Role of Papain

Papain comes from the papaya tree and is one of the most popular protein-cleaving enzyme due to its immense commercial value. It is used for a wide variety of functions such as tenderizing meat, defibrinating wounds in hospitals, clotting milk, indigestion medicine, shrink proofing wool and in treatments of jellyfish and insect stings, cornea scar deformation, edemas and inflammatory processes. Since the 1750s the presence and benefits of proteases in papaya fruit have been documented. In the 1870s, the importance of enzymes that were found within the papaya have been used for food and medical functions.

Popular, Cheap Cure-All

• Papain is a cheap, easily produced enzyme, or complex molecules that speed up chemical reactions within a cell. Though some people are allergic, most people have successfully been treated for ulcers, had swelling reduced and even had a derivative of Papain injected into slipped spinal discs or pinched nerves. Papain, if ingested, has a soothing effect on the stomach and aids in protein digestion. However, this is only for the enzyme itself and not any medicine such as Papain Foam, Allanzyme, Kovia or Papfyll, which is specifically not for digestion. The enzyme works by breaking down dead skin and pus, which greatly aids recovery time for open wounds. If also reduces wound inflammation and odor.

Production

• The papaya plant and its fruits contains two enzymes, papain and chymopapain. Chymopapain is found in greater dose, but papain is 200 percent more potent. In 1933, Sri Lanka was the leading commercial supplier of papain, but within five years East Africa began commercial production and is currently the world's largest supplier.

History of Folk Remedies

• For centuries, people have used the papaya and its leaves in folk medicine. It was put on boils, warts and freckles. There are records in India and Ghana that it was applied on the uterus to cause abortions. The unripe fruit and seeds were sometimes ingested for an abortion. The roots were prepared to cure roundworms. The leaves were wrapped around meat to soften it, they were used as soap and dried and smoked to relieve asthma.

Diverse Uses

• Papain is considered such a cure-all that, within the same country, it could be sold in health food stores as a tea, a purgative, a treatment for genito-urinary ailments and an aid in abortions.

FDA Warning

• In the United States, the FDA warned companies to stop marketing topical drug products containing papain by the end of 2008 due to reports of permanent vision loss, severe drops in blood pressure and increased heart rates.