Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I talk with Dr. McLaughlin about ___?
A: Dr. McLaughlin is retired, and while he graciously provided information and materials for this site (along with other people), he is not connected officially with pawpawresearch.com. He does not make himself available for consultations. The last time we checked, he does not even use email. His involvement in paw paw currently is limited to his own farm growing trees or speaking about his research.

Q: Why don't you sell the paw paw on this site?
A: This website is academic/informational only.

Q: Since you don't sell it, where can I buy it?
A: Dr. McLaughlin licensed his patents to Nature's Sunshine Products, who sells the product under the name "Paw Paw Cell Reg" to the public through their distributors. If you do not know a Nature's Sunshine distributor personally, try Healthy Sunshine. They have a good reputation. Apparently, they also ship internationally according to this page--at least on a limited basis--so if you live outside the US they are possibly the best or only option for you.

Q: I have paw paw trees? Can I use them somehow for treatment?
A: Probably not. See most of this website for information on this. Dr. McLaughlin had to standardize the extract since the acetogenins vary widely from month to month and from tree to tree. It is impossible for the "do it at home" person to know what he has.

Q: What is the difference between paw paw and graviola?
A: Quite a big one. Please see the page on the comparison between the two for a very detailed explanation.

Q: Can I have a copy of the paw paw lice remover recipe that is no longer sold?
A: Yes, we obtained it from the original manufacturer. The recipe contains 3 ingredients that they sell separately. You need Adobe Acrobat reader to read it, but you can get the paw paw lice remover recipe by clicking here. We added links to the document that will take you to the pages where the ingredients are sold.

Q: Can I have a copy of the salve recipe that was used for herpes?
A: From the best knowledge we have obtained from Dr. McLaughlin and the manufacturer, this salve was never put into production. It was made by opening the contents of paw paw capsules and mixing it with golden salve (available from the same manufacturer). From the information that we gathered, the exact mixture is not a huge deal since the purpose of the salve is simply to hold the paw paw extract powder in place on the affected areas. It is possible then, it seems, that you could even use something else to hold it in place.