Pineapple is a plant and its fruit, which grows especially in warm countries and is native to South America. Its fruit is large, fragrant, and delicious, with a crown of leaves on top.
Pineapple fruit can be consumed directly by eating, as well as by cooking or juicing. Pineapple is a fruit rich in Vitamin C and manganese.
Pineapple has been used as a medicine in various countries for the treatment of many diseases. It has been used orally or topically, especially for the treatment of colitis, menstrual irregularities, local inflammations, and pain.
In medicine production, bromelain, found specifically in pineapple, has been used. The enzymes in bromelain help break down and digest proteins.
No side effects of bromelain, which is available as an oral medication in some countries, have been detected to date.
It is not among the medications produced and imported in our country. So, would eating pineapple or drinking its juice have the same effect as this medication that we cannot find in our country? Unfortunately, the answer to this question is not fully known, because more bromelain is found in the pineapple’s stem than in its fruit.
Bromelain’s effects for medical treatment purposes:
- Laboratory studies on bromelain have shown that it has an anticoagulant effect in the blood. It is used to prevent undesirable conditions that may arise due to clotting after surgery.
- Inflammation can occur in the injured area as a result of any injury such as surgery, accidents, or impacts. Sometimes, inflammation can also occur in the body without an injury or microbe, as seen in rheumatic diseases. While mild inflammations are beneficial for wound healing, severe inflammations cause damage by leading to pain, swelling, tissue destruction, and sequelae. Bromelain is also used to reduce these inflammations.
- The accumulation of fluid in various parts of the body is called edema. Edema can have negative effects on healing. Studies have shown that bromelain helps remove edema fluid from the area and reduce swelling.
Recently, there has been an increase in its use because it helps rapidly reduce swelling and bruising that occur after aesthetic surgery. Especially after aesthetic surgeries of visible areas prone to bruising and swelling, such as rhinoplasty and periorbital aesthetics, aesthetic surgery specialists recommend bromelain use for a faster recovery process.
In our clinic, we have been using Bromelain in our patients after surgery for 12 years. It has been observed that post-operative swelling and bruising heal faster when Bromelain is used.
