Papaya (Carica papaya) is a common man's fruit, which is reasonably priced and have a high nutritive value. This fruit is available through out the year. About 17,000 hectares are under papaya cultivation in India. This is a tropical fruit and tree requires minimum irrigation. Yield from a tree can be up to 100 fruits each weighing about 1kg. Papaya is a wholesome fruit. Papaya has more carotene compared to other fruits such as apples, guavas, sitaphal, and plantains. This pigment is similar to that found in carrots, beet root, dark green leafy vegetables like drumstick leaves, palak, curry leaves etc. Carotene in food is converted into vitamin A in our body. 100 gms of ripe papaya contains only 32 kcal. The comparative low calories content make this a favorite fruit of obese people who are into weight reducing regime. It has a good vitamin C content of 57 mgs for 100 gms. Unriped green papaya is used as vegetable. It does not contain carotene but all other nutrients are present.
Vitamins


Papaya when consumed regularly will ensure a good supply of vitamin A and C. Both are essential for good health. The common preventable blindness in Indian children is due to vitamin A deficiency. Eating papaya helps to prevent this kind of blindness.

Beta-Carotene
Papaya is a good source of beta-carotene, which helps to prevent damage by free radical, which might other wise lead to some forms of cancer.


Enzymes
Different types of enzymes are present in papaya. Papain, a substance present in papaya is an excellent aid to digestion. It is an enzyme, which helps to digest the protein in food. Papaya has the property of tenderizing meat. This knowledge is been put to use in our country by cooking meat with raw papaya to make it tender and digestible. The unripe fruit is a rich source of papain, which is vegetable pepsin and is capable of digesting protein in acid, alkaline or neutral medium. Papain also exhibits pain relieving properties and the US food and drug administration (FDA) has approved its medicinal use to ease the discomfort of slipped discs (prolapsed inter vertebral disc). This is used for injection into herniated inter vertebral lumbar discs to relieve pain caused by pressure on nerves.
The celiac disease patients, who cannot digest the wheat protein gliandin, can tolerate it if it is treated with crude papain. Papaya can be prescribed for dyspeptic patients as the papain may help in the digestion of proteins. It is an ideal food for invalids because the flesh is easy to chew and swallow.
Healing
Healing speeds up with pieces of papaya laid on wounds and surgical incision. A large number of people believe that pregnant women should avoid papaya as it may cause a miscarriage. Scientifically speaking there is no evidence to support these beliefs.

Papaya seeds even though have a deworming action, is not advisable to consume. A toxic substance called carpine is present in traces in black seeds of papaya. Carpine in large quantities is said to lower the pulse rate and depress the nervous system. This substance is only found in papaya seed and that too in very small quantity. The fleshy part of the fruit is completely free from this toxic substance. Hence, once the seeds are removed the delicious fruit can be safely eaten.