Pineapple is the fruit of the Ananas sativus plant of the Bromeliad family . In the eighteenth century the juice of the pineapple stem was already used against difficult digestion due to its enzymatic activity. Today this fruit originating from South America, and cultivated in different parts of the world, is used for its numerous beneficial properties for the organism. Let's discover the characteristics and side effects of pineapple .
Pineapple: characteristics and properties
The pineapple is a perennial plant with coriaceous leaves and provided with thorns on the margins, united in large rosettes. The flowers are collected in an inflorescence and are purplish, compact on a short and robust stem. The sepals of the flowers become fleshy and develop an infructescence, with a yellow pulp and a brown rind.
The real fruits are small berries whose outer wall is visible in the form of a polygonal shield.
Pineapple is rich in potassium, manganese, carotenoids, vitamins A, B and C. It is an alkalizing food, useful against inflammation, and its stem contains bromelain .
Bromelain makes pineapple an excellent decongestant, useful in case of cellulite, edema, hematoma, muscle trauma, joint damage and venous insufficiency.
Furthermore, the pineapple is able to improve blood and lymphatic circulation and performs an anti-platelet aggregation activity useful against the formation of clots and thrombi.
Pineapple side effects
Pineapple may cause some side effects, albeit a modest one. In fact, bromelain can be allergic to predisposed individuals and determine:
- digestion difficulties,
- hypermenorrhoea.
Furthermore, it is good to avoid taking pineapple-based products for patients with gastric ulcers, and consult your doctor before taking if you are being treated with anticoagulant drugs or aspirin.
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