Papaya enzyme

The papaya has been studied and long used for its many benefits for our health. It is packed full of vitamins and beneficial enzymes that can be very helpful with certain diseases and disorders today. The papaya contains the enzyme papain as do pineapples, figs and kiwi fruit. This enzyme has been extracted and used commercially for years as meat tenderizer. The enzyme that is extracted and utilized for meat tenderizer is obtained from the leaves of the papaya. The fruit itself has as many if not more vitamins and enzymes that can be utilized when it is eaten or the enzymes are extracted for use.

Papain has been used for years by those who endorse natural healing methods. Many European countries use the papaya between courses of gourmet meals to cleanse the palate and to help the digestion of heavy meals. The enzyme papain has been extracted and has proven beneficial in the digestion of proteins. Proteins are much harder to digest than any other food by the body. Papain has been used for many years by holistic healers as an aid in digestion. It has also been used to help with problems such as indigestion, acid reflux, heartburn, and irritable bowel syndrome.

Papain has also been used by the Japanese for its anti-aging properties. They discovered its potential after seeing how their people who regularly ate the fruit were aging at a slower rate than people who did not partake of the same food. They were able to elicit the enzyme from the fruit and then further ferment it with yeast then dry it into a powder. The Japanese have done extensive studies on this product and have found that it helps white blood cells to rid the body of certain bacteria and viruses. It also is able to help the body to get rid of certain free radicals. This is where the aging process is circumvented.

Papain was also found to be very beneficial in its anti-inflammatory properties. Studies have shown that this enzyme was beneficial in reducing the inflammation in certain diseases such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. These enzymes are able to reduce the severity and the nature of these diseases. Respiratory diseases that are caused due to inflammation of the bronchial tubes such as asthma have been helped by using this enzyme as well.

Papain has been used to help certain skin conditions and has been helpful in the healing of certain skin problems. It has also been shown to speed the healing of the skin when it has been wounded as in the case of burns. Papain has been used in many skin care preparations over the years both commercially and in those preparations that are used by herbal healers and naturopaths for healing and health benefits of the skin.

Other things that papain may be beneficial for is to boost the immune system. It has been used in the conjunction of AIDS patients cocktail medications to help them boost their immune system and to help them to heal in a more timely manner. Some small studies have been done on AIDS patients who took the papain enzyme while taking their cocktail medications. They found that the patients were able to gain weight faster and their white cell counts bounced back quicker than they had previously. More study needs to be done in this area before a final determination can take place but the preliminary testing is positive. Other ways that the enzyme can be beneficial in boosting the immune system is to help heal the body from illness such as colds, the flu and other viral illness from which we have no cures for.

This enzyme has shown to be beneficial in preliminary studies in the prevention of heart disease and when combined with green tea in the prevention of prostate cancer. Further study needs to be done before we can give final determination on these matters but the researchers are excited about the possibilities concerning these matters.

Last updated on Jan 20th, 2010 and filed under Nutritional Information. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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