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Abstract
Many herbs are rich in phytochemically active compounds that have a beneficial effect on certain human tissues and organs and therefore can be used as medicines to treat, cure or prevent diseases. Pawpaw (Carica papaya Linn.) is a global fruit that serves as food and medicinal herb. This study was aimed at determining the bioactive agents in medicinally potent product derived from fermented unripe pawpaw (C. papaya) which is claimed to cure peptic ulcer. Ulcer formation involves breaking the mucosal barrier and exposing the underlying tissue of the stomach or duodenal lining to the corrosive action of acid and pepsin. The proximate values, phytochemical and mineral analysis of the fermented unripe mature pawpaw solution was determined for a period of six days and repeated thrice. Average values were used for the analysis. The result showed that fermented unripe pawpaw (C. papaya) contains bioactive substances which were probably responsible for the treatment of peptic ulcer in humans. These included alkaloids, beta carotene, flavonoids, lycopene, malic acid, phytate, phenol, tannin and papain. These bioactive agents increased with ageing. In the proximate analysis, there was a decrease in the moisture content of the fruit solution while other parameters increased with ageing. Crude fibre was absent in the sample. In conclusion, the cytoprotective and antimicrobial properties of the solution may account for the anti-ulcer property of the fermented unripe pawpaw (C. papaya) fruit and this recommendation is justifiable because it contains considerable amount of bioactive agents that function against the disorder.
Keywords: Herbs, Phytochemicals, Bio-active agents, Unripe pawpaw.,