Can pineapple juice relieve a cough?
Many communities use natural remedies as an alternative to over-the-counter medicine. For instance, the Amish community has traditionally used a remedy containing pineapple juice to treat coughs.
The benefits of pineapple juice for coughs is usually attributed to its nutritional content, such as high vitamin C levels.
These types of home remedies have reached a wider audience in recent years. Some websites claim that pineapple juice is five times more effective at treating a cough than cough medicine. But is this true?
While there is some medical research around pineapple juice, there is a need for more evidence of its effectiveness, as a cough remedy.
Pineapple juice is commonly known as a lytic agent, meaning it helps thin out mucus, so it is easier to move with coughs.
One review, published in 2010 by researchers at an institute in India, has been cited in other articles, as evidence that pineapple juice is an effective cough treatment. However, the article focuses on tuberculosis rather than cough treatment.
The peer-reviewed article mentions that a mixture of pineapple juice, salt, pepper, and honey can help dissolve mucus in the lungs of people with tuberculosis.
However, it is unclear from the study whether this finding was central to the research. As such, it is hard to rely on this finding to support the claims made about pineapple juice, as an effective cough remedy.
This does not undermine the experiences of those who have personally found pineapple juice helpful in relieving a cough. It just means that further research is needed to prove it is effective.