172 Papaya
or may be utilised as a source of pectin. Because of its papain content, a piece of
green papaya can be rubbed on a portion of tough meat to tenderise it. Sometimes,
a chunk of green papaya is cooked with meat for the same purpose. One of the
best known uses of papain is in commercial products marketed as meat tenderisers,
especially for home use. A modern development is the injection of papain into beef
cattle half an hour before slaughtering to tenderise more of the meat than would nor-
mally be tendered. Papain-treated meat before eating should be cooked sufficiently
to inactivate the enzyme. The tongue, liver and kidneys of injected animals must be
consumed quickly after cooking or utilised immediately in food or feed products, as
they are highly perishable.
Papain has many other practical applications. People use this in the preparation
of different remedies for indigestion. It is used to clarify beer, to treat wool and
silk before dying, to de-hair hides before tanning and it serves as an adjunct in rub-
ber manufacturing. It is applied on tuna liver before extraction of the oil, which is
thereby made richer in vitamins A and D. It enters into toothpastes, cosmetics and
detergents and also pharmaceutical preparations to aid digestion. The papaya eating
prevents rheumatism and the latex is used for psoriasis, ringworm and the removal of
cancerous growth (Nwofia et al. 2012). Latex (8 g/kg) has been effective in the treat-
ment of ascariosis in pigs in Nigeria; however, mild and temporary adverse effects
have occurred in pigs receiving very high doses (Satrija et al. 1994). Papain has been
employed to treat ulcers, dissolve membranes in diphtheria and reduce swelling,
fever and adhesions after surgery. With considerable risk, it has been applied on meat
impacted in the gullet. Chemopapain is sometimes injected in cases of slipped spinal
discs or pinched nerves. Precautions should be taken because some individuals are
allergic to papain in any form and even to meat tenderised with papain (Saran and
Choudhary 2013).
Rubbing the white pulp of raw papaya improves pimples as well as wrinkles.
Papaya works as a good bleaching agent. It is an important ingredient in bath soaps,
astringents, detergent bars and hand washes. Papayas home recipe can help in
removing dead worn-out skin cells and replace it with healthy new cells, thereby
lightening the colour of our skin. For this, one can prepare a paste of raw papaya
and apply it on the skin once for few days. Ripe papaya fruit is laxative, which
assures of regular bowel movement. Ighere Dickson et al. (2012) during the survey
reported that the unripe fruit and leaf extract were more frequently used among the
people in different places of the Nigeria for medicament of typhoid fever.
16.1.2 Leaf
Papaya leaf has numerous uses. Crushed leaves smeared around tough meat will
tenderise it overnight. Leaf juice helps increase white blood cells and platelets, nor-
malises clotting and repairs the liver. The leaf also functions as a vermifuge and a
primitive soap substitute in laundering. Dried leaf cured like a cigar is smoked by asth-
matic persons for relief. An infusion of fresh papaya leaves is used to expel or destroy
intestinal worms. Its infusion is also taken for stomach troubles in Ghana and they
say it is purgative and may cause abortion. Packages of dried and pulverised leaves
are sold by ‘health food’ stores for making tea. The leaf decoction is administered