Papain and Bromelain Health Benefits and Risks

Even if you don't know bromelain and papain by name, you have probably used them at some point for medicinal purposes. Bromelain, derived from pineapple, and papain, derived from papaya, are both protease enzymes, meaning that they digest and tenderize protein. This makes them popular choices as ingredients in meat tenderizers. It is because of the healing properties of bromelain and papain that meat tenderizer has become a popular home remedy for insect bites, jellyfish stings, burns, and minor wounds.

Bromelain and papain appear to work in synergy to accomplish many of the same medicinal tasks. Bromelain is a powerful anti-inflammatory, so strong that it can replace the use of conventional NSAIDs like ibuprofen in treating painful inflammation. This makes it ideal for combating pain from or arthritis, injury, menstrual cramps, or digestive problems. It appears to work by blocking the metabolites that are responsible for controlling the body's inflammatory response. Bromelain is most often used internally

Though it has a different mechanism of action, papain works to treat many of the same ailments, and it is especially suited to topical use. Papain can actually digest venom and toxins from jellyfish stings and insect bites, and it also enables the body to shed and heal dead and damaged tissue. When combined with topical bromelain, papain can speed up the healing of surface wounds, stings, hemorrhoids, burns, and possibly even some forms of skin cancer.

Additionally, because they are both powerful digestive enzymes, bromelain and papain are useful in treating common stomach ailments, including bloating, constipation, indigestion, and irritable bowel syndrome. They act directly to help the body digest protein, and their anti-inflammatory properties can decrease swelling, bleeding, and inflammation in the colon. Because of this, bromelain and papain preparations can be especially useful for people with Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, celiac disease, or ulcers.

Some doctors have also explored the medicinal use of papain and bromelain for the prevention and treatment of heart attacks and stroke. Bromelain helps to prevent platelets from clotting unnecessarily, so it may prevent blood clots, heart attack, and ischemic stroke. Because of this effect, bromelain should, theoretically, be avoided by people who are taking warafin or other anticoagulants, since it may slightly increase the risk of bleeding or a hemorrhagic event.

Papain, like bromelain, was generally considered to be quite safe for the first several decades of its medicinal use. Topical papain preparations enjoyed tremendous success as a treatments for burns, wounds, stings, bites, and minor skin infections, and appeared to both heal the speeding process and decrease pain at the site of the wound. The effects were amplified when it was used with bromelain, and topical creams and ointments are still very popular in Australia.

In the United States, however, topical treatments containing papain have been restricted by the FDA since September 2008. The FDA's reasoning for the ban was unusual, and many people in the alternative health community were outraged by the action. Because papain is derived from papaya, some people with allergies to the fruit had serious allergic reactions. Alternative-health enthusiasts found the FDA's reaction to be bizarre and unfounded: the FDA does not ban peanuts, shellfish, or preservatives because some people are allergic, so why halt the sale of an effective product that is comparatively safe?

Fortunately, papain and bromelain supplements are still available as over-the-counter nutritional supplements, but they are approved only for internal use-- and only, of course, with the small-print saying that they are not regulated by the FDA and can not diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Though they are safe, effective, and powerfully medicinal, bromelain-papain compounds should not be used by anyone who is allergic to papaya or pineapple. Always check with a qualified physician before taking any herbal supplement.