On top of containing tons of illness-fighting vitamin C, pineapples have bromelain, an enzyme with anti-inflammatory properties. This combination of nutrients helps to fight off disease and kill bacteria, including those found in your throat! In fact, research has found that raw extracts from pineapple could decrease mucus five times faster than over-the-counter cough syrups.

What kinds of coughs can it help?

Pineapple juice can treat most persistent coughs, as long as they aren’t from something more serious like pneumonia. If you have a cold, skip the cough syrup and go straight for pineapple juice. It’s less expensive, healthier, and tastes much better.

How does it work?

Besides all the nutrients found in pineapples, drinking the juice helps to soothe a sore throat by expelling mucus. Thick and stubborn mucus in your lungs or sinuses can cause awful coughing fits, sneezing, and painful infections. In a study published in “Der Pharma Chemica” in 2010, researchers attempted to find beneficial treatments for patients who have tuberculosis, an infectious disease often caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. As part of their studies, they discovered that a mixture of raw pineapple juice, pepper, salt, and honey, given to patients every day, helped to dissolve the mucus in the lungs – thus ridding them of their awful sore throat! Making your own pineapple juice is much better than anything you can buy at a store. Store bought juice has all kinds of unhealthy additives like extra sugar and high fructose corn syrup. Look for the kind with no added sugar, or simply squeeze your own juice right from a fresh pineapple. Here’s a recipe to really kick it to your cough!

Pineapple Cough Suppressant Drink Recipe

1 cup of fresh pineapple juice 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice 1 piece of ginger (about 3 inches) 1 Tbsp raw honey 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients and take 1/4 cup, 2-3 times/day and repeat daily. Now you know how to get rid of a cough naturally, without guzzling that terrible tasting cough medicine! Good luck, and I hope your cough goes away soon!