English/ Common name- PAPAYA
Local name- Kannada - ಪಪ್ಪಾಯಿ
Tulu - ಬಪ್ಪಂಗೈ (Bappangai)
Botanical name- Carica Papaya
Appearance- The papaya is a small, sparsely branched tree usually with a single stem growing from 5 to 10 m tall, with spirally arranged leaves confined to the top of the trunk. The leaves are large. The flowers are sweet-scented, open at night, and insect-pollinated. The fruit is commonly spherical to cylindrical in form and weighs around 4 kg.
Origin- Native to Mexico and northern South America, papaya has become neutralized throughout the Caribbean islands, Florida, Texas, California, Hawaii, and other tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The regions surrounding the equator have papaya as one of its primary regions with no human intervention. Today it is cultivated throughout the tropical world and into the warmest parts of the subtropics
Conditions required for growth- Temperatures above −2 °C (29 °F) are great for papaya to grow. In India Papaya is generally limited to southern states. It prefers sandy, well-drained soil, as standing water can kill the plant within 24 hours.
Uses- Unripe green fruit can be eaten cooked, the ripe fruit of the papaya is usually eaten raw, without skin or seeds. Unripe papayas are commonly pickled or made as papaya salads. Papaya leaves have been used as a treatment for malaria. Leaves are also used for relieving asthma. Used for preventing and treating gastrointestinal tract disorders, intestinal parasite infections. It is also used for nerve pains (neuralgia) and elephantoid growths.
Common remedies-
- For pimple clearing (Part of the tree used - Fruit ) , cut papaya into small cubes after clearing the skin of the fruit and rubbing gently on the surface of our skin in a circular motion for around 5 mins and keeping it to dry for about 20 mins and wash thoroughly. The rest of the cut pieces can be kept in a refrigerator for later use.
