Bromelain as a Treatment for Osteoarthritis: a Review of Clinical Studies

Bromelain, an extract from the pineapple plant, has been demonstrated to show anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties and may provide a safer alternative or adjunctive treatment for osteoarthritis. All previous trials, which have been uncontrolled or comparative studies, indicate its potential us...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine 2004-12, Vol.1 (3), p.251-257
Main Authors: Brien, Sarah, Lewith, George, Walker, Ann, Hicks, Stephen M, Middleton, Dick
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Review
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Bromelain, an extract from the pineapple plant, has been demonstrated to show anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties and may provide a safer alternative or adjunctive treatment for osteoarthritis. All previous trials, which have been uncontrolled or comparative studies, indicate its potential use for the treatment of osteoarthritis. This paper reviews the mechanism of its putative therapeutic actions, those clinical trials that have assessed its use in osteoarthritis to date, as well as considering the safety implications of this supplement for osteoarthritis and reviewing the evidence to date regarding the dosage for treating this condition. The data available at present indicate the need for trials to establish the efficacy and optimum dosage for bromelain and the need for adequate prospective adverse event monitoring in such chronic conditions as osteoarthritis.
ISSN:1741-427X
1741-4288
DOI:10.1093/ecam/neh035