Medicinal uses of male papaya flowers
Papaya is a famous medicinal plant used worldwide to treat a number of diseases such as malaria, inflammation, skin infections... Male papaya flowers are also a medicine with many health benefits.
Papaya plants have three basic sex forms: female, male, and hermaphrodite. The sex of a papaya plant cannot be determined by looking at the seeds or seedlings. The plant needs to grow to about 0.6-1.5 m tall before flowers develop and the sex of the plant can be determined.
Male papaya trees are characterized by long, drooping, many-flowered, slender inflorescences without pistils.
Papaya tree has many medicinal uses.
Papaya (Carica papaya) is a herbaceous plant belonging to the papaya family (Caricaceae). All parts of the plant such as fruit, root, stem, seed, leaf and flower are used significantly to treat various diseases.
The flowers of the papaya are small, yellow, funnel-shaped, solitary or in clusters in the leaf axils. It has been used since ancient times to treat coughs, bronchitis, asthma and colds. The papaya tree has medicinal value due to the presence of natural metabolites in the leaves, bark and branches that have anti-tumor and insecticidal properties.
The entire plant is being used to produce plant biomass that can be used to develop anti-cancer drugs. The plant is also used as a natural pesticide, the high content of natural defense compounds in the plant makes it resistant to insect and pest infestation.
Consuming papaya flowers can help the body neutralize free radicals. Photo: Ngoc Thoa
Papaya flowers (usually male papaya flowers) can prevent cancer, improve digestion and appetite, and reduce cardiovascular and respiratory problems. The tannins, flavonoids, and antioxidants in papaya flowers have been previously described as having the effect of eliminating free radicals from the body.
Consuming papaya flowers helps the body neutralize free radicals and regulate the immune system.
Effects of papaya flowers
Papaya flowers are also used in many traditional therapies for the treatment of malaria, jaundice, joint pain, cough, cold, fever and viral infections. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the phytochemical constituents of papaya flowers which are used traditionally for the treatment of various diseases.
In the present study, secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, steroids, and tannins were found in different papaya flower extracts. Alkaloids are a class of nitrogenous compounds, and more than 10,000 alkaloids are known to be produced by plants.
About 8,000 flavonoids have been reported from various plant species. They play important roles in stimulation, protection, flavoring, and pigmentation. Flavonoids have anti-allergic, anti-cancer, hepatoprotective, anti-diabetic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties.
Saponins are a large group of glycosides with foaming properties. Saponins are known to have antibacterial, antimalarial, antiallergic, antidiabetic, insecticidal, and anti-inflammatory properties.
Tannins are a complex of polyphenolic compounds synthesized by plants. Tannins are also reported to have antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, antitumor, and anti-inflammatory activities.
The presence of all these compounds in papaya flowers highlights the importance of papaya flowers in the treatment of various diseases. Ethnic communities have known about the health benefits of papaya flowers as they are using it in many ethno-medicinal preparations.
Papaya flowers also contain vitamins like thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), ascorbic acid (C) and contain minerals like calcium, magnesium, manganese, zinc, copper, cadmium, cobalt, lead, iron, potassium and sodium.
Antioxidant effects
Most diseases related to free radical accumulation in humans can be avoided by regular consumption of fruits and vegetables.
In recent years, regular intake of antioxidant-rich diets has been strongly recommended. The reason is that phenols and polyphenols found in them play an important role in long-term health and reduce the risk of chronic and degenerative diseases.
Research shows that papaya flower extract exhibits strong antioxidant activity. It is a potential medicinal herb that can be used daily as a vegetable or herbal tea.
Antibacterial effect
Several studies have reported antibacterial activity of papaya plant such as flowers, leaves and seeds against bacterial strains.Staphylococcus aureus,Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus pneumoniaeandE. coli.
Anti-cancer effects
Cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide. Diets rich in antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables significantly reduce the risk of many cancers.
Plants are rich in phytochemicals with various biological activities including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities. One of the beneficial herbs is the male papaya flower. The male papaya flower has been studied in which the stem of the male papaya flower has high antioxidant properties.
Research shows that the hexane extract of male papaya flowers has good anti-cancer effects on breast cancer and can prevent the growth of colon cancer cells.
Overall, the study on the antioxidant and anticancer potential of hexane extract from male papaya flowers can conclude that papaya flowers are an excellent source of antioxidants and a promising source of potential anticancer agents.
These findings suggest the medicinal value of male papaya flowers in terms of cancer prevention and treatment.
In addition, currently, there is no research on the safety of male papaya flowers. Therefore, we need to be careful when using it for children under 3 years old and pregnant women./.
