Have Pineapples Ever been Used for Cancer Treatment?

Have Pineapples Ever been Used for Cancer Treatment?
Cancer

sliced pineappleIf you havenโ€™t heard of bromelain, you arenโ€™t alone. But if youโ€™ve ever eaten fresh pineapple, youโ€™ve ingested bromelain. And this enzyme, which is particularly concentrated in the core and stem of pineapple, has actually shown promise as a worthwhile, natural cancer treatment.

Scientists found that the anti-tumor effects of bromelain were superior to the effects of the chemotherapy drug 5-fluorouracil. Yes, it worked better than chemo.

Surely this is new research, right? Because we would have all heard about this amazing discovery had it been known for a while. Unfortunately, no. This research was published in 2007 in the Planta Medica journal. Like many other worthwhile natural and harmless remedies, this one has been kept pretty quiet.

5-fluorouracil (5-FU) has been used as a cancer treatment method for about 40 years. Itโ€™s highly toxic and its effectiveness is questionable at best. But like many cancer treatment methods, itโ€™s used regardless.

The problem with 5-FU and other chemo drugs is they donโ€™t discriminate. They donโ€™t only kill cancer cells, but kill healthy cells too. And, even when they are indiscriminately killing cells, they donโ€™t kill all of the cancer cells.

As GreenMedInfo.com reports, 5-FU is given to adults in amounts that are toxic.The MSDS sheet for the drug states:

โ€œThe substance is toxic to blood. Repeated or prolonged exposure to the substance can produce target organ damage. Repeated exposure to an highly toxic material may produce general deterioration of health by an accumulation in one or many human organs.โ€

Itโ€™s poison.

On the other hand, bromelainโ€™s toxicity is rated at 1.5 pounds, the same as 5-FU at 7.5 grams. In other words, bromelain isnโ€™t only safer, but measures safer and more effective.

So, why havenโ€™t we heard about this? Why arenโ€™t cancer patients being offered a treatment made of bromelain? Perhaps you already know the answerโ€”it boils down to money. A natural treatment like one from something as wonderful as pineapples couldnโ€™t be as profitable for Big Pharma as one made in the labs. And the FDA simply isnโ€™t interested in approving natural treatments for anything, regardless of safety, cost, or benefits.

And of course pineapple isn’t the only natural cancer fighter. There has also been a link drawn between marijuana, turmeric, ginger, garlic, and vitamin D and cancer prevention. Similarly, here are 4 cancer-fighting foods you won’t want to miss.