it and take half a cup of the solution and drink three times daily. The left over can also be used to shower in the night before going to bed. After taking shower of this solution, coconut oil can be rub on the body.

If this is done for say one to two weeks, before you know it, the chicken pox as well as the scar is gone totally. This natural therapy is very effective in tackling chicken pox.It should be stated that white species of jatropha leaves common called lapalapa funfun by the Yoruba, should not be used for this treatment unless it won’t work.