The aromatic papaya is one of the most popular tropical fruits and is available in almost every supermarket. Inside are many nuclei that most people throw away. But are papaya seeds actually poisonous or are they even healthy?
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Toxic or healthy?
Many people not only like to eat papaya because of the sweet, aromatic taste, but because the fruit, which can weigh up to 500 grams, is also said to have many health-promoting properties. For example, regular consumption of papaya is said to help with weight loss, as the fruit contains many valuable nutrients, but very few calories at only approx. 35 kilocalories per 100 grams.
Most people remove the inside, dark and spherical seeds with a spoon before eating the pulp and then throw them away. In fact, very few are aware that you can also eat the papaya seeds. Whether fresh or dried, the papaya seeds contain many valuable nutrients and are therefore considered very healthy. But be careful: Only the seeds of fully ripe fruits are edible, whereas the seeds of unripe papayas are slightly poisonous and can therefore cause symptoms of poisoning like these:
- upset stomach
- stomach cramps
- diarrhea
- Circulatory problems through to dizzy spells
The symptoms mentioned can occur after eating just a few seeds – two to three are enough for adults, and even just one for children. Therefore, you should only eat the seeds of fully ripe to overripe fruit.
test maturity level
You can recognize a ripe papaya in the supermarket by these characteristics:
- Skin colored greenish-yellow
- Skin has many spots and streaks
- and yields slightly when pressed with a finger
The more the peel gives when pressed with a finger, the riper the papaya is. You can also check the degree of ripeness with the smell test: Ripe fruits have an aromatic, sweet scent that tempts you to eat them immediately. You can be completely sure at home, however, after cutting open the melon-like fruit: unripe seeds are not black, but white or gray. In addition, unripe fruits are uniformly green in color and hard.
Positive characteristics
Papaya seeds from ripe fruits, on the other hand, are full of valuable ingredients and are therefore considered to be extremely healthy. The seed kernels contain the enzyme papain, which is considered to be detoxifying and digestive due to its splitting effects on various proteins. Papain helps the body convert the proteins contained in food into amino acids and thus effectively supports the digestive system in its work.
In addition, the papaya seeds are traditionally used to combat intestinal parasites – such as worms – which various studies (including from India, 1985) have been able to confirm. Furthermore, the seeds of the papaya support the immune system because they activate the body’s own radical scavengers and killer cells. These in turn are there to detect and fight cells infected by pathogens. Some people also hope that eating papaya seeds will have a preventive effect on certain types of cancer, such as colon cancer.
Contraindications
However, the consumption of papaya seeds also has side effects, which is why you should refrain from enjoying them in these cases:
- if you wish to have children
- in case of pregnancy
- during breastfeeding
- if you have a very sensitive stomach / irritable bowel
- or suffer from an intestinal disease (e.g. Crohn’s disease).
In earlier times, men used the seeds of the papaya as a contraceptive, since they – taken regularly – reduce the motility of the sperm and thus fertility. Since children are particularly sensitive to papain, the gastrointestinal tract of the unborn child and infant can be severely irritated and even damaged. The same applies to adults who already have a damaged gastrointestinal tract.
Beware of histamine allergies
In any case, you should also do without if you are allergic to histamine or react sensitively to this substance. Although the seeds contain very little of it, many people still feel the typical allergic symptoms.
