More and more the ancient wisdom of medicine men is apreciated by modern medicine. About one third of our medicine is dirived from plants, and most of this plant and herbal medicine comes from plants living in the rainforest. Our rainforests are a treasury of healing plants (and animals), and it´s a tragedy that the rainforest is destroyed in such a high speed.

The wild species of pineapple grow in the Mato-Grosso-area of Brazil, the Orinoko-area of Venezuela, and the Chaco Humedo of Paraguay. Even before Columbus discovered America, red Indians have cultivated this plant for centuries.

The pineapple and the red Indians of Middle and South America
Rochefort reported in 1605: “Pineapple juice refreshes the spirit and calms the heart. It strengthens the stomach, heals uneasyness and is an appetizer. Peopele suffering from stones get relief instantly, and it neutralizes toxins. When you cannot get the fruit, its root has the same effect.” (Steven J. Taussig and Stanley Batkin, “Bromelain, The Enxzme Complex of Pineapple (Ananas comosus) ant its Clinical Application”, pages 191-203). This wisdom he got from the native red Indians.

It´s a tragedy that many tribes have been killed in order to free the rainforest and cut it down. 90 percent of our drugs derived from plants come from the tropical rainforest. When more and more red Indians and natives become extinct, we will become dependend of what people put down about the healing potential of plants like the pineapple.

The natives have used pineapple to elevate the digestion of proteins, since the enzymes can break down proteins. Pineapple have also been used to prevent and heal colds and flues. Keep in mind, that the red Indians always eat “the heart of the pineapple”, the hard but healthy middle part, that contains most of the enzymes as well as a lot of minerals and vitamins. Don´t through this “heart” away! We also need the fiber for the bacteria of the intestines.

Pinapple wine has been used for centuries for healing colds, diseases with fever and digestion problems. The leaves are still used as a balm for wounds.

The Mexican red Indians prefer to eat pineapple together with salt and chilli. In this combination, pineapple helps with diarrhea, gases and worms. The unripe fruit and a tea of the leaves was used for abortion. Unripe fruit and the leaves are cut and mixed to a paste to put on sprains). The red Indians use the juice of the fresh fruit for healing digestion disorders, worms of the intestines, fever and sea sickness. Also the juiced leaves and unripe fruit is used against parasites.

In the Caribian, pineapple is regarded as an love remedy, an aphrodisiac. The people there also drink freshly squeezed juice when they have colds. For centuries, they juice pineapple leaves, mix it with honey and drink it when having coughs, similar to the onion juice one drinks in Germany in such cases. Hopefully it tastes better!

Here is the old recipe of a pineapple liquor for a good digestion and as an aprodisiacum: you cut peeled pineapple in small pieses, cover it with rum (at least 50% alcohol!) and leave it for five days. You strain it and sweeten it with brown sugar or honey.

In Central America, one cooks the small pineapple leaves as a healthy vegetable. Since the leaves contain a lot of phyto-oestrogenes, this is a good idea for women suffering from menstruation or menopause problems. Also the fruit and its juice is helpful for that. Manganese and Bromelain help to elevate cramps.

In folk medicine of Middle and South America the fruit, the skin or the juice is used for tumors, warts and corns. It is used as a natural remedy for such different health problems as bladder infections; Tripper, kidney stones, scarlet, scurvy, sore throat und veneral diseases. Red Indians soak the leaves, sweeten it and use it for sore throats . The juice of the ripe fruit is used as an effective remedy for Scorbut, it cools when you have fever. The Choco-Red Indians feed children suffering from coughs with young buds of the pineapple.

The folk medicine of the Red Indians use the pineapple for these pharmacologigal effects (most of them have already been proven by modern science):

• healing of cumbustion,
• healing of inflammation,
• prevention and healing of tumors (also malinge),
• eliminating surplus fat,
• helping the gall bladder,
• fighting constipation,
• draining,
• helping with menstruation,
• lifting the ostrogene level,
• detoxifying,
• killing and eliminating all sorts of parasites,
• cooling down fever.

The pineapple as a healing remedy of the Kahunas, Hawaii
I have been to Hawaii just one time. Hawaii is my “dream destination”. You can sense the Aloha-spirit everywhere. I know a Hawaiian Kahuna, a priest, who is familiar with tropical plants as healing remedies. The “Kahunas-La, au-Lapa ,au”, as the Kahunas call themselves, use pineapple for a lot of illnesses and also for prevention of diseases. “Kahuna” originally means “guardians of secrets” or “high priests”, and you can translate this title also into “masters of the healing herbs” or “traditionally working natural doctor”. On the islands of Hawaii – there are seven bigger ones – pineapple is known as a potent blood purifier. Here is the recipe: You peel a pineapple and cut it into halves. You put a piece of the skin of a Bobea-tree, four pieces of the Curcoma-Louza-plant and a piece of tree fernel of about 8 centimeter length. All material is cut and grinded and mixed with one liter of water. The liquid is strained und cooked with eight glowing stones. After cooling down, the patient takes a sip in the morning, during lunchtime and in the evening. If you want to make this medecine even stronger, you put some alcohol in.

The sour, unripe fruit is used for digestion problems, mainly constipation, also for flatulence and too much gastric juice. The juice of the ripe fruit is regarded as a means to drain the water and to strengthen the tonus of the intestines.

The Kahunas of Hawaii juice the pineapple leaves. This juice helps to elevate menstruation pain and to start menstruation if it´s irregular.

If patients suffer from diarrhea, inflammation of the intestines or acute Bronchitis, a big piece of pineapple is put into a mixer together with some water. Every now and then one has to sip till the problem is gone.

When people suffer from coughs and a sour throat and inflammation of the tonsils, one has to gurgle with freshly squeezed pineapple juice. The enzymes – Bromelain – dissolve the dead cells without attacking living tissues. When you realize you have a hoarse throat, immediately start sucking a piece of fresh pineapple.

Often children suffer from parasites. The Kahunas recommend to fasten for a week, drinking a lot of pure water, and eating a slice of pineapple every morning.

If people feel weak and experience a lack of energy, they should drink half a glass of pineapple juice with some honey every day.

When people have fever, which is a natural and healthy way to cope with bacteria and virusses, pineapple is recommended to give the patient more tranquility and harmony. You soak pineapple skin overnight. This you cook in the morning, strain it, let it cool down and store it at a cool place. As long as the fever lasts, one to two glasses are drunk during the day.

Kahunas regard pinapple also as a great cosmetic. When you have rough, dry skin, a mask of pineapple flesh is recommended. You should leave it on for twenty minutes and wash away with water. This mask gives the skin moisture, takes away dried skin cells and makes the skin younger.

If you have acidosis, you have to follow a diet of one day only pineapple, the other day papaya/paw paw. If you cannot sing or speak because of stress or too much talking, just eat a slice of fresh pinapple before the lecture or performance.

It´s important that the people on Hawaii and the Kahunas say that pineapples are not able to ripe or mature after being picked, they just get older. So, if possilbe, try to get pineapples that are picked ripe. You can buy them in tropical areas like Queensland, Haiti or Africa in fruit stands along the roads. The fruit are much cheaper there than in official shops and supermarkets, this is what I experienced in Australia, and much more tasty. In Europe, you can buy pineapple “via air”, that are more expensive, but delicious. Keep also in mind, that the Kahunas only use organically grown pineapple for healing purposes. An ill body cannot take all sort of poisons that are normally sprayed on pineapple plants. If you want to use pineapple as a healing remedy, stick to organic ones. It´s the better choice also for our environment.

Peace and Love

The Hipster Guru