Bromelain is a proteolytic enzyme found in pineapple juice and stems that may offer many different health benefits. Bromelain can be taken to support healthy digestion, as well as to aid in treating inflammatory, cardiovascular and skin disorders. Consult your physician before taking bromelain to treat any health problem, to discuss the potential side effects and drug interactions.
Digestive Support
Bromelain is an enzyme that helps to digest proteins and might improve digestion if you have digestive problems, states the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. People who have chronic pancreatic insufficiency can benefit from taking bromelain, according to a 1970 comparative clinical trial published in the "British Medical Journal." A 1988 report in the "Journal of Ethnopharmacology" found that bromelain enzyme can also help improve both the acid and alkaline environments of the small intestine. If you have indigestion, chronic pancreatic insufficiency or another condition affecting your digestion, ask your doctor about taking bromelain.
Anti-Inflammatory
After your body absorbs bromelain into the bloodstream, the enzyme seems to offer anti-inflammatory actions, states the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. The anti-inflammatory effects of bromelain may help in treating rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, sprains and tendonitis, prostatitis, as well as support healing or wounds or after surgery, notes the University of Michigan Health System. Other uses for bromelain's anti-inflammatory actions include treating ulcerative colitis, bruises and burns. A 2008 in-vitro study reported in "Clinical Immunology" found that bromelain reduced the secretion of certain chemicals in the body that cause inflammation, states the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Women who had episiotomies during childbirth and took bromelain enzyme had less inflammation and pain in a double-blind study published in "Obstetrics & Gynecology" in 1967. A German study in 1995 also found that bromelain eased pain and inflammation in people who suffered blunt-trauma injuries. Also, a 2000 study in the journal "Burns" found that bromelain helped to debride necrotic tissues from burn wounds. Bromelain could interfere with antibiotics and tetracycline drugs, so you should talk to your healthcare provider before you take the enzyme for its anti-inflammatory effects.
Blood Thinner
Bromelain enzyme reduces excessive blood-platelet "stickiness," preventing blood clots and essentially thinning the blood, states the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. A 2008 study in rats found that bromelain had cardioprotective effects and prevented blood clots, according to the American Journal of Heart and Circulatory Physiology. These actions could indicate that bromelain may help treat chronic venous insufficiency and other circulatory disorders, notes the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Bromelain's blood-thinning effects may increase your bleeding risks if you're taking anticoagulant or antiplatelet medications like Coumadin, however. Consult your doctor before taking bromelain for its cardiovascular benefits.
Immune System Modulator
Just like bromelain's anti-inflammatory effects, the enzyme may also help to regulate your immune-system response, notes the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. These effects on your immune system could help in treating sinusitis and allergies, notes the University of Michigan Health System. In fact, bromelain has been studied for its potential benefits in treating sinusitis. A double-blind clinical trial found that taking bromelain along with conventional medications reduced symptoms in more than 80 percent of the study participants, according to a 1967 issue of the journal Headache. Another controlled study published the same year in "Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat Monographs" found that taking bromelain benefited people with sinusitis.
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