Apple Cider Vinegar: Uses, Health Benefits and FAQ - Ted's Q&A

Browse Ted's Q&A

Pineapple Soaked in ACV Heals Cuts?

Posted by Rosie (Phoenix, USA) on 04/17/2007

I had a question for you. My motther would cut fresh pineapple and but it in a jar of apple cider vinegar and then she would put the peices of pineapple on our cuts and they would heal much more quickly and with less scaring. would you be able to tell me how that would work chemically? Please let me know as soon as you can. I would like to do a presentation for my herbal class. Thank you lots. Rosie

Replied by Ted
Bangkok, Thailand
391 posts

Dear Rosie: Pineapple juice contains a digestive enzyme called bromelain, which allows the digestion of dead cells and proteins to be rid of reducing the scarring. Many fruits and plants in fact have certain digestive enzymes, such as papaya (papain), for example.

In rats study on regeneration of ears and regrowing of amputated limbs, they found that generally rats can't regenerate ears, but a certain defective genes cause the rats to be able to regenerate ears and amputated limbs. The clue they found was that scarring tissue and dead proteins get digested. So the answer to regeneration appears to be anything that prevents scarring tissue and dead proteins form forming would help the healing much faster. I view the lack of regeneration in humans is also due to the fact that the scarring mechanism is done to quickly. In fact in children say, below age six, I remember reading one British hospital who failed or forgot to sew up their fingers caused the child's fingers to be regenerated entirely. I have seen instance (with photos) of a grown adult regrowing fingers after loosing it, but didn't bother to even sew up the wounds regrow completely the lost fingers.

Of course in that instances, the person with lost fingers attributed the regrowth of his fingers to taking glyconutrient supplements. Glyconutrient may help healing, but may also prevent scarring may also be one other possible explaination. Even iodine tincture used by grandmothers in the olden days helped regeneration of the skin, because iodine chemically prevents proteins, cholesterols, and cells from clumping together whenever there is a fresh wound, as a result the wounds regenerate themselves quicker. This is why silicon fibers when applied to burn victims allow the skin to regrow unimpeded. The reason is really simple: the silicon fiber (or collagen) mesh applied to the skin prevents the blood and flesh from being exposed to bacteria, and oxygen, thus the blood and flesh is subjected to less oxidation and bacteria from killing the regenerative cells. As a result burn victims barely have scars. An interesting story about Vaseline concerns the founder of the company, Mr. Ponds who tried to sell Vaseline by cutting open his arms until he bled. He then applied vaseline and the wounds healed without or barely with any scars also. Apparently the soft vaseline prevented oxidation and destruction of dead cells and allowed the skin to regenerate. In the olden days (50 years ago) the nurses also used vaseline in burn wounds which prevented scars from burning and protects against infection with little need of antibiotics. With the newer procedures, vaseline is now no longer used, and sadly caused scar tissues to form upon healing, but as you would expect, antibiotics are used much more without such protection other than a simple cloth dressing and suturing. The old procedure required iodine tinctures for killing, some open wounds, followed by vaseline, than the cloth dressing to cover up minimizing formation of scar tissues that can scar the individual for life. Therefore the clues to regeneration and accelerated healing is in the prevention of dead cells and scarring tissue, either by digestion or by protection. You can actually do both.


NEXT