Discover how Papain can fight allergies, sooth injuries, and halt the progression of MS

The digestive enzyme papain is well known to treat several disorders of digestion like malabsorption, stomach enzyme deficiency and autism. But new research is showing that it is an excellent exfoliant, possessing a protective antioxidant action against UV radiation, an accelerated healing action in cases of minor injury and increased resistance to autoimmune diseases like Multiple Sclerosis.

Papain is a digestive enzyme found in the papaya plant which is related to the North American paw paw fruit and found growing naturally in both tropical and subtropical regions like Mexico, Brazil, India and Southeast Asia. In its ripe form papaya is not only a sweet and tasty fruit but is abundant in papain which belongs to a family of plant derived enzymes that mimic the effect of pancreatic enzymes ordinarily secreted along the body's gastrointestinal tract for the digestion of food. These enzymes are found in three forms - those that digest protein or proteases, those that digest fat or lipases and amylases which are required to digest carbohydrates. Unfortunately the body's own ability to manufacture them decreases with age and this can lead to malabsorption of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other dietary factors. What's more rather than eating more raw foods like papaya which come equipped with their own enzymes we often rely on "enzyme dead" pre-cooked and processed foods that takes a heavy toll on the pancreas to supply extra digestive enzymes. More often than not this results in digestive enzyme deficiency which is quite common especially in the elderly and which also has been linked to several conditions like malabsorption, pancreatic insufficiency, autism and even cystic fibrosis.1

Papain fights multiple food sensitivities in Autism and Leaky Gut Syndrome

Fortunately papain has a proven track record in managing all of these conditions and has been used successfully to overcome the allergies associated with related conditions like leaky gut syndrome, hypochlorhydria (insufficient stomach acid) and intestinal symbiosis like gluten intolerance. According to one theory allergies are triggered by incomplete digestion of proteins like gluten which accumulate a result of insufficient pancreatic enzyme and stomach acid secretion. These proteins can then passively diffuse into the bloodstream and provoke an all-out immune response2 leading to a ferocious medley of symptoms like chronic inflammation, fatigue and behavioural problems. Scientific evidence supports this contention and has proven that supplemental enzymes like papain can be partially absorbed by the body where it can exert anti-inflammatory activity. Indeed one study investigating this phenomenon showed papain to have significant analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity against symptoms of acute allergic sinusitis like headache and toothache pain without side effects. But it is more likely papain's ability to encourage the complete digestion of offending proteins found in wheat, soy and milk products in the bowel that accounts for its anti-allergic action so often seen in unpredictable conditions like Autism and Leaky Gut Syndrome. Papain can also normalize the intestinal balance of friendly bacteria and prevent symbiosis by maintaining proper intestinal acidity. An acid environment sustains "friendly" vitamin and antibiotic producing bacteria whilst creating a hostile environment for invading opportunistic pathogens like the yeast Candida albicans.

Papain may yet prove to be a useful adjunct in the treatment of skin cancer…

According to recent work papain also acts as a powerful shield against the damaging effects of radiation on skin. Animal studies are very promising and indicate that as little as 100mg taken in combination with other enzymes like trypsin and chymotrypsin have astonishing radio protective and antitumour effects in mice. In all cases a lethal dose of radiation was given to experimental animals and in the control group all subjects died within 30 days of exposure whilst an amazing 56% of animals given papain survived.3 In a similar study 50% of rats pre-medicated with papain enzyme and then exposed to a full body dose of radiotherapy survived while all non-medicated rats died.3, 4 Its not surprising then that papain has found value as an adjunct in the treatment of cancers of the skin and even to mitigate the effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Applied topically in creams papain is a an excellent exfoliator and when taken orally by assisting digestion it can also support the skin by increasing the absorption of nutrients like vitamin C and E and essential fatty acids from the diet. Anyone with dull skin, eczema, acne, wrinkles, stretch marks, fungal infections like athlete's foot and even skin cancer can benefit from papain supplementation.

What's more proteases like papain are found in all living cells and in supplemental form may be a front line source of natural healing for sports injuries and joint problems. Although the mechanism of action is not well understood several uncontrolled studies have proven it to be a major player in reducing pain and swelling and accelerating healing in a variety of athletic injuries .5,6, 7 Double blind trials report faster recovery and earlier return to activity in subjects using just four to eight tablets of papain as compared with controls.8 By inhibiting inflammation without immunosupression papain is thought to improve circulation, whilst reducing pain, edema, and clot formation. In one study football players at the university of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania found that minor injuries healed faster with proteases like papain than with placebos.9 Similarly at the university of Delaware protease supplements enabled athletes to minimize recovery time from injuries from 8.4 days to 3.9 days.10 There is also growing anecdotal evidence for papain's usefulness in lower back pain, arthritis and even as a general pain killer in cases of sprains or strains.

Papain increases resistance to advancing illness

If all that wasn't enough solid studies conducted in the early seventies by Professor Tsiminakis from the Institute of Neurology at the university of Athens and Dr Sedivi from the Hospital of Neurology in Russia reported that when given with other digestives in amounts as little as 1000mg like pancreatin and brome lain, papain can increase the frequency of remissions in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients. Since then these findings have been duplicated again and again and it appears that papain's ability to break up and clear out circulating immune "clots" through its digestive action is responsible for a slowing in the progressive myelin deterioration seen in MS.11 According to research conducted at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland in the U.S. enzyme combinations including papain may be acting as immune system regulators in autoimmune conditions like MS.12 By digesting circulating immune deposits and hindering inflammation papain will improve circulation, enhance tissue repair and bring required nutrients to disease sites whilst digesting waste products away and this can only improve immune response.

Certainly the positive effects of papain's digestive action need not only be felt at mealtimes and all of this apparently increases resistance to advancing illnesses like MS and cancers. So whether it's to improve digestion or complexion, to reduce the length of injury downtime or even slow the progression of autoimmune disorders like MS the papaya fruit may be more than just a delicious diversion.

What to take for maximum results

Papain can be found in both topically applied creams and by itself in capsules or tablets but is usually found in all good broad spectrum digestive enzyme formulas. To assist digestion 1-2 capsules should be taken at meal times and for minor injuries it is suggested to increase this dosage until symptoms ease. MS patients should consider taking a good proteolytic enzyme complex containing papain in the order of 3 capsules 10 times per day. At recommended intake papain is free of side effects but minor adverse effects like loose stools and gas can occur at high dosages. Those people with a serious deficiency in fat digesting enzymes or lipases might want to discuss the use of papain with their doctor because it may reduce the effectiveness of supplemental lipases. Also a serious condition called fibrosing colonopathy which causes damage to the large intestines has resulted in some children with cystic fibrosis using high doses of supplemental digestive enzymes.4 These cases were confined to use of pancreatic enzymes alone and not papain but owing to their shared mechanism of action papain use should only be carried out under the supervision of a physician.

References
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