Carica papaya - Madhukarkati

Papaya

Papaya is a large tree-like plant, with a single stem growing from 5 to 10 m (16 to 33 ft) tall, with spirally arranged leaves confined to the top of the trunk.

Uses

Digestive disorders, Healing wounds, Diabetes, Hypertension, High blood pressure, Malaria, Ulcer, Boils, Wounds

Parts Used

Fruits, Leaves, Seeds, Flowers.

Chemical Composition

The green fruit is reported to contain 26 calories, 92.1 g H2O, 1.0 g protein, 0.1 g fat, 6.2 g total carbohydrate, 0.9 g fiber, 0.6 g ash, 38 mg Ca, 20 mg P, 0.3 mg Fe, 7 mg Na, 215 mg K, 15 ug beta-carotene equivalent. Latex contain enzymes—papain and chymopapain and alkaloids carpaine and pseudocarpaine

Common names

Language	Common name
Kannada	Pappaya hannu
Hindi	Papita
Malayalam	NA
Tamil	Pappali
Telugu	NA
Marathi	NA
Gujarathi	NA
Punjabi	NA
Kashmiri	NA
Sanskrit	Erand karkati
English	Pawpaw, Papaya

Properties

Reference: Dravya - Substance, Rasa - Taste, Guna - Qualities, Veerya - Potency, Vipaka - Post-digesion effect, Karma - Pharmacological activity, Prabhava - Therepeutics.

Rasa

Katu, Tikta

Guna

Laghu, Ruksa, Tikshna

Veerya

Ushna

Karma

Kaphavatahara, Hridya

Habit

Herb

Identification

Leaf

Kind	Shape	Feature
Simple	2 ½ ft wide	Stems appear as a trunk, are hollow, light green to tan brown, up to 8″ in diameter, and bear prominent leaf scars.

Flower

Type	Size	Color and composition	Stamen	More information
Bisexual	2-6cm long	White	5-10	Flowers are solitary or small cymes of 3 individuals

Fruit

Type	Size	Mass	Appearance	Seeds	More information
Oval	Fruits weigh from 0.5 up to 20 lbs	Fruit are borne axillary on the main stem	usually singly but sometimes in small clusters	many	{{{6}}}

Mode of Propagation

Seeds, Cuttings.

How to plant/cultivate

Seeds germinate readily. Papaya succeeds in tropical and subtropical areas, where it can be found between 32°N and S. It produces best at elevations below 900 metres, though it can also succeed as high as 2,100 metres near the equator

Commonly seen growing in areas

Lower rainfall, Island, Cooler temperature.

Photo Gallery

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  Papaya slice

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  Sweet California papaya, Indonesia

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  Flower

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  Male flowers

External Links

• Papaya on missori botonical garden
• Papaya on encyclopedea of life
• General crop information
• Papaya description pdf