Last time I checked, there was no cure for dengue fever. You’ve got to support the patient through the viral infection and mop up the blood as it squirts out of their eyes. How are you supposed to do that with papaya leaves? According to this article and these guys at the Health Ministry (of India, I guess) and the Institute of Medicine (of India, I guess), they want to mash up papaya leaves and use the juice to boost platelet counts in patients with dengue fever. The problem, it seems, is that by giving that much raw papaya juice, you run the likelihood of causing cyanide-like poisoning. Besides, if platelet counts drop, just give more platelets – it’s not rocket science. Still – the headline affirms an old toxicology axiom first voiced by the great toxicologist Edwin Kuffner, MD – “If you want to poison yourself with a plant, you pretty much have to eat a whole tree.” Wise words from a wiseguy.
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/328875
Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah, Director-General of the Indian Health Ministry and his proposal for using papaya leaves to treat dengue fever.
