Pawpaw (Carica papaya) — Ipopo

The enzyme papain, found in the highest concentration in the white latex of the unripe fruit and the skin, is the pawpaw's most celebrated medicinal compound. Papain is a proteolytic enzyme — it breaks down protein — and its uses in traditional and modern medicine follow directly from that action. Applied topically, fresh latex from the skin of an unripe pawpaw is used across Zimbabwe, Kenya, and West Africa to soften and dissolve the dead tissue of wounds, burns, and skin ulcers. The latex is dabbed gently onto the wound surface with a clean cloth, left for fifteen minutes, then rinsed away. It accelerates the cleaning of infected wounds and promotes the formation of healthy new tissue.

The leaves are the most widely used medicinal part across southern Africa. A tea made from fresh or dried pawpaw leaves is taken for malaria fever, dengue fever, and general immune support. Several clinical studies have confirmed that pawpaw leaf extract significantly raises platelet counts in patients with dengue fever — a finding that has validated what healers across tropical Africa and Asia have long practised. The leaves are also used as a digestive tonic: the bitter compounds in the leaf (including alkaloids and flavonoids) stimulate the secretion of digestive enzymes and bile, making pawpaw leaf tea a trusted remedy for indigestion, bloating, constipation, and sluggish digestion after heavy meals.

The seeds are an important and often overlooked medicine. Dark, round, and slightly peppery on the tongue, the seeds contain benzyl isothiocyanate and other compounds with demonstrated antiparasitic and antibacterial activity. Across Zimbabwe and neighbouring countries, a small quantity of fresh seeds — ten to fifteen — is chewed or taken in honey as a treatment for intestinal worms and parasites. A daily teaspoon of dried, powdered seeds mixed into food or warm water is used as a gentle long-term antiparasitic. Traditional healers always caution against excessive quantities, particularly for pregnant women, as the seeds are considered uterotonic in larger doses.

The ripe fruit is both food and medicine in one. Rich in vitamins A, C, and E, folate, potassium, and the digestive enzyme papain, ripe pawpaw supports the immune system, aids digestion, and provides powerful antioxidant protection against cellular damage. Eaten regularly, it supports healthy skin, good vision, and a well-functioning gut. The fruit is prescribed by healers in Zimbabwe as a convalescent food — something given to those recovering from illness to restore appetite, rebuild strength, and gently restart the digestive system after it has been strained by fever or infection.

The roots of the pawpaw, less commonly used but documented in several ethnobotanical studies across East Africa, are prepared in decoction for kidney complaints, urinary tract infections, and hypertension. The root bark contains carpaine alkaloids with diuretic and antihypertensive properties. Traditional use is careful and measured — the roots are more potent than the leaves, and healers in Zimbabwe who work with them prescribe small quantities over a short course, never as a long-term or self-administered remedy. This is one part of the tree where specialist knowledge matters, and unsupervised use is not recommended.