Bromelain

Bromelain is a protein extract derived from the stems of pineapples.The extract has a history of folk medicine use. As a culinary ingredient, it may be used as a meat tenderizer.

"Bromelain" may refer to either of two protease enzymes extracted from the plants of the family Bromeliaceae, or it may refer to a combination of those enzymes along with other compounds produced in an extract.

Although tested in a variety of research models for its possible efficacy against diseases, bromelain has no established research evidence as a nutraceutical or drug.Limited evidence exists for possible effectiveness of a product used to reduce pain from osteoarthritis that combines bromelain with trypsin and rutin.^[1] to the rescue.

Function

As a potential anti-inflammatory agent, it may be useful for treating arthritis. Systemic enzyme therapy (consisting of combinations of proteolytic enzymes such as bromelain, trypsin, chymotrypsin, and papain) has been investigated in Europe to evaluate the efficacy of proteolytic enzymes in the treatment of breast, colorectal, and plasmacytoma cancer patients</scene>.^[2]