Pineapple Plant
Common Names: Pineapple, Ananas, Nanas, Pina.
Related Species: Pina de Playon (Ananas bracteatus).
Distant affinity: Pingwing (Aechmea magdalenae), Pinguin
(Bromelia pinguin), Pinuela (Karatas plumier).
Origin: The pineapple is native to southern Brazil and
Paraguay where wild relatives occur. It was spread by the Indians up through
South and Central America to the West Indies before Columbus arrived. In 1493
Columbus found the fruit on the island of Guadaloupe and carried it back to
Spain and it was spread around the world on sailing ships that carried it for
protection against scurvy. The Spanish introduced it into the Philippines and
may have taken it to Hawaii and Guam early in the 16th Century. The pineapple
reached England in 1660 and began to be grown in greenhouses for its fruit
around 1720.
Adaptation: The pineapples is a tropical or near-tropical
plant, but will usually tolerate brief exposures to 28° F. Prolonged cold above
freezing retards growth, delays maturity and causes the fruit to be more acid.
Pineapples are drought-tolerant and will produce fruit under yearly precipitation
rates ranging from 25 - 150 in., depending on cultivar and location and degree
of atmospheric humidity. They are successfully grown in southern Florida and
coastal areas of southern California. The small plant adapts well to container
and greenhouse culture and makes an interesting potted plant.
Health Benefits
Potential Anti-Inflammatory and Digestive Benefits
Bromelain is a complex mixture of substances that can be
extracted from the stem and core fruit of the pineapple. Among dozens of
components known to exist in this crude extract, the best studied components
are a group of protein-digesting enzymes (called cysteine proteinases).
Originally, researchers believed that these enzymes provided the key health
benefits found in bromelain, a popular dietary supplement containing these
pineapple extracts. In addition, researchers believed that these benefits were
primarily limited to help with digestion in the intestinal tract. However,
further studies have shown that bromelain has a wide variety of health
benefits, and that many of these benefits may not be related to the different
enzymes found in this extract. Excessive inflammation, excessive coagulation of
the blood, and certain types of tumor growth may all be reduced by therapeutic
doses of bromelain when taken as a dietary supplement. Studies are not
available, however, to show these same potential benefits in relationship to
normal intake of pineapple within a normal meal plan.
Antioxidant Protection and Immune Support
Vitamin C is the body's primary water-soluble antioxidant,
defending all aqueous areas of the body against free radicals that attack and
damage normal cells. Free radicals have been shown to promote the artery plaque
build-up of atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease, cause the airway spasm
that leads to asthma attacks, damage the cells of the colon so they become
colon cancer cells, and contribute to the joint pain and disability seen in
osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. This would explain why diets rich in
vitamin C have been shown to be useful for preventing or reducing the severity
of all of these conditions. In addition, vitamin C is vital for the proper
function of the immune system, making it a nutrient to turn to for the
prevention of recurrent ear infections, colds, and flu.
