The papaya tree has many uses, but can it cure cancer?

Papaya leaves and flowers are used for medicinal purposes.

According to Dr. Nguyen Thanh Triet, pharmacist at the University Medical Center of Ho Chi Minh City, Branch 3, papaya has many nutritional values ​​and vitamins essential for the body. Ripe papaya contains provitamin A such as β-carotene, lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin, and vitamins A, E, B5, B6, folic acid, etc.

All parts of the papaya tree—leaves, flowers, seeds, and roots—are used medicinally. In folk medicine, papaya leaves are used to disinfect, fight fungi, reduce inflammation, treat malaria, and expel worms. An infusion made from the roots is used to treat venereal diseases, hemorrhoids, and warts. Carpain, a compound found in papaya leaves, has a heart-slowing effect.

The white sap of the papaya contains an enzyme called papain. Papain has the ability to hydrolyze proteins and is used to tenderize meat, as an antiseptic for wound dressings, for indigestion, fungal skin infections, psoriasis, cancer, and to neutralize certain toxins and toxalbumin.

Papaya is a familiar fruit to Vietnamese people. (Illustrative image: Shutterstock)

According to the documentMedicinal plants and herbs of VietnamAccording to Professor Do Tat Loi, people often use papaya sap as a medicine to treat worms such as pinworms, roundworms, and tapeworms.

Papaya seeds have strong antibacterial properties. Fresh or dried male papaya flowers, steamed with sugar, are used to treat coughs, bronchitis, and hoarseness. A decoction of papaya roots is used as a hemostatic agent in postpartum hemorrhage and kidney stones.

"As can be seen from folk experience, papaya is both a food and a multi-functional medicinal herb," ​​Dr. Triet shared.

Is it true that male papaya flowers cure cancer?

Recently, information circulating on social media and among the public has claimed that papaya leaves and flowers (especially male papaya flowers) are like a "miracle cure" for many types of cancer. Dr. Triet affirms that previous documented evidence does not mention any cancer-treating effects of papaya leaves and flowers.

After consulting numerous domestic and international sources, he found that most studies on cancer in papaya leaves and flowers were in vitro experiments on cancer cell lines cultured outside of living organisms, with few studies on animals. In particular, there were no studies on humans (clinical studies).

Some studies by foreign authors have also shown that papaya leaves have a moderate inhibitory effect on some in vitro cultured cancer cell lines and suggest that further research is needed to confirm this.

Dr. Triet stated that there is insufficient scientific evidence to suggest that using the leaves and flowers of male papaya trees can prevent or treat cancer.

Recently, Dr. Dang Huy Quoc Thinh, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital, also stated that traditional folk remedies such as drinking papaya leaf tea or herbal teas have absolutely no scientific basis and are not beneficial for cancer patients.

"We encounter many cancer patients who don't seek immediate treatment but instead follow online advice. They drink this herbal tea or take that herbal remedy, and it's ineffective. By the time they return to the hospital, the cancer is already in a very late stage and difficult to control," said Dr. Thinh.

Notes on using papaya leaves and flowers

According to Dr. Nguyen Thanh Triet, a pharmacist, the toxicity of papaya leaves and flowers has not yet been fully assessed. People using papaya leaves and flowers as tea should pay attention to the dosage, approximately 4-12g per day for a certain period, and should not drink it as a substitute for water.

Furthermore, caution should be exercised when using it with special groups such as children, pregnant women, and people with stomach ulcers. When using papaya leaves and flowers for therapeutic or supportive treatment purposes, it is necessary to consult a specialist in traditional medicine for appropriate usage.