CARISSA 



CARANDAS 



Karaunda 



THE PAPAW FRUIT 



Pharmacopoeia did not include the drug. Hughes (Hist. Barbados, 1750, 181, tt. 

 14, 15) gives a couple of splendid plates prepared by Ehret, while Labat (Nouv. 

 Voy. aux Isles de I'Ameriq., 1724, ii., 308) contributes a useful account of the plant. 

 Dr. Dymock believes that a fibre from the stem is utilised in America and 

 Africa, but the principal value of the tree lies in the fruit, which is both eaten and 

 Medicine employed as a MEDICINE. An account of its medicinal properties may here be 



summarised from The Agricultural Ledger (1896, No. 31). The digestive action 

 of the juice upon meat was probably known in the West Indies at a very early 

 date, and appears to have been communicated to the inhabitants of this country 

 upon the introduction of the tree by the Portuguese. It has long been the custom 

 in India to render meat tender by rubbing it with the juice of the fruit or by 

 wrapping it in papaw leaves. In 1877 the milky juice began to attract atten- 

 tion in Europe as a digestive ferment, and Herr Wittmack of Berlin in 1878 

 made a careful examination of its properties (Pharm. Journ., Nov. 30, 1878). 

 Active Principle. On the evidence of medical, physiological and chemical experiments made with 

 papaya, the active principle has been separated and given the name of papain 

 or papayotin. It was first separated by Peckolt. This may now be considered 

 almost an article of medical commerce in Europe, and has in fact been 

 extensively used in France and Germany, as well as in England, being given 

 with good results even to children. Notwithstanding all the experiments 

 made with this vegetable pepsin, it has not as yet been introduced into the 

 British Pharmacopoeia, though four preparations of it are given in the " Extra- 

 Pharmacopoeia." Papain is even held by some to compare very unfavourably 

 with pepsin when tested with egg albumen. Mr. J. C. Umney, reporting on a 

 sample of 12 oz. of dried Carica powder, wrote : " There is no doubt that by 

 repeated precipitation by alcohol a highly active digestive product might be 

 obtained from this crude concentrated papaw juice, valuable for use under those 

 circumstances where pepsin is unavailable." [Cf. Agri. Ledg., I.e. 310; 

 Bouchut and Wurtz, Comptes Rendus, 1889, 425 ; 1890, 1379 ; Bouchut, 617 ; 

 Wurtz, 1891, 787; also Diet, de Chem., suppl., ii; Pharm. Journ., ser. 3, x., 

 343, 383 ; Chem. and Drugg., 1904, 185.] 



Collection. A question of importance to be settled is the most serviceable form of com- 



mercial papain. And since prolonged moisture is deleterious, the juice should 

 be dried as soon as possible ; but heat is said to destroy its activity, hence it 

 should be dried at a low temperature. A preparation of this kind is sold in 

 commerce under the name of " Finkler's Papain." The best method to prepare 

 papain is to collect the juice of the unripe fruit, mix it with twice its own 

 volume of rectified spirit, let the mixture stand for a few hours, and then filter 

 off the insoluble matter and dry in vacua or over calcium chloride at the 

 ordinary temperature of the atmosphere. After being powdered it should be 

 kept in well-stoppered bottles ready for use. In view of a possible trade either 

 in India or in Europe, manufacturers are recommended to observe carefully tiie 

 precautions just enumerated. On account of caste difficulties, it might not prove 

 Animal Pepsin.' possible to introduce animal pepsin very largely into use in India, but a good 



vegetable substitute might be of much value and find a ready sale. 



Food. The ripe FKUIT is eaten by all classes and esteemed innocent and wholesome. 



A wonderful range in quality is observable. In some localities, such as Hazari- 

 bagh in Chota Nagpur and Gauhatti in Assam, the fruit is large and very sweet ; 

 in others it is small, coarse and hardly edible. The opinion generally prevails 

 that to obtain good fruit it is necessary to remove the majority of the male trees. 

 The better qualities of the ripe fruit are eaten with a little sugar and fresh 

 lemon juice, and by some people with pepper and salt. The use of papaw juice 

 Industrial Use. hi softening tasar cocoons and thus facilitating their being reeled, has recently 

 received some attention. 



[Cf. Buchanan-Hamilton, Stat. Ace. Dinaj., 166, 196 ; Fleming, Ind. Med. PL 

 and Drugs, in As. Res., 1810, xi., 161-2; Ball, Comment. Garcia de Orta, Coll., 

 xxxvi., in Roy. Ir. Acad., ser. 3, i., 653; Pharmacog. Ind., ii., 53; Wiesner, Die 

 Rohst. des Pflanzenr., ii., 790; Der Tropenpflanzer, 1901, v., 27, 288; viii., 94-5; 

 Sly, Papain or Veget. Pepsin, in Agri. Journ. Ind., 1907, ii., pt. 2, 2123.] 



D.E.P., 

 ii., 165. 

 Bengal 

 Currant. 



CARISSA CARANDAS, Linn. ; Fl. Br. Ind., iii., 630 ; Buclu- 

 Ham., Stat. Ace. Dinaj., 169 ; Gamble, Man. Ind. Titnbs., 479 ; Cooke, 

 Fl. Pres. Bomb., ii., 124 ; APOCYNACE^E. Bengal Currants (Mason), 

 Jcaraundd, timukhia, kurumia, kalaka, kalivi, karekai, kan, etc. 



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