[!! SPAM] Bromelain - The Wonder Supplement

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 6/16/2007 10:16:48 A.M. Central Daylight Time, bbanever writes:

This is another wonderful remedy for spider bites and insect bites of all kinds, including bees. The main ingredient is Plantain. Go to brownrecluses.com and read their info for the first aid kit. It works... I've used it, absolutely amazing overnight results.

 

And the nice thing....is that plantain grows everywhere....probably in the cracks of your driveway. You can mash it up and put it on a bite in just a few minutes.

 

David

amateur herbalist See what's free at AOL.com.

[Guest guest]

This is another wonderful remedy for spider bites and insect bites of all

kinds, including bees. The main ingredient is Plantain. Go to

brownrecluses.com and read their info for the first aid kit. It works...

I've used it, absolutely amazing overnight results.

-

" murielblackley2 " <murielblackley2

<oleander soup >

Saturday, June 16, 2007 7:46 AM

[!! SPAM] Re: Bromelain - The Wonder Supplement

 

 

That's great that you had such good results Tony, really pleased for

you and thanks for the info on Bromelain which I'll read when my

brain can take it in ;-)

 

Do you know that a manufacturing Homeopathic Pharmacy can make a

remedy from anything? I'm sure there will be somewhere will have a

Brown Recluse Spider remedy, but if not, it can be made up for you,

and that should do the trick. I suspect you're in the USA so I don't

know who, over here either Ainsworths or Freemans would do it, but we

don't have many brown recluse spiders here.

 

Just a thought to add to your arsenal...........

 

oleander soup , " Tony " wrote:

>

>

> Bromelain - The Wonder Supplement

>

> I first experienced bromelain firsthand several years ago when I was

> bitten by a brown recluse spider on the front of my upper left leg -

> in three places no less. This was the second time I had been

bitten.

> The first time, I was bitten at the very topmost part of my left

leg on

> the inside where it joined the pelvic area, and that bite resulted

in

> the loss of a chunk of flesh and, much worse, being crippled for

several

> months thanks to the treating physician botching the treatment and

> thrusting his deadening needle into the bursal sac. Since I did not

> want to repeat that ugly memory and I had was in my first few years

of

> studying natural health, I decided to try to handle it myself.

>

> One of the people I consulted for help was an old naturopathic

healer

> who claimed to have been a doctor in Russia before immigrating to

the

> United States many decades ago. He suggested that, among other

things,

> I made sure that I used bromelain , which he called a wonder

supplement.

>

> And so, armed with garlic (which I took internally and used

externally),

> some hydrogen peroxide, otc ointment, some antibiotic for my son's

> dog Dice, a vial of homeopathic ledum pallustre, and bromelain, I

began

> to treat the spider bites. For a couple of days it was touch and

go it

> seemed, as the bites continue to redden and swell and the radiating

> areas of red and pink grew until it encompassed an area about 6

inches

> by 12 inches. But then the tide turned and the bites began to get

> better. Within a little over a week, they were mostly healed and

within

> two weeks there was virtually no sign of the bites.

>

> Earlier this month, another brown recluse struck. Again in the same

> general vicinity (I think the damn things are aiming for something

and

> one of these days they might score a hit! YIKES!) This time, being

a

> bit wiser, or so I hope, I caught it very early on and again

decided to

> treat it myself - this time with a bit of tea tree oil at the

> beginning and constant colloidal silver, aloe vera, apple cider

vinegar,

> ledum palustre and my old friend, bromelain. This time the tables

were

> turned on the second day after beginning treatment and today (June

15th

> 2007) the bite is almost completely healed.

>

> I am convinced that bromelain, a supplement with many extraordinary

> uses, is a big reason I was successful both times. After the initial

> success against the recluse bite, I researched bromelain quite a

bit and

> would like to share with you a study that, while a bit technical,

should

> give a good indication of just how amazing bromelain is.

>

> Bromelain: A Literature Review and Discussion of its Therapeutic

> Applications

>

> Gregory S. Kelly, N.D.

>

> Abstract

>

> First introduced as a therapeutic compound in 1957, bromelain's

actions

> include: (1) inhibition of platelet aggregation; (2) fibrinolytic

> activity; (3) anti-inflammatory action; (4) anti-tumor action; (5)

> modulation of cytokines and immunity; (6) skin debridement

properties;

> (7) enhanced absorption of other drugs; (8) mucolytic properties;

(9)

> digestive assistance; (10) enhanced wound healing; and (11)

> cardiovascular and circulatory improvement. Bromelain is well

absorbed

> orally and available evidence indicates that it's therapeutic

effects

> are enhanced with higher doses. Although all of its mechanisms of

action

> are still not completely resolved, it has been demonstrated to be a

safe

> and effective supplement. (Alt Med Rev 1996;1(4):243-257)

>

> Description

>

> Pineapple has been used as a medicinal plant in several native

cultures

> and bromelain has been known chemically since 1876. In 1957,

bromelain

> was introduced as a therapeutic compound when Heinicke found it in

high

> concentrations in pineapple stems.

>

> Bromelain is a general name for a family of sulfhydryl proteolytic

> enzymes obtained from Ananas comosus, the pineapple plant. It is

usually

> distinguished as either fruit bromelain or stem bromelain depending

on

> its source, with all commercially available bromelain being derived

from

> the stem.1 The term bromelain will be used to refer to stem

bromelain in

> the remainder of this article.

>

> Bromelain's primary component is a sulfhydryl proteolytic fraction.

> Bromelain also contains a peroxidase, acid phosphatase, several

protease

> inhibitors, and organically bound calcium. When the proteolytic

fraction

> of bromelain is purified and extracted, the result is a potent

> proteolytic enzyme in vitro; however, this component has been shown

to

> be physiologically inactive in vivo for many of the conditions where

> bromelain has a beneficial effect.2 It appears that a great deal of

the

> physiological activity of bromelain is not accounted for in its

> proteolytic fraction and it is likely that the beneficial effects of

> bromelain are due to multiple factors, not to one single factor

that can

> be isolated.

>

> To date, eight basic proteolytically active components have been

> detected in the stem. The two main components have been labeled F4

and

> F5. The proteinase considered to be the most active fraction has

been

> designated as F9, which comprises about 2% of the total proteins.

It is

> estimated that 50% of the proteins in F4 and F5 are glycosylated,

> whereas F9 was found to be unglycosylated. The optimal pH for the

F4 and

> F5 fractions is between 4.0 and 4.5 and for F9 close to a neutral

pH.3

> The entire extract of bromelain has been shown to exhibit its

activity

> over a pH range of 4.5 to 9.8.4

>

> Since bromelain is derived from a natural source, different sources

can

> exhibit variability in their physiological activity, even when their

> proteolytic activity is the same. Bromelain is not heat stable so

it's

> physiological activity can be further reduced by improper

processing or

> storage conditions.

>

> Absorption and Availability

>

> Bromelain is absorbed intact through the gastrointestinal tract of

> animals, with up to 40% of the high molecular weight substances

detected

> in the blood after oral administration. The highest concentration of

> bromelain is found in the blood 1 hour after administration;

however,

> its proteolytic activity is rapidly deactivated,5 probably by the

normal

> plasma protease controls and serum alpha2-macroglobulin.

>

> A variety of designations have been used to indicate the activity of

> bromelain; with published research varying in the designation

utilized.

> Rorer units (R.U.), gelatin dissolving units (G.D.U.), and milk

clotting

> units (M.C.U.) are the most commonly used measures of activity. One

gram

> of bromelain standardized to 2000 M.C.U. would be approximately

equal to

> 1 gram with 1200 G.D.U. of activity or 8 grams with 100,000 R.U. of

> activity.

>

> Platelet Aggregation, Fibrinolysis and Anti-Inflammatory Activity

>

> The first conclusive evidence that bromelain prevents aggregation of

> blood platelets was reported in 1972. Bromelain was administered

orally

> to 20 volunteers with a history of heart attack or stroke, or with

high

> platelet aggregation values. Bromelain decreased aggregation of

blood

> platelets in 17 of the subjects and normalized values in 8 of the 9

> subjects who previously had high aggregation values.6 In vitro

studies

> have demonstrated that bromelain inhibits platelet aggregation

> stimulated by ADP or epinephrine, as well as by prostaglandin

> precursors, in a dose-dependent manner.7

>

> Bromelain is an effective fibrinolytic agent in vitro and in vivo;

> however, its effect is more evident in purified fibrinogen solutions

> than in plasma. This is probably due to the antiproteases present in

> plasma. A dose-dependent reduction of serum fibrinogen level is

seen in

> rats following administration of bromelain, and at the highest

> concentrations of bromelain, both prothrombin time (PT) and

activated

> partial thromboplastin time (APTT) are markedly prolonged.89

Bromelain's

> fibrinolytic activity has been attributed to the enhanced

conversion of

> plasminogen to plasmin, which limits the spread of the coagulation

> process by degrading fibrin.

>

> Bromelain seems to have both direct as well as indirect actions

> involving other enzyme systems in exerting its anti-inflammatory

effect.

> Both etodolac and bromelain inhibit the inflammatory pain in rats

in a

> dose-dependent manner.10 Bromelain was the most potent of nine

> anti-inflammatory substances tested on experimentally-induced

edemas in

> rats;11 while prednisone and bromelain have been shown to be

comparable

> in their ability to reduce inflammation in rats.12 Treatment with

> bromelain and emorfazone has been shown to decrease significantly

the

> heat-evoked immunoreactive substance P release and subsequent edema

in a

> rat model.13

>

> Mechanism of Action

>

> Surface contact, by collagen or platelets, activates the kinin

system

> and the clotting cascade by stimulating the conversion of Hageman

factor

> to an active protease (factor XIIa). Factor XIIa then activates the

> kinin system by converting plasma prekallikrein into kallikrein, and

> continues the intrinsic path of the clotting cascade by converting

> factor XI to its active form. Kallikrein, in an autocatalytic loop,

> accelerates the activation of Hageman factor, which continues to

> potently activate both the kinin system and the clotting cascade. In

> addition, Kallikrein cleaves (HMWK) to produce bradykinin, a potent

> stimulator of both increased vascular permeability and pain. The

> activation of the clotting cascade will culminate in the conversion

of

> fibrinogen to fibrin (see Figure 1). Fibrin then forms a protective

> matrix around the injured area. This matrix inhibits tissue

drainage,

> promotes edema and blocks circulation of blood flow.

>

> In order to determine the effects of bromelain on the plasma

kallikrein

> system, bradykinin levels and plasma exudation at the inflammatory

site

> were examined in rats. Bromelain (5 and 7.5 mg/kg) caused a

> dose-dependent decrease of bradykinin levels at the inflammatory

site

> and a parallel decrease of the prekallikrein levels in sera. Plasma

> exudation was also reduced dose dependently. Bradykinin-degrading

> activity in sera was elevated after treatment with bromelain,

although

> it was unchanged in the pouch fluid.14 The levels of high molecular

> weight (HMW) kininogen and pre-kallikrein in rat plasma were

markedly

> reduced after single injection of bromelain (10 mg/kg, i.v.) and

> gradually recovered over a 72 hour period. The level of low

molecular

> weight (LMW) kininogen was not changed during this period.15

>

> Bromelain-treated rats also show a reduction in Factor X and

> prothrombin, both of which are needed for the activation of

fibrinogen

> to fibrin through the common pathway of the intrinsic and extrinsic

> cascade.16 This indicates that bromelain's action is in part a

result of

> inhibiting the generation of bradykinin at the inflammatory site via

> depletion of the plasma kallikrein system, as well as limiting the

> formation of fibrin by reduction of clotting cascade intermediates.

> These actions result in significant reduction in pain and edema, as

well

> as enhanced circulation to the injured site.

>

> After the formation of a clot, vessel repair begins with the

conversion

> of plasminogen to plasmin, which then acts to degrade fibrin into

> smaller components which can be removed by monocytes and

macrophages. In

> rats, bromelain has been shown to stimulate the conversion of

> plasminogen to plasmin, resulting in increased fibrinolysis. This

> minimizes venous stasis, facilitates drainage, increases

permeability

> and restores the tissue's biological continuity.16

>

> The therapeutic effect of bromelain may also be due to its ability

to

> selectively modulate the biosynthesis of thromboxanes and

prostacyclins;

> two groups of prostaglandins with opposite actions which ultimately

> influence activation of cyclic-3,5-adenosine (cAMP), an important

> cell-growth modulating compound.

>

> The binding of epinephrine, collagen, or thrombin to platelets

activates

> the enzymes phospholipase C and phospholipase A2 which release

> arachidonic acid from membrane phospholipids (phosphatidylcholine

and

> phosphatidylinositol). Table 1 lists the inflammatory actions of

> arachidonic acid metabolites.

>

> Plasminogen, which is activated to plasmin by the oral

administration of

> bromelain, has been shown to inhibit the release of arachidonic acid

> from cell membranes, resulting in decreased platelet aggregation and

> modulation of the series 2 prostaglandins.17 It is also hypothesized

> that bromelain therapy leads to a relative increase of the

endogenous

> prostaglandins, PGI2 and PGE2 over thromboxane A2.18

>

> Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs inhibit cyclooxygenase, which

is

> required for the synthesis of series 2 prostaglandins, resulting in

a

> decrease in both pro and anti-inflammatory prostaglandins. Rather

than

> blocking the arachidonic acid cascade at the enzyme cyclooxygenase,

like

> NSAIDs, bromelain may selectively decrease thromboxane generation

and

> change the ratio of thromboxane/prostacyclin (PGI2) in favor of

> prostacyclin (see Figure 2). Bromelain, similar to NSAIDs, has been

> shown to inhibit PGE2, however, its action is significantly

weaker.16

> Table 2 lists bromelain's impact on selected mediators of

inflammation.

>

> </BromelainT3.jpg>

>

> Antitumor

>

> The first documented use of oral bromelain on cancer patients was in

> 1972. Twelve patients with ovarian and breast tumors were given 600

mg

> of bromelain daily for from 6 months to several years, with reported

> resolution of some of the cancerous masses and a decrease in

> metastasis.19 Bromelain in doses of over 1000 mg daily has been

combined

> with chemotherapeutic agents such as 5-FU and vincristine, and has

been

> reported to result in tumor regression.19,20

>

> Bromelain has also decreased lung metastasis of Lewis lung cancer

cells

> implanted in mice in a dose-dependent manner. This antimetastatic

> potential was demonstrated by both the active and inactive

bromelain,

> with or without proteolytic and anticoagulant properties.21,22

>

> Cytokine Induction

>

> The successful initiation of an immune response depends on T cells

and

> macrophages, along with the polypeptide factors they produce, called

> cytokines, which play a key role in communication during normal

> immunological response as well as infectious, inflammatory, and

> neoplastic disease states. Table 3 lists cytokines and their

activities.

>

> </Bromelain1.jpg>

>

> Bromelain, papain, and amylase have all been demonstrated to induce

> cytokine production in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

> Treatment leads to the production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha

> (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1-beta (IL-1 beta), and interleukin-6 (IL-

6) in

> a time and dose-dependent manner. Interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) and

> interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), which had no effect alone,

synergistically

> increased TNF-alpha production when applied together with the

> enzymes.23,24 The tryptic but not the autolytic fractions of papain

and

> bromelain have a higher (10- to 40-fold) inducing capacity for TNF

> production than the untreated enzyme.25 Trypsin alone had only a

small

> inducing effect.

>

> The ability to induce cytokine production may explain the antitumor

> effects observed after oral administration of polyenzyme

preparations.

>

> Immunity

>

> Bromelain has been shown to remove T-cell CD44 molecules from

> lymphocytes and to affect T-cell activation. The highly purified

> bromelain protease F9 was tested on the adhesion of peripheral blood

> lymphocytes (PBL) to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC).

> Both bromelain and protease F9 reduced the _expression of CD44, but

F9

> was about 10 times more active than bromelain; having about 97%

> inhibition of CD44 _expression. The results indicate that F9

selectively

> decreases the CD44 mediated binding of PBL to HUVEC.26

>

> Debridement

>

> Bromelain applied topically as a cream (35% bromelain in a lipid

base)

> can be beneficial in the elimination of burn debris and in

acceleration

> of healing. A non-proteolytic component of bromelain is responsible

for

> this effect. This component, referred to as escharase, has no

hydrolytic

> enzyme activity against normal protein substrates or various

> glycosaminoglycan substrates and its activity varies greatly from

> preparation to preparation.27

>

> Topical bromelain has achieved complete debridement on experimental

> burns in rats in an average of 1.9 days as compared to collagenase,

> which required an average of 10.6 days for similar results.28

>

> Topical bromelain separates eschar at the interface with living

tissue.

> It is hypothesized that bromelain activates collagenase in living

tissue

> which then attacks the denatured collagen in the eschar. This

produces a

> demarcation between living and dead tissue. With very little

scraping,

> using a tongue depressor, all of the eschar can be removed and a bed

> suitable for grafting results. By using bromelain, grafting can

occur as

> soon as 24 hours after the accident. Utilizing bromelain cream in

the

> treatment of burns usually results in minimal or no scar tissue

> formation.

>

> The applicability of topical bromelain in frostbite eschar removal

was

> extrapolated and investigated. In the initial trial, no debridement

> other than that of the superficial layers of the eschar was noted.

> Although third degree burn injuries debrided to a graftable bed

after

> two topical applications of bromelain, frostbite injuries remained

> unaffected.29

>

> Potentiation of Antibiotics

>

> Antibiotic potentiation is one of the primary uses of bromelain in

> several foreign countries. Bromelain can modify the permeability of

> organs and tissues to different drugs. It prolongs sleeping time in

mice

> administered pentobarbital30 and increases spinal levels of

penicillin

> and gentamycin in rats. In humans, bromelain has been documented to

> increase blood and urine levels of antibiotics16 and results in

higher

> blood and tissue levels of tetracycline and amoxycillin when they

are

> administered concurrently with bromelain.31

>

> Treatment of 18 women with 80 mg of bromelain concurrently with

> amoxycillin or tetracyclin resulted in increased serum levels and

> concentrations of both antibiotics in uterus, ovarian tubes, and

ovaries

> as compared with controls. This effect was not generated by

> indomethacin, an anti-inflammatory drug which acts as a

cyclooxygenase

> inhibitor, which indicates that bromelain has some undetermined

activity

> that enhances absorption and tissue distribution of antibiotics.32 A

> three-fold increase in the level of tetracycline in serum after oral

> ingestion of 540 mg of enterically-coated bromelain has also been

> demonstrated in a double blind test.33

>

> Combined bromelain and antibiotic therapy was instituted for 53

> hospitalized patients with the following conditions; pneumonia,

> bronchitis, cutaneous staphylococcus infection, thrombophlebitis,

> cellulitis, pyelonephritis and perirectal and rectal abscesses.

Twenty

> three of the patients had been on antibiotic therapy without

success.

> Bromelain was administered four times a day along with the following

> antibiotics either alone or in combination; penicillin,

chloramphenicol,

> erythromycin or novobiacin. A control group of 56 patients was

treated

> with antibiotics alone. Of the 23 patients who had been

unsuccessfully

> treated with antibiotics, 22 responded favorably to the combined

> treatment. In every disease state studied there was a significant

> reduction in morbidity when the combination of bromelain and

antibiotics

> was used as opposed to antibiotics alone. Another group of 106

cases was

> treated with bromelain alone, with results comparable to those

obtained

> with antibiotic treatment.34

>

> Forty eight patients with acute sinusitis were placed on standard

> therapy, which included antihistamines and analgesic agents, along

with

> antibiotics if indicated. Twenty three of the patients received

> bromelain four times daily, while the remaining 25 received a

placebo.

> Of the patients receiving bromelain, 83% had complete resolution of

> nasal mucosal inflammation compared with only 52% in the placebo

group.

> Improvement in breathing occurred in 78% of those receiving

bromelain as

> compared to 68% in those receiving placebo. In the patients not

> receiving antibiotic treatment, 85% of patients receiving bromelain

had

> complete resolution of inflammation of the nasal mucosa and complete

> resolution of breathing difficulties. Only 40% of the placebo group

had

> a similar outcome with respect to inflammation, while 53% reported

> resolution of breathing difficulty.35

>

> The potentiation of antibiotics and other medicines by bromelain

may be

> due to enhanced absorption, as well as increased permeability of the

> diseased tissue which enhances the access of the antibiotic to the

site

> of the infection. It is also thought that the use of bromelain may

> provide a similar access to specific and non-specific components of

the

> immune system, therefore, enhancing the body's utilization of its

own

> healing resources.

>

> Mucolytic Properties

>

> The topical use of the enzymes, bromelain or papain, to remove

excessive

> cervical mucus was demonstrated in 1954. Observations following its

use

> demonstrated that pseudo and actual space-occupying lesions could be

> more positively identified, and inflammatory changes of the canal

and

> its glands could be visualized with greater accuracy.36

>

> Effects of bromelain on rabbit sputum consistency were investigated

in

> vitro and in vivo. Of the enzymes tested, bromelain exerted the most

> potent lowering effect on sputum viscosity and also showed a

tendency to

> increase the sputum volume.37

>

> In a clinical study of 124 patients hospitalized with chronic

> bronchitis, pneumonia or bronchopneumonia, bronchiectasis, or

pulmonary

> abscess, those receiving bromelain orally showed a decrease in the

> volume and purulence of the sputum.17 These results support the

> effectiveness of bromelain in decreasing the viscosity of sputum so

that

> it can be more easily cleared from the respiratory tract.

>

> Digestive Aid

>

> Bromelain has been used successfully as a digestive enzyme following

> pancreatectomy, in cases of exocrine pancreas insufficiency and in

other

> intestinal disorders.38 Because of its wide pH range, bromelain has

> activity in the stomach as well as the small intestine. It has also

been

> shown to be an adequate replacement for pepsin and trypsin in cases

of

> deficiency. The combination of ox bile, pancreatin and bromelain is

> effective in lowering stool fat excretion in patients with

pancreatic

> steatorrhoea. In addition, this combination resulted in a gain in

weight

> in most cases as well as an enhanced subjective feeling of well

being.

> Symptomatic improvement was also noted in relation to pain,

flatulence

> and stool frequency.39

>

> Bromelain has been reported to heal gastric ulcers in experimental

> animals.40 In an extensive study of the effect of bromelain on the

> gastric mucosa, it was found that bromelain increased the uptake of

> radioactive sulfur by 50% and glucosamine by 30 -90%. Increased

uptake

> of these substances may allow the gastric mucosa to heal more

rapidly

> under the influence of bromelain.41

>

> In a study designed to examine the effect of bromelain on

enterotoxin

> receptor activity in porcine small intestine, orally administered

> bromelain inhibited enterotoxin attachment to pig small intestine

in a

> dose-dependent manner. Attachment was negligible after treatment.

Serum

> biochemical analysis and histopathological examination of treated

> piglets showed no adverse effects with the bromelain treatment.

> Administration of bromelain may therefore be useful for preventing

> enterotoxin-induced diarrhea.42

>

> Surgical Procedures and Musculoskeletal Injuries

>

> Bromelain also has therapeutic effects in the treatment of

inflammation

> and soft tissue injuries. An early clinical trial on bromelain was

> conducted on 74 boxers with bruises on the face and haematomas of

the

> orbits, lips, ears, chest and arms. Bromelain was given four times

a day

> for 4 days or until all signs of bruising had disappeared. A control

> group of 72 boxers were given a placebo. In 58 of the boxers taking

> bromelain, all signs of bruising cleared completely in four days,

with

> the remaining 16 requiring 8-10 days for complete clearance. In the

> control group, only 10 had complete clearance within four days,

with the

> remainder requiring seven to fourteen days for resolution.43

>

> The edema-reducing property of bromelain was investigated in

> traumatically-induced hindleg edema in rats. After enteral

application

> of bromelain a significant reduction of the edema could be observed,

> however, parenteral application only resulted in a minimal

therapeutic

> effect. Although enterally-applied enzymes are thought to be

degraded in

> the gut, the better results were obtained after oral administration

of

> bromelain, supporting the observation that bromelain can be

absorbed by

> the gut without losing its biological properties.11

>

> Fifty-five pre-surgical patients were divided into two groups. Group

> one, consisting of 22 patients, took bromelain four times a day for

> 48-72 hours prior to surgery and continued for 72 hours after

surgery.

> Group two, consisting of 33 patients, took bromelain starting on

the day

> of surgery, with the first dose administered one hour prior to

surgery.

> Fifty percent of group one and 42.4% of group two had complete

> disappearance of pain and inflammation within 72 hours. Pain and

> inflammation persisted past 72 hours in only one member of the group

> supplemented with bromelain for three days prior to surgery, as

opposed

> to five members of the group that started supplementation one hour

prior

> to surgery. In a separate study, supplementation of bromelain

starting

> 48-72 hours prior to surgery reduced the average number of days for

> complete disappearance of pain from 3.5 to 1.5, and disappearance of

> inflammation from 6.9 to 2.0 days, as compared with controls

receiving

> no bromelain.44

>

> Sixteen patients undergoing oral surgery were given bromelain four

times

> a day starting 72 hours prior to surgery. At 24 hours after

surgery, 75%

> of these patients were evaluated as having mild or no inflammation,

in

> contrast to only 19% of a group receiving a placebo. Twenty-four

hours

> after surgery, pain was either absent or mild in 38% of

> bromelain-treated patients, as opposed to 13% receiving placebo.

After

> 72 hours, this increased to 75% of those in the bromelain group, as

> compared to only 38% in the placebo group.45

>

> In an observation study involving 59 patients with blunt injuries

to the

> musculoskeletal system, the efficacy and tolerability of high-dose

> bromelain, in addition to the usual therapeutic measures, was

> investigated. Treatment with bromelain resulted in a clear

reduction in

> all four parameters tested; swelling, pain at rest and during

movement,

> and tenderness.46

>

> Cardiovascular and Circulatory Applications

>

> Research has indicated that bromelain prevents aggregation of human

> blood platelets in vivo and in vitro, prevents or minimizes the

severity

> of angina pectoris and transcient ischemic attacks (TIA), is useful

in

> the prevention and treatment of thrombosis and thrombophlebitis, may

> break down cholesterol plaques, and exerts a potent fibrinolytic

> activity. If administered for prolonged time periods, bromelain also

> exerts an anti-hypertensive effect in experimental animals.2,47

>

> Administration of 400-1000 mg/day of bromelain to 14 patients with

> angina pectoris resulted in the disappearance of symptoms in all

> patients within 4 to 90 days.48 Similar results have been observed

in

> patients taking between 500-700 mg/day of bromelain. After

discontinuing

> bromelain, angina attacks reappear after a variable period of time,

> often triggered by stressful experiences.2

>

> A drastic reduction in the incidence of coronary infarct after

> administration of potassium and magnesium orotate along with 120-

400 mg

> of bromelain per day has also been reported.49

>

> In a study involving 73 patients with acute thrombophlebitis,

bromelain,

> in addition to analgesics, was shown to decrease all symptoms of

> inflammation; including, pain, edema, tenderness, skin temperature,

and

> disability.40

>

> The ability of bromelain to influence these conditions may be due

to its

> ability to breakdown fibrinous plaques. Bromelain has been shown to

> dissolve arteriosclerotic plaque in rabbit aorta in vivo and in

vitro.2

> It is likely that bromelain also increases vessel wall permeability

to

> oxygen and nutrients while increasing blood fluidity, both of which

aid

> in these conditions.

>

> Toxicity, Side Effects and Allergic Reactions

>

> Bromelain is considered to have very low toxicity, with an LD50

greater

> than 10g/kg. Toxicity tests on dogs, with increasing levels of

bromelain

> up to 750 mg/kg administered daily, showed no toxic effects after

six

> months. Dosages of1.5 g/kg/day administered to rats show no

carcinogenic

> or teratogenic effects. 51

>

> In human clinical tests, side effects have not been observed.

Bromelain

> supplementation up to 460 mg has been shown to have no effect on

heart

> rate or blood pressure; however, increasing doses up to 1840 mg have

> been shown to increase the heart rate proportionately. In some

cases an

> increase of up to 80% of the baseline has been reported, which may

be a

> result of bromelain's influence on IL-1 and TNF production. Maximum

> effects were seen at 2 hours but some residual effect remained at 24

> hours. At doses above 700 mg, palpitations and subjective discomfort

> have been reported. Blood pressure changes have not been

demonstrated in

> humans at any dosage level.52

>

> The allergenic potential of proteolytic enzymes should not be

> underestimated, for they cause, in particular, IgE-mediated

respiratory

> allergies of both the immediate type and the late-phase of immediate

> type with predominantly respiratory symptoms. Allergy to bromelain

has

> been reported in workers of a blood-grouping laboratory, and

> investigation indicates that (1) bromelain is a strong sensitizer,

(2)

> sensitization usually occurs due to inhalation and not to

ingestion, (3)

> bromelain allergy is occupationally acquired, and adequate

precautions

> are necessary.53 The risk of sensitization to enzymes due to

inhalation

> as a result of occupational exposure is very high (up to 50%).54

>

> Bromelain has been shown to cross-react with the sera in about 28%

of

> persons with IgE allergic response to honeybee venom.55 Bromelain,

along

> with horseradish peroxidase and ascorbate oxidase are recognized by

the

> IgE of sera from patients who are hypersensitive to olive tree

pollen.56

>

> Bromelain and papain, due to their use as a meat tenderizer and to

> clarify beer, are considered as potential ingestive allergens and

may

> represent an unrecognized cause of an allergic reaction following a

> meal. As with other food substances, a small segment of the

population,

> particularly those with a sensitivity to pineapple, may be

sensitive to

> oral supplementation with bromelain. As contact allergens, the

enzymes

> play a minor role; however, it is thought that skin testing with

> isolated proteases like bromelain may induce systemic reactions in

> susceptible individuals, even at very high dilution.53,57

>

> Indications for the Use of Bromelain

>

> There are several compelling reasons for supplementation with oral

> bromelain.

>

> 1. It inhibits blood platelet aggregation, favorably modulates

> prostaglandin formation and minimizes risk of coronary

atherosclerotic

> disease.

>

> 2. It continues to provide a desired physiological action for as

long as

> it is administered, with no evidence indicating that a tolerance

> develops.

>

> 3. It is considered to be non-toxic and lacking in side effects, so

it

> can be used without concern in doses from 200 to 2000 mg for

prolonged

> periods of time.

>

> 4. It is a protein and seems to be as easily metabolized as other

> dietary proteins.

>

> 5. It is well absorbed and seems to have greater therapeutic impact

when

> administered orally as opposed to intravenously

>

> 6. While effective for inflammation and injury, it is even more

> effective if administered prior to a traumatic event, i.e. surgery

or

> athletic competition.

>

> 7. It seems to enhance the absorption of and improve the action of

other

> substances when they are administered in combination.

>

> 8. Because of its impact on the cytokine system, particularly IL-1

and

> TNF, which stimulate fever and acute phase response, and its

> demonstrated ability to increase the heart rate, bromelain may

assist in

> generating an acute-stage healing response.

>

> Bromelain has a wide range of conditions for which it has well

> documented therapeutic efficacy (see Table 4).

>

> </BromelainT4.jpg>

>

> Dosage and Prescription Instructions

>

> Available research does not demonstrate an enhanced efficacy of

> bromelain when it is administered between meals. It is generally

> recommended that bromelain be taken away from food unless it is

being

> used as a digestive aid, because it is believed that otherwise, it

will

> tend to act as a digestive enzyme and its therapeutic benefit may be

> diminished. While this may in fact be the case, the clinical studies

> conducted on bromelain have not followed this protocol.

>

> Bromelain has shown therapeutic benefits in doses as small as 160

> mg/day; however, it is thought that, for most conditions, best

results

> occur starting at a dose of 750-1000 mg/day. Most research on

bromelain

> has been done utilizing divided doses, usually four per day, and

> findings indicate that results are dose-dependent. See Table 5 for a

> summary of prescription instructions.

>

> Conclusion

>

> Bromelain has been used for a variety of clinical applications for

more

> than 35 years. Although its mechanisms of action has not been

completed

> resolved, bromelain has demonstrated a beneficial effect on the

kinin

> system, the coagulation cascade, the cytokine system, and

prostaglandin

> synthesis. Bromelain is believed to enhance the absorption of

flavonoids

> and has been shown to increase absorption of glucosamine, so

bromelain

> supplemention should be considered when these nutrients are given.

It

> may also enhance absorption and utilization of many other

substances;

> however, to date research in this area has focused primarily on

> antibiotics. Bromelain has been shown to exert a beneficial effect

at

> doses as low as 160 mg/day, however, there is a general consensus

among

> researchers that the best results occur when bromelain is given in

doses

> above 500 mg per day and that results improve in a dose-dependent

manner

> with higher levels of bromelain supplementation. Bromelain has been

> demonstrated to be well absorbed after an oral dose and has been

shown

> to be safe at high doses for prolonged periods of time. For the

> conditions discussed in this review, bromelain has shown itself to

be an

> effective supplement.

>

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>