Kill Viruses with… a Fruit?

Bonus Material:The Enzyme Secret: How to Stop Pain, End Disease and Unlock Vitality

Right this very minute, scientists around the globe are scrambling to develop a vaccine to stop the latest coronavirus.

But here’s the truth: If you’re looking to the government or Big Pharma to fix this mess, you’re going to be disappointed. 

Just look at their track records…

It’s been more than 100 years since the Spanish flu wiped out more than 50 million people. And yet the flu shot is only about 60% effective in a good year1.

Just check out the chart below. Those numbers come straight from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention2.

Even though the mainstream medical establishment has had more than a century to figure it out, it’s estimated that 200,000 people around the world still die from the flu every year… despite having access to one of Big Pharma’s “miracle” vaccines3.

Not very encouraging, is it?

Meanwhile, hundreds of other researchers are scouring their databases looking for existing drugs that might be effective at treating this new coronavirus and COVD-19.

They’re looking at everything from antivirals to antibiotics to drugs that suppress the immune system. Some of these drugs have been tested against other viruses… and failed.

This has left doctors on the front lines throwing medicinal spaghetti at the wall, hoping some cocktail of drugs they mix together will help their sickest patients.

But perhaps the most infuriating part of this disaster is that there are dozens of powerful natural antiviral compounds that have been completely overlooked in the fight against the new coronavirus…

Today I’m going to tell you about one of the most powerful of these compounds.

It’s called bromelain.

bromelain benefits

Bromelain is a proteolytic enzyme found in the fruit and stems of pineapples.

And unlike most of the drugs being studied, bromelain helps your body fight off diseases and infections in several ways.

In fact, research shows it may have the potential to…4,5

  • Stop runaway inflammation
  • Balance the immune system response… and possibly even help you avoid a deadly “cytokine storm” (a hyper-inflammatory response that can lead to deadly lung damage in COVID patients)
  • Break up deadly blood clots that have been linked to severe COVID cases, improve circulation, and reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes
  • Thin out mucus in the respiratory tract
  • Destroy the protective outer coating of viruses, essentially “killing” them before they can infect cells
  • Fight free radicals that cause cell damage and oxidative stress
  • Protect against chronic lung disease and viral infection
  • And so much more

With studies that go back decades supporting its effectiveness, you’d think a compound like this would be near the top of every scientist’s research list.

Right now there are more than 1,300 studies and clinical trials going on, yet not a single one is looking at bromelain.

That’s because bromelain isn’t created in a lab. It comes from a pineapple. And no one is going to get rich off of pineapples.

Profit drives Big Pharma — not your health

No one can take better care of your health than you.

But to do that, you need to have ALL the available information. You need to know all your options if you want to make the best decisions.

That’s why I want to share all the little-known information you need to know about bromelain.

I was so blown away by the research that I personally take it every day to keep my immune system healthy (and have for many years).

Bromelain is what’s known as a proteolytic (PRO-tee-oh-LIT-ic) enzyme.

It’s found in the root and stem of pineapples, and most supplement-savvy people know it as one of the safest and most effective natural treatments for chronic joint pain and inflammation.

And unlike most of the drugs doctors usually prescribe for joint pain, bromelain does not cause dangerous side effects. (Of course, if you’re allergic to pineapple, this probably isn’t right for you…but that’s just common sense.)

One of the main reasons bromelain works so well for joint pain is because it’s a powerful anti-inflammatory.

Bromelain extinguishes chronic inflammation — the underlying cause of nearly every disease you can think of.

FREE Download: The Enzyme Secret: How to Stop Pain, End Disease and Unlock Vitality

Inflammation is a normal part of your body’s healing process. It’s a healthy response to an injury, trauma or infection. It usually goes away in a few hours and the healing continues.

But when inflammation lingers and doesn’t go away, we call that chronic inflammation. It’s this chronic inflammation that lies at the root of the world’s deadliest diseases.

It also makes you more susceptible to the deadly coronavirus.

Here’s why…

This ongoing inflammation is linked to poor metabolic health and a weak immune system. It’s also at the root of heart disease, obesity, cancer and Type 2 diabetes… the underlying conditions that make you more vulnerable to the virus.6

Study after study dating back decades show that bromelain wipes out inflammation. One review, published in the journal Biomedical Reports in 2016, looked at multiple studies on bromelain and summed it up like this:

“…bromelain decreases the majority of inflammatory mediators and has demonstrated a significant role as an anti-inflammatory agent in various conditions” 7

Bromelain helps your immune system stay balanced

You’ve probably heard the phrase “cytokine storm” being thrown around by TV doctors these past few months.

A cytokine storm is when your immune system goes haywire when trying to respond to a threat, like a virus.

When this happens, small signaling molecules called cytokines run wild through your bloodstream. But here’s the catch…

When there are too many pro-inflammatory cytokines rampaging through your body, your immune system turns on you and attacks healthy tissues and organs.

A T-cell helps break up cytokines.

This appears to happen frequently in COVID-19 patients.

But here’s what’s interesting…

Several in vitro studies have shown that bromelain reduces the secretion of cytokines that come from an overstimulated immune system and out-of-control inflammation8.

And other animal studies have also shown that bromelain stopped the out-of-control production of these pro-inflammatory cytokines.9

Seeing what it could potentially do for people seems like a no-brainer, and yet not a single mainstream doctor is talking about it.

And that’s still not all bromelain can do…

Bromelain has proven antiviral powers too!

A virus is a tiny particle that must infect a living cell to reproduce.

Inside each virus is the genetic material to make more copies of itself. This is surrounded by a protein “shell” called a capsid that protects the virus as it travels from person to person.

Some viruses also have an additional lipid layer known as the “fatty envelope” that helps the virus merge with a host cell’s outer membrane. In other words, it helps the virus infect a cell.

And yet some viruses, like influenza viruses, coronaviruses and HIV, have protein “spikes” that protrude from the outer layer and act like “keys” that allow the virus to enter a cell.

Viruses have outer layers that protect them and spikes that help them infect healthy cells.

As a proteolytic enzyme, bromelain breaks down protein. This has been known for several centuries.

Acting on a hunch, researchers in India wanted to see if bromelain had any effect on virus proteins. They took blood samples from patients infected with HIV, Hepatitis C and HPV, the virus that causes cervical cancer.

When they mixed the blood samples with a solution containing bromelain, both outer layers of the virus were damaged. In some cases, they completely fell apart. In others, they were so banged up the viruses weren’t able to reproduce.10

And here’s something else … researchers already know that bromelain interferes with the outer coating of some viruses.

How do we know this? Because bromelain is already being used to help create the type of flu vaccine known as the “recombinant vaccine.”11

It’s widely known in the scientific community that bromelain “cleaves,” or severs, specific proteins from the outside of the flu virus. Scientists then use these broken-off proteins to create an antigen… the substance in a vaccine that triggers your immune system to create antibodies.

But instead of studying how to use bromelain to fight the flu naturally, they’d rather use it to create one of their vaccines.

While it’s not totally surprising, it should raise some red flags about their motives.

And here’s another way bromelain could help in the fight against the coronavirus.

Bromelain thins out mucus and makes it easier to breathe

Serious pneumonia is one of the most dangerous conditions associated with COVID-19, but decades of research shows that bromelain is extremely effective at fighting respiratory illness.12

For one, it’s anti-mucolytic, which means it thins out mucus in your lungs (or nasal passages) so that it’s easier for your body to get rid of.

Why is this important?

Because many cases of pneumonia diagnosed after a person has been infected with a virus are secondary bacterial infections.

Bacteria can infect the lungs after a virus attacks.

Bromelain has shown to increase the levels of antibiotics in the bloodstream and has proven to be a potent adjunct therapy for patients suffering from respiratory illnesses.

And there’s still more…

Research also shows bromelain is antimicrobial, antifungal, and that it’s a potent antioxidant13… but there’s one more very important reason bromelain deserves more attention right now.

Bromelain prevents and breaks down blood clots

Doctors across the world have seen that many of their sickest COVID patients have serious problems with blood clots and their body’s coagulation system.

These clotting complications affect not only the older, most at-risk patients, but also younger and middle-age patients also.

This may look like coral from the sea… it’s actually a hardened blood clot removed from arteries.

In fact, physicians are now prescribing blood thinners to treat hospitalized COVID patients.

And even the CDC has taken notice, adding a section on “Antithrombotic Therapy” to the Treatment Guidelines section of their website in mid-May, stating:

‘COVID-19 has been associated with inflammation and a prothrombotic state, with increases in fibrin, fibrin degradation products, fibrinogen, and D-dimers.’14

Too much fibrin in your blood makes it thick and “sticky” and leads to the formation of blood clots.

Fibrin forms a mesh-like web that traps red blood cells and platelets.

So while bromelain and other proteolytic enzymes have been used for decades to break down and dissolve excess fibrin,

there’s a vacuum of silence surrounding its use to possibly prevent these clotting problems in the first place.

And there’s even more reason to pay close attention to bromelain and its ability to dissolve fibrin…

In a 2016 review published in the journal Cellular & Molecular Immunology, researchers looked at the relationship between fibrin, the influenza A virus, and lung damage.15

Researchers had already established that cytokine storms caused by immune system hyperstimulation were linked to coagulation problems and increased fibrin in very sick flu patients.

fibrin red blood cells

Fibrin on red blood cells, seen through an electron microscope

And they noted that when your body’s coagulation system goes crazy, which leads to excess fibrin buildup, your immune system is more likely to overreact.  When this happens, the flu virus is able to reproduce more easily and the disease gets worse.

From the limited information we have about COVID-19, we can see how similar the disease progression is. And since we know that bromelain and other proteolytic enzymes prevent the formation of clots by breaking up fibrin deposits, it’s hard to understand why this important information is not being shouted from the rooftops right now.

So why is no one talking about bromelain?

As I mentioned earlier, no one is going to get rich off of pineapples. Until Big Pharma finds a way to manipulate bromelain’s powers and turn it into a patented pharmaceutical, there’s very little chance it’s going to get much attention.

This is more of a problem in the United States than anywhere else in the world. In places like Japan, Germany and some other European countries, doctors have been using proteolytic enzymes like bromelain for decades to treat joint pain and certain other  inflammatory conditions.

How you can get bromelain

As you’ve probably guessed, you can get bromelain from eating pineapples… but to get any therapeutic effect, you’d have to eat more pineapples than is humanly possible each and every day.

Fresh pineapple juice is also rich with bromelain. But that would be a LOT of sugar, which can lead to blood sugar spikes.

The most effective way to get enough bromelain is by taking a high-quality supplement that contains bromelain.

The very best supplements will contain a mix of bromelain and other proteolytic enzymes. Bromelain is especially effective when paired with papain.

Supplements are the best way to get healthy levels of bromelain into your system.

Discover more than 100 ways bromelain can improve your health

Even though it doesn’t get a lot of attention from mainstream doctors or in the media, there are decades of studies that show how well bromelain works for hundreds of conditions — from allergies to joint pain — and that’s no exaggeration.

It’s one of a handful of supplements I take every single day without fail. And right now, I’m more grateful than ever that I learned about bromelain and the healing power of proteolytic enzymes all those years ago.

This information should not be so hard to find.

That’s why I’m putting everything I’ve learned about these special enzymes in a free report, The Enzyme Secret, which you can download right away just by clicking on the image below.

FREE Download: The Enzyme Secret: How to Stop Pain, End Disease and Unlock Vitality

Now dive into these great articles…

8 Other Amazing Bromelain Health Benefits

5 Foods with Antiviral Powers

6 Essential Foods for Healthy Lungs


References:

1. “The flu shot is 46% effective for this year’s 2020 flu season,” Insider (insider.com) Acc. May 21, 2020.
2. Adapted from: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Seasonal influenza vaccine effectiveness, 2014–2018.(cdc.gov/flu/professionals/vaccination/effectiveness-studies.htm). Acc. May 20, 2020.
3. Paget, John et al. “Global mortality associated with seasonal influenza epidemics: New burden estimates and predictors from the GLaMOR Project.” Journal of global health vol. 9,2 (2019): 020421. doi:10.7189/jogh.09.020421
4. Rathnavelu, Vidhya et al. “Potential role of bromelain in clinical and therapeutic applications.” Biomedical reports vol. 5,3 (2016): 283-288. doi:10.3892/br.2016.720
5. Marulip Andjaitan, Tutunnugraha , Kezia Hendardi Pamudja, Firmanp Idris, Meliana Tjandra and Tiffany Wiriantono, 2018. Bromelain Enzyme from Pineapple Fruit as an Antiviral Agent Against HIV, Hepatitis C and Human Papiloma Virus. Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 13: 3125-3130. Asian Journal of Information Technology, 18: 250-260.
6. Brody, Jane E. “How Poor Diet Contributes to Coronavirus Risk.” The New York Times (www.nytimes/com) April 20, 2020.
7. Rathnavelu, Vidhya, et al. “Potential Role of Bromelain in Clinical and Therapeutic Applications.” Biomedical Reports, D.A. Spandidos, Sept. 2016.
8. Onken, Jane E et al. “Bromelain treatment decreases secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines by colon biopsies in vitro.” Clinical immunology (Orlando, Fla.) vol. 126,3 (2008): 345-52.
9. Zhou, Zijuan et al. “Inhibition of Epithelial TNF-α Receptors by Purified Fruit Bromelain Ameliorates Intestinal Inflammation and Barrier Dysfunction in Colitis.” Frontiers in immunology vol. 8 1468. 10 Nov. 2017.
10. Marulip Andjaitan, Tutunnugraha , Kezia Hendardi Pamudja, Firmanp Idris, Meliana Tjandra and Tiffany Wiriantono, 2018. Bromelain Enzyme from Pineapple Fruit as an Antiviral Agent Against HIV, Hepatitis C and Human Papiloma Virus. Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 13: 3125-3130. Asian Journal of Information Technology, 18: 250-260.
 11. Wang W, Suguitan AL Jr, Zengel J, Chen Z, Jin H. Generation of recombinant pandemic H1N1 influenza virus with the HA cleavable by bromelain and identification of the residues influencing HA bromelain cleavage. Vaccine. 2012;30(5):872‐878. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2011.11.101
 12. Rathnavelu, Vidhya et al. “Potential role of bromelain in clinical and therapeutic applications.” Biomedical reports vol. 5,3 (2016): 283-288. doi:10.3892/br.2016.720
 13. ibid.
 14. COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines (https://www.covid19treatmentguidelines.nih.gov/whats-new/) May 12, 2020.
 15. Yang, Y., Tang, H. Aberrant coagulation causes a hyper-inflammatory response in severe influenza pneumonia. Cell Mol Immunol 13, 432–442 (2016).

Filed Under: General Health
Written By:  Updated:
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Jesse Cannone, CFT, CPRS, MFT

Jesse is the co-founder and visionary CEO of The Healthy Back Institute®, the world-leading source of natural back pain solutions. His mission as a former back pain sufferer is to help others live pain free without surgery and pharmaceuticals.

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2 thoughts on “Kill Viruses with… a Fruit?”

  1. Ginger says:

    Thank you!! 😊

  2. Catherine Roger says:

    Thank you
    I am a vegan but I sometimes eat salmon.

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