The Health Benefits of Papain

Papain is a digestive enzyme found in the tropical fruit the papaya. Its ability to break down certain proteins makes it very useful for aiding a variety of health conditions and wounds.

Digestive Aid Benefit of Papain
One of the most widely used applications of papain is for digestive health. As a digestive enzyme it can break down the protein we eat into amino acids. This can be very beneficial for people with a weak digestion or those have other digestive problems.

Amino acids are needed for many metabolic processes and for building muscles, skin, bones, organs and basically every part of us. Some people with digestive issues have reported a profound change in their overall health when they started taking the supplements or juice of this amazing fruit.

Papain’s protein digesting ability also makes it a key ingredient in many meat tenderizing products such as Adolph’s. It really helps to break down tough meat fibers.

Wound Healing Benefits
Since the papaya skin contains a high concentration of papain, applying it to wounds has been an age old practice for the native people of the tropical areas where the fruit grows. They make a poultice of the fruit skins and apply them topically to cuts, burns, rashes and stings to aid in healing. Several companies also provide ointments containing this ingredient for treating stings by bees, wasps, jellyfish and stingrays, and bites by mosquitoes. It helps by breaking down the proteins in toxins and venoms delivered in the stings and bites.

Such topical applications of it also help to clear rashes. An Australian company called DermaTech Laboratories makes a first aid cream called Stop Itch that contains this ingredient.

It is also interesting to know that Harrison Ford used papain injections to help with the healing of a disk he ruptured while filming one of the Indiana Jones movies!

Anti-Inflammatory Health Benefits
As if it hasn’t got enough to do, it is also an anti-inflammatory agent!. Papain and another very similar enzyme in papayas called chymopapain have both been shown in studies to have anti-inflammatory effects. It is reported that a daily juice made of this amazing fruit may help inflammatory based conditions such as arthritis and asthma.

To make your own homemade papaya juicer recipe you will need 4 papayas. Peel off the skins, scoop out the seeds, and juice only the flesh. This will provide you with one refreshing healing glass of juice loaded with the healing elements. Enjoy!