Saturday, 5 July 2014
“The damage from dengue infection could be more than a platelet count issue, such as blood plasma leakage or dengue shock syndrome, where dangerously low blood pressure could occur,” he said.
In April last year, the Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Volume 2013 (2013), Article ID 61673 published findings showing that the consumption of Carica papaya leaf juice induced rapid increase in platelet count in patients with grade one and two dengue fever and the fatal dengue haemorrhagic fever.
The Institute for Medical Research and the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital, Klang, carried out a randomised controlled trial on 228 patients in the hospital.
Half were administered with 50gm of fresh Carica papaya juice for three consecutive days and the other half received standard management.
There was a significant increase in platelet count among the patients in the experimental group compared to those in the control group.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Dietician Association president Prof Dr Winnie Chee said staying hydrated was crucial for patients with dengue fever.
“Fluid intake should be at frequent intervals to compensate for the loss from sweat and to permit adequate volume of urine for excreting wastes,” she said.
Dr Chee said calorie and protein intake should be increased by as much as 50% of the daily requirement.
“A high calorie diet with frequent feeding should be given as soon as fever is controlled but one should avoid fried and oily foods during fever,” she said.
Easily digested protein such as milk, eggs, fish, poultry and legumes was necessary to replenish loss of tissue proteins during fever, she said.
“As soon as the temperature comes down, readily digestible bland food should be given to the patient for better digestion and rapid absorption,” she said, adding that iron supplements might be necessary for those recovering from dengue haemorrhagic fever.
http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2014/07/05/papaya-leaf-juice-can-help-in-recovery-from-dengue-fever/This post is on Healthwise
Health D-G: Papaya leaf consumption not fatal
Saturday, 30 January 2016
A file picture of a farmer at a papaya plantation.
PETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry is refuting a news report claiming that consumption of papaya leaf extract can cause organ failure and lead to death as it contained a toxic substance.
Health Director-General Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah acknowledged that papaya leaves contained the chemical cyanogenic glycoside, but in such minute quantities that in practice, its consumption did not pose a danger.
"Someone who weighs 60kg has to consume 12,000 papaya leaves at a single sitting for acute poisoning to occur," he said in a statement on Sunday.
He said that humans had to consume 1mg of the substance for every 1kg of body weight before it reached toxic levels.
Dr Noor Hisham also said tests conducted by the Institute for Medical Research (IMR) indicated that the consumption of papaya leaves did not show any side effects on internal organs.
He was responding to a news report alleging that the consumption of papaya leaf could lead to death.
Dr Noor Hisham said that cyanogenic glycoside or "bad sugar" was a chemical found in at least 2,000 plant species including edible plant produce such as tapioca, almonds and cloves as well as fruits such as apricots, peaches, plums and cherries, among others.
He added that the chemical was the plants' natural defence mechanism against pests and insects.
The consumption of papaya leaf extract is a traditional remedy used in the treatment of dengue fever patients.
Dr Noor Hisham also said that clinical trials by IMR showed that the consumption of papaya leaf extract was effective in raising the platelet count of patients.
"The increase in platelet count is only one of many effects of those suffering from dengue fever. Research is still being done on the uses of papaya leaf extract," he said, adding that the Ministry was not using it in Government hospitals.
He said the Ministry had registered several products containing papaya leaf extract under general health indications and traditional products categories.
