Cancer is one of the world's leading killers. Typically, chemotherapy and radiation are used to try to cure or slow this disease, but these treatments are usually harsh and can achieve only limited success.
Not surprisingly, many patients seek natural treatment options, and while the mainstream medical community hasn't endorsed any of these approaches, there is evidence that some natural foods and supplements, such as papaya, may have positive effects for some cancer patients.
How Cancer Happens
What triggers cancer varies widely according to the type and the individual involved, but what goes wrong in the body is almost always the same. Every day, people's bodies make mistakes when replicating cells by creating mutant varieties. The difference is that in healthy people, the immune system kills off mutant cells, while others' immune systems no longer can defeat them. As the mutant cells congregate and form structures of their own they become what we know as cancer---and their structures are often tumors.
Papaya to the Rescue
According to researchers at Purdue University, papaya contains 50 biologically active ingredients, many of which fight bacteria, parasites, fungi and certain varieties of cancer cells. In studies on mice and other animals, papaya extracts have successfully reduced tumors without any toxic effects.
Besides having enzymes and active ingredients that specifically affect cancer cells, papaya boasts many important nutrients that support the immune system---including vitamins A, C and E. Perhaps most importantly, it contains vitamin B17, which in concentrated form is already used as part of traditional chemotherapy treatments.
Papain, an important enzyme in papaya, is also a powerful digestive aid. It breaks down proteins naturally and eases the burden of digestion on the pancreas and stomach. Some doctors and nutritionists feel that a lack of pancreatic enzymes may be responsible for certain types of cancer. An overburdened pancreas may, with age, produce less enzymes and pave the way for cancer. Papain may be a good form of prevention.
One Recipe
An Australian man, Stan Sheldon, claims to have cured himself of cancer using an extract of papaya leaves. His story and cure are featured in "Papaya: The Medicine Tree," a book about cancer survivors who have used papaya to cure themselves.
His recipe involves cutting up papaya leaves and simmering them in two quarts of water until the liquid level reduces to one quart, which he strained and ingested three times a day in three-tablespoon doses. A batch can be stored in a refrigerator for up to four days.
As for the fruit itself, it contains all of the same enzymes and compounds, though green, unripened papaya has higher concentrations of key nutrients than does the fruit when it's ripe.
In some cases, physicians may recommend papaya in addition to traditional chemotherapy. But before using papaya as an attempted cure or supplement to any serious condition or treatment, make sure to consult a physician.
Tags: active ingredients, cancer cells, mutant cells, papaya leaves, traditional chemotherapy