Once you understand the causes of heartburn, you can begin to remedy heartburn. You will discover that there are many natural food remedies that you can try. Your choice of natural food medication, whether it is a fruit or an herb, depends on your preference, your health, and how well the substance works to treat your symptoms.
While there are many food remedies for heartburn, one fruit in particular that has proven effective is papaya. The papaya fruit comes from the tropical tree Carica papaya. It has been used orally and topically for many years to treat a variety of health ailments such as fungal infections, skin sores, cholesterol, and toothaches. However, despite its anti-inflammatory action, papaya is most recognized for the benefits it provides to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
Papaya stimulates digestion, relieves indigestion and constipation, can eliminate parasites from the intestines and cure heartburn.
How exactly does papaya relieve heartburn? The answer is papain. Papain is a digestive enzyme that exists within papaya. Papain helps digestion and calms the stomach. Dissolves protein and reduces fat and carbohydrates, promoting a healthy acidic enzyme environment. Papain is also sometimes called vegetable pepsin, because papain is very similar to pepsin that is created by the stomach to digest food.
How can you take papaya for heartburn? Here are some ways you can use papaya to relieve heartburn:
– Eat fresh, raw, ripe papaya with your meal.
– Eat fresh ripe and raw papaya for dessert.
– Add papaya to your salad
– Drink papaya juice
– Make papaya part of a marinade
– Eat fresh, raw, ripe papaya with honey to treat a heartburn attack. You can also eat this sweet snack before meals and between meals as heartburn prevention.
– Eat dried papaya after meals (Note: dried papaya should only be eaten in moderation because the concentrated sugar in dried papaya can negate the acidity relief provided by the enzyme papain).
– Take papaya tablets or papaya seed extract to remedy heartburn symptoms. You can also take these products before meals to prevent heartburn from occurring.
Where can I get papaya? You can get papaya at your local fruit market. You can find papaya tablets and papaya seed extract in health stores.
What are the side effects of papaya? Eating raw, unripe papaya can negatively affect the mouth, esophagus, stomach, or intestines by causing inflammation, irritation, pain, or sores in these areas. Therefore, papaya should only be eaten when ripe.
How to know if a papaya is ripe? A ripe papaya has a creamy golden yellow appearance on the outside. The pulp of the fruit is a deep orange-yellow color and has many glossy black seeds clustered in its center. Ripe papaya has a juicy and sweet taste.
You should also be aware that papaya may not be the best heartburn remedy if you suffer from an ulcer, as existing sores can become more inflamed.
Who should avoid taking papaya? Papain can decrease the blood’s ability to clot and can interact with blood-thinning medications such as anticoagulants and antiplatelets. Aspirin can also slow blood clotting, as can the following herbs: danshen, ginger (in excessive amounts), devil’s claw, red clover, saw palmetto, horse chestnut, garlic, and eleuthero. Therefore, papaya should not be taken orally with any of the medications or herbs mentioned above.
People allergic to latex should not consume papaya, as the fruit contains this substance.
If you are pregnant, consult your healthcare professional before using papaya as a natural remedy for heartburn.
Finally, be sure to consult your healthcare provider before opting to remedy heartburn with papaya.
