NEW DELHI: Are papaya leaf extracts a potential treatment for dengue patients suffering from a sudden fall in platelet count? Researchers may be unsure about this, but that has not stopped thousands of patients from trying the home remedy.

Many pharmaceutical companies are selling papaya extracts in chewable tablet form to cash in on its popularity. While the raw form of papaya leaf extracts can be made at home or bought from the market at anywhere between Rs 100 and Rs 200 per glass, a bottle of tablets costs up to Rs 1,000.

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“My wife had dengue last month. I gave her three glasses of juice extracted from papaya leaves daily, which helped reduce the loss in platelet count. It works wonders,” said Suman Verma, a resident of East of Kailash.

According to an article published in Indian Pediatrics journal by two doctors from Maulana Azad Medical College, the therapeutic effects of extract of papaya leaves are presumed to be due to several active components such as papain, chymopapain, cystatin, L-tocopherol, ascorbic acid, flavonoids, cyanogenic glucosides and glucosinolates.

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“These are antioxidants that reduce lipid peroxidation, exhibit anti-tumour activity and immune modulatory effects. Animal studies suggest that papaya leaf extracts have potential therapeutic effect on disease processes…and may cause increased platelet and red blood cell counts,” the article says. They have called for commissioning of human trials to provide scientific evidence for or against papaya leaves.

“I do not endorse the use of papaya extract for dengue treatment. But I do not stop my patient from consuming them either. It has some positive effects and it should be put through scientific research for validation,” said a senior doctor.

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Another AIIMS doctor added that platelet count tends to increase automatically in two to three days after a steep fall in most cases. “It is possible that the positive effects being attributed to extract of papaya leaves are actually a result of the natural recovery process of the body,” he said.

