Deputy Prime Minister Somsak Thepsuthin has suggested, on a television programme, that cancer can be cured by drinking papaya leaf tea, claiming that some patients could confirm the method’s efficacy. He noted, however, that it does not work with all cancers.
Deputy Prime Minister Somsak Thepsuthin (centre) says in a television programme that papaya leaf tea can cure cancer.
His revelation surprised many, as the government’s Anti-Fake News Centre had issued a statement last year warning that there is no scientific evidence to support the efficacy of the method.
“There is no study or clinical research that confirms that leaves and flowers of papaya could cure cancer,” the centre said.
Furthermore, the National Cancer Institute and the Public Health Ministry confirm that drinking water boiled with papaya leaves does not cure cancer.
The method has only been tried in the laboratory and no studies have been done on animals or humans.
Claiming that unconfirmed facts are true may cause misunderstanding and some people may lose their opportunity to receive proper medical treatment from qualified medical professionals, according to the centre.
