Billy loves to chew on pineapple leaves. Whenever I bring pineapples home, I place them on the ripening rack next to the kitchen window. Not long after that, Billy will show up and start chomping on the leaves. Because he loves them, I usually try to get pineapples with a big crown.

Billy’s my cat, by the way. Given an opportunity, both cats and dogs naturally seek out grass to eat to heal upset tummies and for other health benefits as well. After doing so, both Billy and Ginger, my dog, will throw up the grass and other stomach contents, and trot away happily, all well again. When it comes to pineapple leaves, however, Billy doesn’t regurgitate anything. He keeps it all down. He must know something most of us lesser mammals don’t know.

This much I do know – pineapple is an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin Bl, vitamin B6, copper, magnesium, manganese, and dietary fiber. Pineapples also contain the enzyme bromelain, which is effective for digesting protein. It is often consumed as an aid in digestion, for this reason. It is also used in alternative cancer therapies like the metabolic / laetrile / vitamin B17 / amygdalin cancer protocol to help break down the protein membrane which surrounds each cancer cell. Metabolic therapy rationalises that this cancer protein coating must be broken down before other elements of the protocol can attack and kill the cancer cell itself.

Bromelain may actually do more than digest the protective protein membrane around cancer cells. Researchers at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) in Brisbane, Australia, studied two molecules found in bromelain. One, called CCS, appears to block a protein that is defective in nearly a third of all cancers. The other, called CCZ, activates specific immune cells that are prompted to recognise and kill cancer cells. After carrying out studies on animals, the QIMR team concluded that the one-two punch of CCS and CCZ worked together to control four cancer types: lung, breast, ovarian and bowel.

Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, bromelain is a common ingredient in supplements for joint health. It is taken for arthritis and rheumatism to help reduce swelling and inflammation.

The greatest concentration of bromelain is found in the pineapple stem and core, the part that most people tend to discard. The riper the pineapple, the less bromelain there is. I include pineapple in my blended juices almost every day. I don’t let the pineapple over-ripen and I always use the core. A nice juice combination is orange-pineapple-green papaya. For a really refreshing blend which packs a punch, I love pineapple-carrot-apple-celery-grapefruit. To sweeten, I use raw honey. Remember to always add ice cubes and cold water before blending, as heat kills enzymes.