in late spring i buy a papaya from the store, scrape the seeds and plant them.
tiny trees grow by the end of summer. i tincture the fresh leaves in vodka.
i live in a 6b grow zone, so i grow them as annuals for now.
i somehow did not remember to snap a pic of those cuties last summer.

papaya leaf has been used for digestive support. i don't know where i first learned about this use,
but i do have papaya leaf in my first line of products from about a decade ago.
it's in my afternoon survival pack tea 'new batteries' offers post lunch digestive support and a little energy boost without too much caffeine.

formula:
young hyson green tea, ginger root, homegrown calendula, wild dandelion leaf, papaya leaf, tulsi + yerba mate.

i have found that dr. christopher (who i deeply revere) has a lovely monograph for papaya leaf + unripe papaya fruit. i guess papaya loses its super enzymes upon ripening. he says that a fiber called 'papain' that contains enzymes that strongly catalyze and assist deeper digestion. he says 'papsain can digest 35x its weight in lean meats and 300x its weight in egg albumin.' it is said to support prompt digestion and assimilation, staving off indigestion. he says it was the main ingredient of most meat tenderizers of the time.

i remember learning in my earliest herbal studies that papaya and papaya leaf were excellent for balancing gut bacteria when there was an overgrowth of lowlier stains. this is not the first time i've heard of herbal remedies doing this. they can be used to 'rinse' through the system, supporting good bacteria and discouraging bad bacteria that tend to easily take over in compromised microbiomes. papaya and papaya leaf do have antiseptic properties. dr. christopher shares a historical case study where a doctor used papaya slices externally on an infected incision that wasn't responding to antibiotics.

take home message for papaya leaf: if you have weak digestion and or bacterial imbalance in your guts, pick papaya leaf.

papaya leaf does not seem like it is specific to digesting fats. if you have digestive issues from digesting fatty foods and have no oil on skin/scalp or too much oil- consider remedies like burdock and sage leaf.

if you have digestive distress from anxiety/stress/emotional origin, consider wood betony.

i realize that digestive imbalances are not a one size fits all. feel free to reach out with any questions. i'd be happy to help you figure out what would suit you best based on your specific situation. best!

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