Of Papaya Trees and Dengue

So what do the above two have in common? You may have heard of it, but this is really news to me.

First, I’ll talk about our attempt to plant papaya trees at our front yard as part of the kids’ science project (we’re tired of planting green beans). My mom has a few papaya trees and gave us mini papayas, which were simply adorable. Perfect for bento, like the one below:
(Sorry, can’t resist sneaking in a bento, lol!). That's half a papaya, onigiri, teriyaki chicken, grapes and a strawberry.

My mom made it sound so easy, that the black-thumbed moi decided to try planting papayas too. The kids helped to clear part of the lawn and scatter seeds from the mini papayas at 3 different spots. To our amazement a tree actually grew, and started flowering almost immediately. Then it grew taller and taller, without any sign of fruits despite ample flowers. We salivated and applied more fertilizers to no avail. Then my mom came for a visit and declared that the plant was a ‘MALE’ plant, which would only flower and never bear fruit. The flower of a 'Female' plant is different. Huh??!! I knew it was too good to be true. I griped to a few people about it and vowed to chop down the tree.

Two days later, Sue, my good friend who had heard of my misadventure, requested for some papaya leaves as she is suspected of contracting Dengue fever. Fortunately, the procrastinator moi had not bother to chop the tree yet. Apparently, papaya leaves contained something that helps platelet to increase. Take the Raw papaya leaves and blend (or pound with mortar and pestle). Squeeze out the juice, strain and drink. It’s very bitter, so do add honey to it. But do not cook, or add hot water. Well, her platelet count increased enough for her to avoid hospitalization, even after it was confirmed as Dengue.

As Sue also drank spotted frog soup cooked with bitter gourd, (another bitter concoction, why do these natural cures taste so awful?), I thought the papaya leaf juice may be another urban legend. The skeptic in me asked around and heard anecdotes of so-and-so’s relative whose stay in hospital was shortened after drinking this juice. Even googling ‘papaya leaves’ came back with more anecdotes but not proper verification or test. The only confirmed fact is that papaya leaves contain papain which aids digestion.

Hmm, true or not, if one contracted Dengue, there’s no harm in trying out this method. If can take spotted frogs, why not raw papaya leaf juice? Only, don’t come asking for papaya leaves from me. The tree has finally been chopped down. Glad that it could be of use despite being a barren tree. Plus point : identifying papaya leaves is part of Girlet’s science curriculum, and she saw it first hand instead of just from textbook.