Q: I’ve found that a couple of slices of ripe papaya calms heartburn.  It also provides a little fresh fruit to the diet.  Papaya-enzyme tablets work, but the fresh papaya is a better choice for me.

A: A doctor first reported the benefits of papain, an enzyme from papaya fruit, for treating heartburn in The British Medical Journal on April 3, 1886.  Sadly, there has been very little well-controlled research over the subsequent decades.

As long as people are not allergic to papaya, your remedy is worth a try.  Some people with latex allergy also are sensitive to papaya, mango, banana and avocado (Allergy, April 1997).

• article by Joe and Teresa Graedon
• copyright The Seattle Times