The power of papaya

A while back I posted about how to deal with sea urchin spines when you tread on them, by using the sap of green papaya. This time I’m going to the opposite end of the lifetime of a papaya smile emoticon and tell you about an old African solution to a problem.

The scenario, you are in a remote tropical area and you develop a wound that festers. It could have started as a small cut or an insect bite that’s been scratched etc. You’ve run out of antiseptic, and it’s not working anyway. What do you do? There isn’t a hospital, nor a pharmacy nearby.

Take an over-ripe papaya (one that’s really soft inside) and scoop out the flesh. Put that onto the wound and strap it into place with a clean cloth or bandage. Change this poultice every day, and you’ll be surprised at what happens.

The flesh draws the poison out of the wound, and that’s why changing it regularly is important. I hope you never have to, but just in case…

I’m constantly amazed at how well local remedies work but of course I shouldn’t be!