Bromelain Reduces Swelling, Enhances Healing

Bromelain is a natural “pac man,” helping clean up injured tissue and speed the recovery process. Several studies demonstrate bromelain’s ability to assist with healing and recovery.

One human clinical trial involved the use of bromelain to reduce swelling¹ following molar extraction. Researchers took detailed measurements of the treated area and compared bromelain treatment to no bromelain treatment. “The results obtained clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of bromelain in treating postoperative edema after third molar surgery.” The ability to naturally reduce swelling, as opposed to blocking it with a drug, means that bromelain rapidly cleared out injured tissue.

In a second animal study, researchers crushed the subjects’ Achilles tendons² and then fed them bromelain for fourteen days. The researchers then analyzed the injured tendons and found that the bromelain-treated animals had more mature tenocytes in the cellar matrix of their tendons than the control group, thus indicating an enhanced healing rate in the bromelain-treated group.

These studies add to an existing body of literature supporting the use of bromelain as an anti-wear and -tear nutrient, making it an excellent choice to enhance the recovery process following injury or surgery.