The Wonderful Papaya Tree.

There is a book 'Papaya, the medicine tree by Harold W. Tietze in which the author tells about the enzyme 'papain' from the green papaya, how nutritious the whole fruit is, especially when it is still green, turning a little yellow and on the verge of becoming ripe. Just as nutritious are the leaves which I have been eating for the last one year after I have read the book which I borrowed from our local library. Of course since I eat it green or raw, I choose only the young leaves. I have also blended the leaves with fruits so that it does not taste as bitter. I must admit not everyone would find the leaves or the blended drink to their taste. None of my sons like it.

I have also eaten the green papaya together with the seeds and skin when it is a little bit yellow and the inside flesh lightly red. Obviously the fruit is not as sweet as the usual ripe fruit. Well, the skin is not a problem although a little somewhat tough. As for the seeds, they are a little hot, a little bit like mild pepper. At the beginning it was a bit difficult to eat but now it is no longer a problem.

One interesting fact from the book was that it could be used to help cancer patients. Well, it looks like I am not the only one who has read that book for i have just received an email in which the person writes about the author's claim. I have also talked to other people about this claim and some older friends remarked that this has been known for many years.
"Why is it that people have not resorted to such a cure?" I asked one of the friends.
His reply was,"It could be because the papaya leaves are so bitter."
"Well, it certainly is better than chemotherapy," I thought to myself. "No, it could be very few people know about this except for those people mentioned by the author."

Whatever it is, it is knowledge we should help to spread. So, I am putting the email down below for you to read. And those people who have experience with the papaya leaf, please write about it in your comments.
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Papaya Leaf Papaya Tree

Papaya/Pawpaw apaya (Carica papaya) originates from tropical American countries. Today Papaya is cultivated in most tropical countries around the world. The Papaya with the Latin name carica papaya is called Paw Paw in Australia and New Zealand . This is in no way related to the Paw Paw in North America that has the Latin name asimina tribola, though both are medicinal plants.

Papaya leaf juice is claimed to have reversed cancer in many people living on the Gold Coast in Australia . Harold W. Tietze in his book Papaya The Medicine Tree, describes how to make the juice and tells the stories of many cancer survivors who reportedly used the juice to get rid of their cancer.

The book contains the the following report that was published in the Gold Coast Bulletin. "PawPaw Cancer Plea Bears Fruit". Gold coast gardeners have responded to an appeal by cancer victims desperate to find supplies of pawpaw leaves. And the Gold Coast man who, 14 years ago, first exposed the leaves as a possible cure for cancer has been tracked down to a Labrador (Gold Coast) nursing home. The story of how Stan Sheldon cured himself of cancer by drinking the boiled extract of pawpaw leaves was first told in the Gold Coast Bulletin in 1978.

Now research in the United States has given scientific support to his claim, isolating a chemical compound in the pawpaw tree which is reported to be a million times stronger than the strongest anti-cancer drug.

Mr Sheldon, says the discovery does not surprise him. "I was dying from cancer in both lungs when it was suggested to me as an old Aboriginal remedy" he said. "I tried it for two months and then I was required to have a chest x-ray during those compulsory TB checks they used to have. They told me both lungs were clear." "I told my specialists and they didn't believe me until they had carried out their own tests." "Then they scratched their heads and recommended I carry on drinking the extract I boiled out of the papaw leaves."

That was in 1962. The cancer never recurred. Since then Mrs Sheldon has passed the recipe onto other cancer victims. "Sixteen of them were cured," he said. Mr Sheldon's involves boiling and simmering fresh pawpaw leaves and stems in a pan for two hours before draining and bottling the extract. He said the mixture could be kept in a refrigerator though it may ferment after three or four days."

"One man has been growing papaws and giving away the leaves to cancer victims ever since he read the Bulletin's original 1978 story about Mr Sheldon. "I have no doubt that it works," he said. "I know people walking around now who should have been dead according to their original cancer diagnosis. But the pawpaw treatment helped them to beat the cancer."

The recipe is as follows:

Wash and partly dry several medium-size papaya leaves. Cut them up like cabbage and place them in a saucepan with 2 quarts / litres of water. Bring the water and leaves to the boil and simmer without a lid until the water is reduced by half. Strain the liquid and bottle in glass containers. The concentrate will keep in the refrigerator for three to four days. If it becomes cloudy, it should be discarded.

The recommended dosage in the original recipe is 3 Tablespoons/ 50ml three times a day. It is recommended to read Papaya The Medicine Tree for the interesting stories of "incurable" people who have used this extract to beat their cancer, and for other medicinal uses of papaya.