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Bromelain
Bromelain is one of the most powerful healing enzymes on the planet. It is a plant enzyme found in the tough middle section of the pineapple fruit (the hard to chew part we usually throw away).
Let's get ready to learn all about the power of this potent plant!
How To Take Bromelain
You can consume fresh bromelain by eating or juicing the cores of pineapples. You can also purchase the supplement form as capsules or powder.
If you want incorporate bromelain into your health regime, a combination of fresh pineapple juice (including the core) and a supplement form is your best bet.
But even a supplement alone can have great benefits. You can use a supplement that contains just bromelain, or you could try a supplement that has a mixture of anti-inflammatory herbs.
Fresh Juice
You can increase your consumption of pineapple significantly by making fresh pineapple juice. It tastes and works even better when you add a bit of ginger root.
Juice 2 to 6 peeled pineapples, depending upon how much juice you plan to drink. Be sure to include the core.
Fresh juice is most potent if you drink it immediately after juicing, but the juice can last up to 48 hours in a large sealed glass container like a mason jar.
Health Benefits of Bromelain
Bromelain has a number of powerful healing properties, including:
Anti-Inflammatory
Anti-Tumor
Anti-Proliferative
Pain Reducer
Speeds Healing
Immune System Booster
Digestive Aid
Can one natural remedy really have so many positive results? You bet! That's why we consider this natural remedy an A-List rock star!
Let's take a deeper dive into this exciting list of benefits ....
1. Inflammation
Because bromelain possesses potent anti-inflammatory properties, it is often used for inflammation in the nose and sinuses, arthritic joints, muscle stiffness and pain.
But this powerful natural remedy also has the ability to reduce systemic inflammation [which means inflammation throughout the body].
The research on bromelain’s medicinal qualities is both impressive and extensive, demonstrating both anti-inflammatory and pain relieving properties in individuals with osteoarthritis.
In knee osteoarthritis, this super herb works just as well as the NSAID diclofenac.
Another study using patients with osteoarthritis of the hip found the bromelain supplement Phlogenzym-(PE) worked just as well as the NSAID diclofenac.
2. Improves Injury Healing and Decreases Pain
Bromelain also reduces pain and speeds healing during times of injury.
Episiotomy is a fancy name for a surgery performed during child birth. This is when a incision is made between the vagina and anus to create a larger opening for the child during labor. [My hat is off to you ladies, very tough.]
One study tested a bromelain supplement to see if it could reduce pain caused by a surgical procedure called episiotomy [performed during child birth when a incision is made between the vagina and anus to create a larger opening for the child to pass through].
The women in the study received 100 mg tablets, they took 3 tablets 3 times a day for 6 days.
Not only did bromelain reduce pain, but the group receiving the supplement healed faster than the placebo group!
Yet again more evidence that this super enzyme is a safe and effective pain killer.
3. Osteoarthritis
Bromelain has been shown to be as effective as pharmaceutical anti-inflammatories for osteoarthritis.
One study on knee osteoarthritis compared bromelain with the anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac. The 16-week study had 40 participants with mild to moderate pain due to osteoarthritis of the knee.
Patients were randomized to either receive 500 mg of bromelain a day or 100mg of diclofenac. [Two of the patients receiving diclofenac had to drop out due to adverse reactions from the drug, shocker!]
The results between the two groups showed that bromelain produced identical results with diclofenac in reducing the pain of knee osteoarthritis. These findings are very exciting, especially since this super enzyme is a safe and natural pain reliever that has many other health benefits. Another win for nature.
4. Sinusitis -- There are countless sinusitis sufferers in the world. Any therapies that are discovered to help with this condition are beneficial to the suffering, especially when the therapies are non-toxic and don’t come with their own set of problems.
Sinusitis means "inflammation of the lining of sinuses," and we have already learned that bromelain is a powerful anti-inflammatory.
A study done on children under 11 years of age suffering from acute sinusitis showed great results for bromelain as a stand-alone treatment. The data came from 116 patients suffering from acute sinusitis.
One group received bromelain-POS*, a second group received bromelain-POS along with standard therapies, and the third group only received standard therapies. The group receiving just the bromelain- POS recovered faster than the other two groups.
Bromelain works even better for sinusitis when used in combination with quecertin, so you might want to give that combo a try.
*[This study was done in Germany and the bromelain-POS is a synthetic product made by a drug manufacturer in Germany. The box claims the active ingredient is bromelain. If a synthetic version can produce such great results, imagine what the all-natural version could do!]
5. Blood Clots -- Of course you probably already know that exercise, stopping smoking, eating a low fat high fiber diet, controlling your blood pressure, staying hydrated, etc, can help prevent blood clots. But did you know that taking bromelain can also help prevent blood clots?
One study found that just one dose can protect you from blood clots for 24 hours!
How? Taking this super enzyme leads to formation of blood platelets that are more resistant to forming blood clots.
Two large-scale studies found that taking bromelain pretty much completely eliminates your risk of developing a blood clot!! Good to know. The study didn’t specify how much of the supplement was taken.
Of course, if you are on medications, especially blood thinners, run it by your open-minded doctor first.
6. Breast Cancer -- Several studies have shown that bromelain possesses anti-tumor and anti-proliferative effects.
In more common terms, that means this super enzyme prevents cancer cells from spreading by stopping or slowing down their growth.
These studies were done with cancer cells in vitro. [In vitro is when cancer cells are grown in a test tube, petri dish, etc.], so while these studies don’t necessarily prove bromelain would stop cancer growth in a human, it is still worth a shot.
Of course cancer is a very scary and serious disease. It would probably take a lot more than just pineapple to beat it, but it could be one part of the fight.
7. GI Cancer
In this study we can’t give all the credit to bromelain. Why you ask? Because this time he had a partner. His partner was N-acetylcysteine, a modified version of the amino acid cysteine. This study was done in vitro.
This mighty duo not only prevented cancer cells from spreading, but they also pulled out their big bazookas and killed them too!
Now how is that for a promising duo. And you can find both of these babies at your local health food store.
8. Immune System
Many of us may suffer from weak immune systems. Modern day causes are lack of proper rest, dehydration, nutritional deficiencies, chronic infections from parasites, viruses, and bacteria, stress, lack of exercise ... you get the picture.
While all these factors need to be addressed to live the healthiest life possible for you, bromelain shows potential immune boosting properties.
Chronic inflammation puts a strain on the body and causes the immune system to operate in overdrive.
So immune boosting is one more thing this amazing supplement can help us with.
9. Angina Pectoris
Angina pectoris is a common condition that develops when the heart isn’t receiving enough blood. This results in chest pain. Angina pectoris is usually caused by plaque in the arteries.
The pain can become more severe during exercise or exertion of any kind. Bromelain has been shown to reduce the pain of angina pectoris, as well as possibly reducing arterial plaque.
Of course, if you are suffering from angina, there are many other healing steps one should take in addition to taking herbs. One potent measure is to change your diet to an oil-free, whole-foods, plant-based diet.
Sources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24473984
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27470088
http://iv.iiarjournals.org/content/19/2/417.short
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0306987780901346
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22191568
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24377593
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4884440/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4245783/
http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/11410400
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/btri/2012/976203/abs/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC538506/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16539815
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