Papaya leaves safe for the treatment of dengue, improve platelet counts: Health Ministry

KUALA LUMPUR: Papaya leaves do improve platelet counts in dengue patient, and are unlikely to cause liver, kidney or heart failure says the Health Ministry. In a statement today, the Health Ministry said that research revealed that after taking the papaya leaf juice, an increase in platelet counts for normal dengue and hemorrhagic dengue class 1 patients had been recorded. "Clinical trials by the Institute for Medical Research (IMR) on use of papaya leaf in dengue patients (both normal dengue and hemorrhagic dengue show that by taking a dosage of 30ml(two tablespoons) of juice from mature papaya leaves every day, platelet counts increase after three days.The platelet increase is just one of the processes that happens in a patient that affected by dengue. Research is still ongoing on the use of papaya leaf juice for dengue. The health ministry does not provide papaya leaf juice at any of its hospitals" The statement from the health ministry comes in the wake of claims by individuals highlighted in the media, claiming that the juice of papaya leaves was dangerous for consumption.