Pawpaw Ointment
What is Pawpaw ointment?
Pawpaw ointment is any tincture, cream or ointment that contains pawpaw as an active ingredient. As well as being a rich and tasty fruit, pawpaw also has some properties that make it a very attractive topical application for skin irritations. Firstly, pawpaw is a strong antiseptic, making it a good cleaning agent for wounds and skin abrasions. Pawpaw also contains papain, a digestive enzyme which accelerates the healing process of wounds and reduces inflammation for a range of skin problems including eczema, rashes, boils and lacerations.
How Does Pawpaw Ointment Fare Compared to other…well…Ointments?
As far as tinctures go for soothing dry skin, chapped lips and irritating abrasions, you really can’t go past the paw paw ointment. Pawpaw’s properties really do make it a good topical application on skin, and a much simpler application than most skin creams which are full of carcinogenic substances (like sodium laureth sulphate). Even wiping the inside of pawpaw skin onto affected areas will do the job, if you can handle getting sticky that is. Pawpaw ointment is useful in a wide range of instances as well, since it can be used as lip salve, a wound cleanser and skin protector. Perfect to pop in your bag as an all-in-one instead of having several jars floating around for different purposes.
What Brand Should I Buy?
There aren’t that many brands of pawpaw ointment on the market. The thing you have to be wary of when purchasing pawpaw ointment is that many manufacturers use a petroleum base; petroleum skin products have been increasingly linked to instances of cancer so use your discretion in selecting a brand you feel comfortable using. One brand of pawpaw ointment free of petroleum based products is Simmons pawpaw ointment, which this website highly recommends.
A word of warning: most brands that use petroleum bases in their pawpaw ointment aren’t required by the Therapeutic Goods Act of Australia to actually list this as an ingredient on the label, because the petroleum base is not an active ingredient (which does not mean that petroleum has no action upon your skin). Basically, if it looks and feels like Vaseline then it most probably has a petroleum base, and perhaps looking for another brand is your best option.
The Pawpaw Ointment Lowdown
Overall, pawpaw ointments (even the petroleum based ones) are fast acting for skin problems and in most cases provide instant relief. Obviously with the petroleum based ointments there may be long term effects that have not been extensively documented in clinical trials, so your best option is to err on the side of caution and go the petroleum-free pawpaw ointment options. These are the real winners on all levels. Get to slathering!
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