How Effective Is Papaya for Dengue?

It is not known whether using papaya for dengue fever improves the symptoms or speeds the recovery from this disease. Anecdotal evidence has suggested that a tea made from the leaves of the papaya tree may help certain patients with dengue fever, but it is unclear whether these patients recovered on their own or because of the tea. In folk medicine, papaya fruit and leaves are used as a digestive aid, a property that would not likely have either a positive or negative effect on a patient with dengue fever. Scientific studies need to be conducted in order to find out whether papaya has anti-viral or fever reducing qualities that would make it effective against dengue fever.

Dengue fever, which is sometimes called break bone fever, is a disease that can cause severe pain, high fever, and vomiting. The virus that causes dengue fever is transmitted to humans through infected mosquitos, which can be found in the tropics around the world. Though this disease is painful and can come on suddenly, it is not usually fatal. Most patients recover from dengue fever on their own, though they may require intravenous fluids to remain hydrated and pain medication to remain comfortable.

There is no cure for dengue fever, though patients can develop a resistance to the disease once they've been infected once. There are some claims that papaya can cure the disease, but these claims are not likely to be true because the cure for dengue fever involves the creation of antibodies within the patient's immune system. At best, using papaya for dengue fever could speed up the process of producing these antibodies.

The high vitamin C content in papaya could help boost a patient's immune system, helping to fight off infections such as dengue fever. It is also possible that patients who take papaya for dengue fever may experience some relief from the gastrointestinal discomfort the disease causes. Papaya is usually used as a digestive aid, however, so patients who have not eaten in a few days because of the illness may not benefit from the use of papaya.

Until scientific studies are conducted on the usefulness of papaya for dengue fever, patients should use caution when using this treatment. It is unlikely that papaya would make the disease worse, but there are people, such as pregnant women, for whom papaya is contraindicated. Patients who believe they have dengue fever should seek medical attention and remain hydrated until the infection runs its course.