Overview information
Bromelain is a protein-digesting enzyme mixture used for medicine which comes from pineapples. Pineapples have lots of benefits - they include vitamin C, vitamin B1, potassium, manganese and phytonutrients. But the secret weapon would be bromelain.
Bromelain is generally recognized as safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Uses
Bromelain may be used alone or with other medications and can be applied both topically and orally.
General uses of bromelain include reducing swelling (inflammation), lowering hay fever, treating a certain bowel condition, removing dead and damaged tissue after a burn, offering digestive aid for osteoarthritis and reducing soreness in aching muscles.
Potential health benefits
Some clinical studies found bromelain can help with osteoarthritis, cardiovascular disease, asthma, chronic sinusitis, colitis, burns, and preventing or combating cancer. In a word, bromelain is used widely to treat like everything.
Side effects
Bromelain is possibly safe for most people, but it can cause mild side effects especially when taken in high doses including diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and heavier-than-normal menstrual bleeding.
Special precautions:
If you have allergic reactions to pineapple, latex, wheat, celery, papain, carrot, fennel, cypress pollen or grass, you might be allergic to bromelain.
People who are pregnant and breastfeeding should avoid use because not enough is known about the effects.
Do not use bromelain if you are having a surgery in 2 weeks because it may increase the risk of bleeding.