Babaco
Long before Europe discovered the Americas, the Incas were cultivating this precious fruit, because they have known for centuries about the extraordinary properties of enzyme, vitamin and mineral rich babaco. Margot Esser, the founder of PHARMOS NATUR, tracked down the multi-talented fruit in the mountain rainforests of Ecuador. The indigenous people call babaco fruit the “health melon” and the tree itself the “medicine tree”. When still unripe, in the first 6-8 months, the fruit is entirely dark green on the outside, whereas the inner fruit flesh is white and bursting with the precious enzyme PAPAIN.
Babaco – designation
Babaco is a member of the Caricaceae family and is also called mountain papaya (Carica pentagona). Unlike ordinary papaya, it is a long oval shape with ridges. It is a natural hybrid of the Columbian mountain papaya (Carica pubescens) and wild papaya (Carica stipulata) from Ecuador.
Origin
Our babaco papaya lives and grows high in the Andes, in the mountains of Ecuador. The trees grow at an altitude of 3500 m, on highly fertile volcanic soil full of light energy – biophotons –
This special type of papaya only flourishes this magnificently in Ecuador, on these special soils containing a broad spectrum of nutrients and an unbelievable variety of building blocks for a healthy life. Today it can be found all over the world, but its home is in the Andes.
Babaco – description
The straight trunk of the babaco can reach the dizzying height of up to 10 metres. The crown of the tree consists of large, long-stemmed, bright green leaves with the leaf veins standing out conspicuously. All the flowers are yellowish-white and bell-shaped, and when the fruit is cut, the slices form five-pointed stars – providing a truly captivating appearance. The fruit is 20-30 cm long and weighs up to 1.5 kilos. The seedless babaco fruits are rich in vitamin C and, when ripe, taste like a blend of pineapple, strawberry and papaya.
Babaco – how it works and how to use it
The enzymes babaco contains are the “key to life”. Just as the babaco papaya needs its mix of papain enzymes to protect itself, so it can grow healthily and thrive, human beings also need enzymes – all physical processes can only work when the body has enough enzymes. Modern science has shown that the activity of the body’s own enzymes declines as we grow older, and when we are under stress. The babaco’s high vitamin C content supports the immune system wonderfully.
Traditional use
Babaco, endowed with precious ingredients such as the valuable enzyme papain, has been a recognised remedy since time immemorial. It is a “protein-digesting” enzyme that splits proteins and breaks them down into the smallest amino-acids. This boosts the digestion, allowing all nutrients to be taken to the cells and cell waste to be transported away more quickly.
It is also commonly known as “plant pepsin”. Pepsin acts to neutralise excess stomach acid and possible digestion problems.
