Paw Paw

Can paw paw (Asimina triloba) be used to treat psoriasis? A few people seem to think so.

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Grade F

Paw paw, or Asimina triloba (also Indiana banana), is a plant native to North America. Most information on paw paw (such as this VitaminWay Herbs & Medicinal Wild Plants Quick Reference Guide) doesn’t mention psoriasis as a use for paw paw, instead focusing on things like lice eradication. Also, I cannot find any information about paw paw in the online medical literature.

In fact, I could find only three web sites claiming that paw paw is good for psoriasis, and it is important to note that the last two don’t use the plant’s Latin name, or any name other than “paw paw”:


Because of this overwhelming lack of people talking about using A. triloba for psoriasis, I think it’s quite possible that, for example, the author(s) of the article on the Annie Appleseed Project’s site may have been confused by the fact that “paw paw” is also another name for papaya, a completely different plant. “Paw paw” meaning papaya appears to be much more common than “paw paw” as a reference to A. triloba, and I’d guess that both the Blackmores and NTS sites are talking about papaya.