DOI: 10.21276/sajp

Pages: 113-119

In India over the ancient times people used plants to extract plant actives to make drug formulations. In recent time the less use of herbal formulations due to lack of their standardization. Papaya (Carica papaya linn.) is well known for its exceptional nutritional and medicinal properties throughout the world. In present review article, an attempt is made to compile all the strange facts available about this tasty fruit. From the times immemorial, the whole Papaya plant including its leaves, seeds, ripe and unripe fruits and their juice is considered as nutraceutical fruit due to its multifaceted medicinal properties. Phytochemically, the whole plant contains enzymes (Papain), lycopene, carotenoids, alkaloids, monoterpenoids, flavonoids, mineral and vitamins. Dengue is a viral disease that today affects a vast number of people in over 125 countries and is responsible for a sizable number of deaths. In the absence of an effective antiviral drug to treat the disease, various treatments are being investigated. Studies have indicated that the juice of the leaves of the Carica papaya plant could help to increase the platelet levels in these patients. The present article reviews the pharmacological uses of Carica papaya and side/toxic effects. An herbal medicine being investigated to control the mammoth problem of dengue is the extract of the leaves of the papaya plant, Carica papaya. In this article, we present a brief overview of dengue and a review of available literature regarding the use of the papaya leaf extract for the treatment of this condition.