Papaya is a fruit that’s popular throughout the world, and is rich in essential nutrients for the body. Though there’s plenty to be said about the benefits of papaya fruit flesh, papaya seeds are also incredibly healthful.
We usually only eat the papaya fruit, throwing away its seeds because they don’t taste so great. But many people are acquiring a taste for papaya seeds – which is good, as they’re so beneficial to health. There are even papaya seed supplements and bags of dried seeds that are being sold by health stores today.
In this video, we’re going to be looking in detail at the benefits of papaya seeds for health, plus any side effects to be aware of. Let’s get started!
Benefits of Papaya Seeds for Health
1. Treats Cirrhosis In The Liver
The liver is a vital organ in the body, and one of its functions is to filter out toxins, so its existence is very important for sustained life. One of the dangerous diseases that can take place in the liver is cirrhosis. Usually, cirrhosis occurs as a result of drinking alcohol over a sustained period of time, but it’s also caused by other things, like some autoimmune diseases and inherited disorders.
We need the liver to convert food into fuel, process cholesterol, clear harmful toxins from the blood and make proteins that help with blood clotting. For that, the liver needs to be cleaned to be able to work to its maximum performance. One way to clean impurities in the liver is to consume papaya seeds.
Papaya seeds detoxify the liver and prevent free radical production in the liver, helping it to easily generate new cells. They also contain papain, which has the ability to dissolve and clean out the dead tissues without altering the activity of the good cells.Â
Just take about 5 dry or wet papaya seeds, crush them with a pestle, then mix them with one spoonful of lime juice. Drink this mixture twice a day.
2. Supports intestinal health, improves digestion
Consuming papaya seeds is also good for improving intestinal health. Papaya seeds contain anti-parasitic substances, so they contribute to killing the likes of viruses and other organisms in the intestine, helping it to function at its best.Â
They contain an enzyme called papain, which helps the body to digest proteins. Papain also helps the intestine to remove excess protein waste.
Not only that, but papaya seeds are known for their anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory properties, so they’re generally pretty good for improving digestive health. The results of one study showed that papaya seeds are effective against Salmonella Staphylococcus bacteria.Â
Supposedly consuming 7 papaya seeds three times a day should help to keep your intestinal health in top shape.
3. For Detoxification
The human body is self-healing, self-renewing, and self-cleansing. A healthy body, used to eating natural foods, needs around four hours to cleanse and detoxify itself from all the waste products of normal metabolism.Â
Unfortunately, many of the foods included in our diets today are non-natural and toxic. This is why we need to support our body in detoxification by eating the right sorts of foods.
As we briefly mentioned earlier, consuming papaya and seeds can help to remove toxins from the body. If you consume a small amount of the seeds routinely, you can encourage constant detoxification, helping to cleanse your body and flush out harmful microorganisms from your intestinal tract.
4. Helps Your Diet
The enzyme, papain, present in papaya provides therapeutic benefits to your body. It contains antioxidants, is diuretic, and is rich in fibre with minimum calories. Papaya seeds have also been found in studies to prevent your body from absorbing fat. For this reason, they can help you to lose weight.
As a high fibre food, papaya seeds are great for digestion and can also keep you full for longer, eliminating the need to eat more often. They help to promote stability in the gut, which has also been linked to weight loss.Â
Finally, because papaya seeds are nutrient dense but very low in calories, they make a great snack for someone trying to lose weight.
5. Reduces Wrinkles
Papaya seeds are rich in antioxidants, such as lycopene, which may be able to defend against the visible signs of aging. As we age, a lot of the skin damage and wrinkling that occurs on our face and hands is caused by too much free radical activity. The antioxidants in papaya seeds can help fight free radical damage, which will help your skin remain smooth and youthful.
Papaya seeds can also help improve the elasticity of your skin, further minimizing the appearance of wrinkles. One study of older women found that those who consumed the antioxidants found in papaya seeds experienced a noticeable reduction in the depth of their facial wrinkles.
6. Treat acne
Acne is a problem that bothers most of us from time to time. As it turns out, papaya seeds, or papaya oil made from the fruit’s seeds, is one of the best natural solutions for getting rid of those pesky zits.
The enzymes, papain and chymopapain, in papaya seeds have been found to actively decrease inflammation. There’s so much scientific evidence behind papain that you’ll find it as a key ingredient in many exfoliating products. These products help to reduce acne by removing dead skin cells that can clog pores.
Papain can also remove damaged keratin that can build up on the skin and form small bumps, making it an effective treatment for acne scarring. As well as papain, papaya seeds contain vitamin A, which can help treat and prevent inflammatory acne.Â
Make your own papaya paste by blending seeds and leaves and adding a little water. Dab the paste onto your skin affected by pimples, then let it dry, before rinsing with water to remove.
7. Conditions Hair & Promotes Hair Growth
Experts say that the vitamin A in papaya seeds can have positive effects on hair by helping your scalp produce sebum, which nourishes, strengthens, and protects your hair. The compounds in papaya seeds, including lycopene, have also proven to stimulate hair growth in a number of studies, and the antifungal properties of papaya seeds can assist in both controlling and preventing dandruff.
You can create a papaya hair conditioning mask by mixing together half a ripe papaya (including its seeds of course!), half a cup of coconut oil, and one tablespoon of honey. Apply the mask to damp hair and let it sit for 30 to 40 minutes. Then rinse, shampoo, and condition your hair as you normally would.
8. Strengthens Bones
Papaya seeds provide a high level of absorbable calcium and an array of minerals that can promote bone density. Absorption of the right calcium can help to treat rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.Â
Studies have found that consuming papaya seeds regularly can strengthen your bones and muscles, though more research is needed to determine why exactly this is.
9. Treats Eye Disorders
Acting as an antioxidant, the vitamin C found in papaya seeds has been found to fight oxidative stress on a number of organs in the body, including the eyes. Studies suggest that papaya seeds can help to delay age-related eye diseases like macular degeneration, which causes blurred vision and vision loss.
Not only that, but the carotenoids like the beta-carotene found in papaya seeds can be converted into vitamin A, which protects the surface of the eye and prevents dryness. This makes the qualities of papaya seeds particularly important for healthy eyes and vision.
10. Rich in Nutrients
Papaya fruit contains many nutrients that are good for the body, but people often forget that papaya seeds offer essentially the same nutrients – so think twice before you throw them away! Papaya seeds contain the ingredients needed for cell regeneration, and are thought to contain a whopping 80 percent of the nutrients the body needs.
11. Pepper Substitute
Pepper has a spicy taste, and so do papaya seeds. While there’s nothing necessarily wrong with consuming pepper, if you fancy a change, you can grind papaya seeds and use them as an even healthier substitute to black pepper for seasoning your dishes. You can also use papaya seeds to add a little unique flavour to salad dressings.
It is pretty easy to turn papaya seeds into a pepper replacement. Just slice a fresh papaya in half, scoop out the seeds and place them onto a kitchen towel. Fold the towel together and rub the seeds inside the cloth until they’re clean.Â
Spread the seeds on a baking tray lined with a baking paper. Set it on the lowest temperature setting and dry the seeds until they break apart when crushed. Once they’re dry, you can fill them into a spice mill and use them just like pepper.Â
Dried papaya seeds taste a little bit like watercress, so if you like to be inventive with your seasonings, this is one to try!
12. Increases appetite
Consuming papaya seeds is also beneficial for increasing appetite, and they have been used for this purpose in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. If you’re looking to gain weight healthily, adding papaya seeds to your diet may help – though this is an area that needs more research.
13. Good for Fertility
Papaya seeds are said to be useful for increasing fertility in both men and women. Many women in southern Asia who are looking to get pregnant use papaya seeds as a natural method of helping them to conceive.Â
Men can also consume the seeds to boost their fertility – but one study found that papaya seeds can actually reduce sperm count and mobility in men, so it may be best to stay away until more conclusive research is carried out.
14. Prevents Kidney Disease
Research suggests that eating papaya seeds can protect and preserve the health and function of your kidneys. One study found that papaya seed extract helped prevent kidney damage from toxification.
Papaya seeds are used by many people with kidney disease today to heal damage to the kidney during the filtering process. By chewing the seeds, it’s thought that the compounds they contain can pass into blood circulation and increase the efficacy of treatment for kidney disease.
Conclusion
While it’s clear that there’s still lots of research that needs to be carried out on the benefits of papaya seeds, what we know so far is definitely promising. Not only are they great for your health, but the seeds carry very little risk of side effects when you consume them orally.
With that said, high doses of papaya seeds could be harmful, and may have a toxic effect on cells. Just make sure to only consume a small serving of papaya seeds every day, and, like with all supplements, don’t overload your body with the stuff.
You can find papaya seed supplements at health stores and online, but it’s best to take them from the fruit than eat dried or preserved seeds. You may need to get used to the flavour at first – but their health benefits make them more than worth their questionable taste!
