Papaya leaf extract side effects
Despite being a great fruit with lots of health benefits, papaya leaf juice when abused can still lead to some serious side effects.
It’s always advisable to consume things in moderation and if possible seek medical help before consuming anything especially if you experience allergies to some stuff.
As you read you’ll see where I pointed out some benefits of drinking papaya leaf juice and how it can be beneficial in the treatment and prevention of some health problems.
However, consuming high dosage of papaya leaf tea can go contrary to those health benefits by causing some serious side effects.
So in this post, we’re going to see the papaya leaf juice side effects, the health benefits of papaya leaves, how to prepare them, and the incredible health benefits of ripe papaya fruit.
Papaya leaf tea side effects
Below are some side effects of drinking papaya leaf juice, this happens when you consume these pawpaw leaves in excess.
1. Stomach irritation
Despite being a great contributor to the optimal functioning of your digestive system by relieving and preventing some digestion problems, taking this papaya leaf tea in excess can cause stomach irritation.
2. A drastic decrease in low sugar
Another side effect of papaya leaf tea is its ability to lower blood sugar. Though this is beneficial to diabetic patients who have high levels of sugar in their bloodstream when not monitored can drastically reduce your blood sugar to the lowest which is also harmful to your health.
In addition, people that are about to undergo surgery should stop consumption of papaya leaf tea at least 2 weeks before surgery to avoid problems concerning blood sugar.
3. Allergies
The papaya leaf juice contains papain, chymopapain, and Karpin. Don’t consume if you’re allergic to those to avoid severe side effects and always seek medical help if you’re unsure.
Those are the likely side effects of consuming papaya leaf juice, especially when consumed in excess or being allergic to its contents. Papaya leaf juice can still provide you with the below benefits if you don’t have allergies and consume in moderation.
Health benefits of papaya leaf juice
1. Fights infection
Harmful parasites and microbes in your body system can lead to illness and infection. Papaya leaves juice does not only inhibit the growth of these harmful parasites but also prevent the reinfection of these parasites and microbes, this is as a result of tannins in this juice. This juice can also fight off worms in your intestine.
2. Aids indigestion
Digestive problems like constipation, bloating, and peptic ulcers caused by the bacterium H. pylori can be relieved and destroyed using papaya leaves.
It solves this problem due to the presence of papain and chymopapain in these leaves. In addition, digestive enzymes; amylase, and protease in these leaves also help in the breakdown process of proteins, carbohydrates, and minerals as well as gluten in wheat products.
3. Reduces risk of cancer
The leaves of this healthy fruit are packed with properties and phytochemicals that lowers your risk of having different kinds of cancer.
The juice itself has enzymes that have shown to be effective in the treatment of lungs, breast, liver, cervix, and pancreas cancer. Not forgetting the fact that the vitamin C in this juice is an immunity booster against cancer.
4. Treatment for dengue fever
Over the years, pawpaw leaves have been used as a traditional medicine to treat this disease. Dengue fever is caused by a virus and is very deadly to the host. However, pawpaw leaves are very effective in combating this disease.
5. Promotes hair growth
These healthy leaves do not only boost your hair growth but also fight off hair problems like hair breakage, itchy scalp, dandruff, hair thinness.
Karpin and alkaloids present in this leaf are responsible for doing this and also remove dirt and oil from the scalp. There are lots of natural hair products produced with pawpaw leaves, get one for yourself to enjoy this benefit.
6. Relieves menstrual pains
If you experience menstrual pains, cramps, or post-menstrual syndrome, pawpaw leaves juice is a great reliever!. It does this by allowing easy flow of blood during your menstruation. This juice can also help in balancing your female hormones and regulating your menstrual and ovulation cycles.
7. Heals skin
Do you have problems with premature aging? do you want to have clear skin and enhance its appearance? Pawpaw leaves have always been a great deal for this!
As I said earlier about the fruit, the juice/tea from its leaves can also kill the free radicals causing this. Karpin in this fruit also removes toxins and waste in your skin thereby preventing your skin from having infections.
Papaya leaf tea recipe
Here is a simple recipe for preparing papaya tea, of course, you’ll need to know this in order to enjoy the above benefits. It’s very easy to do, just follow through these steps
- Get fresh pawpaw leaves and wash them
- Cut them into small pieces and put them inside a pot and boil them.
- Without covering the pot, allow them to boil and simmer till the water is reduced to half
- Strain the liquid and store it in a container.
Your papaya leaves tea is ready to serve!! you can refrigerate and finish within 3 or 4 days, or you can prepare daily and drink the fresh tea for more effectiveness.
You can also crush/blend the leaves and extract the juice without boiling it, or you also cook the leaves and add it to your meals.
If you experience allergies, ensure you consult your doctor before administering.
Ripe papaya benefits
I’m sure you saw the papaya leaf juice side effects but before you go, I’d like to remind you of the amazing health benefits of the wonderful papaya fruit. I’m talking about the ripe fleshy fruit itself, not the leaves.
It’s loaded with lots of healthy nutrients and is very beneficial to your general health anytime you consume it. Without wasting time below are the incredible benefits of papaya fruit.
1. Helps indigestion
Do you experience problems like constipation, bloating, ulcer, irritable bowel, improper digestion, or any problem relating to digestion? well, not to worry, papaya is a great reliever for these problems.
This wonderful fruit contains a prolic enzyme called papain. This is enzyme helps you digest proteins and also reduces your inflammation.
Intake of this fruit will help relieve you of problems resulting from improper digestion and maintain your digestive tract.
2. Loaded with nutrients
This amazing fruit is packed with all the nutrients needed by your body system. With its content like potassium, magnesium, folate, B vitamins, vitamin C, and fiber, papaya is indeed a healthy source of all your required nutrients!. Just a medium size of this amazing fruit will provide you with enough calories you’ll need throughout the day.
3. Protects your skin
Do you know that excess free radicals in your body system can cause you to age fast? you’ll see yourself having wrinkles, sagging skin, coupled with other skin conditions that come as a result of aging.
Papaya fruit on the other hand contains lycopene antioxidant and vitamin C. Consuming it will help lower these free radicals, protect your skin from alpha rays and prevent you from experiencing premature aging.
4. Boost immunity
Having a strong immunity should be added to the priority list if you desire a healthy life. Do you know that we contract bacteria and diseases in our daily life?
You might not know this because our immune system is always fighting off these diseases and protecting our bodies from further attacks.
This is why is very vital for you to build a very strong immune system, so as to protect your body from bacteria and other foreign diseases. You might be wondering “how do you build a strong immunity?”
Fruits highly rich in vitamin C are great immune boosters. Regular consumption of these “vitamin C” content fruits like papaya will help you build a very strong immune system that will help protect you from unknown diseases.
5. Lowers risk of cancer
Damage to DNA could activate genes that might cause cancer. However to avoid this, consume papaya a lot. This healthy fruit is loaded with lycopene.
This is an antioxidant that will protect your body from this damage to your DNA, thereby saving you from the risk of cancer.
In addition, this antioxidant gives you protection against sun exposure, radiation, and other external sources. Did I tell you that the fiber in pawpaw can also help you prevent colon cancer?
6. Promotes heart health
Excessive bad cholesterol in your body system can disrupt your heart performance and lead to many cardiovascular problems.
However, this healthy fruit is rich in carotene which will enhance the cardioprotective ability of the good cholesterol (HDL).
Also, vitamin C and A present in papaya can help prevent cholesterol from oxidizing and the fiber also in this fruit can contribute greatly to the reduction of high levels of cholesterol in your body system.
7. Reduce the risk of diabetes
This amazing fruit has anti-diabetic properties. Papaya releases hyperglycemic effects and can improve lipid profiles in both humans and animals.
An experiment was conducted on rats using pawpaw extract. The results showed that there was a tremendous decrease in blood glucose and cholesterol levels.
