What is Bromelain?Could a pineapple a day keep the doctor away?
Maybe not, but a dose of bromelain, also known as bromelain, might be helpful. Bromelain is a protein-digesting enzyme found in the pineapple plant (Ananas comosus). Pineapple has a long tradition as a medicinal plant among the native peoples of South America and Central America. Extracts from the flesh and stem of the pineapple plant were made into dressings and were applied to wounds and skin injuries to reduce inflammation. Drinking the juice of the plant was known to ease stomachaches and indigestion by drinking. The people of Guadeloupe introduced pineapple as a dessert and a medicinal plant to Christopher Columbus when he came ashore there in 1493. Bromelain, the bioactive ingredient of the pineapple was first isolated in 1891 and was introduced as a therapeutic supplement in 1957. Today, bromelain is used by arthritis patients to help reduce the swelling that causes joint pain. Bromelain has also shown promise in the treatment of pain, numbness, tingling, aching, and loss of mot
