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Carica papaya contains an enzymeknown as papain, present in the fruit, stem and leaves.The milky juice isextracted, dried and used as chewing gum, medicine (digestion problems),toothpaste and meat tenderizers. Meat can be tenderized by wrapping it in abruised papaya leaf before it is cooked.Carica papaya contains manybiologically active compounds. Two important compounds are chymopapain andpapain, which are supposed to aid in digestion. Papain also is used to treatarthritis. The level of the compounds vary in the fruit, latex, leaves, androots. Papaya has been used for digestive problems and intestinal worms.The softening and disintegrating qualities of papain (generally in alkalinecombination, as with borax or potassium carbonate), have been taken advantageof in the treatment of warts, corns, sinuses, and chronic forms of scaly eczema,cutaneous tubercles, and other hardness of the skin, produced by irritation,etc., and injected into indolent glandular tumors to promote their absorption.Green fruits are used to treat high blood pressure and also used as anaphrodisiac. It is useful in round worm infestation, stomachalgia, dyspepsia,constipation, amenorrhoea, skin diseases and general debility.
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