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Claim: A Facebook user claimed in a post that drinking water from pineapple leaves stops diarrhoea.
Verdict: No evidence supports the claim that pineapple leaves cure diarrhoea. Experts said the best ways to treat diarrhoea are to use oral rehydration solutions, avoid certain foods, and seek proper medical attention.
Full Text
Diarrhoea is a loose, watery stool that affects adults and children due to contaminated food and water. Most adults are prone to diarrhoea once a year, while children are twice a year. According to the National Institute of Health, diarrhoea could be acute or chronic, lasting two days to three weeks or more.
A Facebook user recently shared a post saying that consuming the leaves of a pineapple crown soaked in water will remedy diarrhoea in both adults and children. She asked users to wash the leaves from a pineapple’s crown before boiling them in water. She then requested that adults drink one glass twice a day for one week while children aged five years and above should drink a quarter glass twice a day for one week. She cautioned users not to give the concoction to pregnant women and children under two years.
“Make I teach you today how you fit treat diarrhoea from home. If to say a poison wey you take or you take food wey no good, wetin we go use na pineapple head and one litre of water.
“We go put am for bowl wash am very well then cook am for like fifteen minutes then allow am make e cool then you drink one glass of the coconut leave water two times a day for one week , you go see say the diarrhoea go stop.
“Then if na pikin, five years and above make the pikin take quarter glass of the mixture twice a day for a week. Make children two years and below no take this mixture and make pregnant women, no drink this mixture,” she explained.
As of April 9, 2024, the post had gained 39 likes and 2,000 plays. DUBAWA sought to verify the claim, considering the likely consequences of adhering to this mixture as a remedy for diarrhoea for adults and children.
Verification
Research on the nutritional value and medicinal benefits of pineapple, carried out by medical doctors Farid Hossain, Shaheen Akhtar, and Mustafa Anwa, postulates that the root and fruit of pineapple are used as an anti-inflammatory agent. Data gathered from the research also found that the concoction from the root of a pineapple can be used to treat diarrhoea.
An article by Healthline also examined pineapple fruit and leaves used in traditional medicine, modern-day complementary and alternative therapies, and herbal preparations. It was established that pineapple leaf extract may likely lower blood cholesterol, enhance digestion, and provide anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
It is, however, essential to note that these available studies were carried out in mice.
Experts’ opinion
When interviewed, Johnson Udodi, a medical practitioner at the National Hospital in Abuja, explained that body fluid loss can be replenished by simple rehydration (factory-packaged preparations or homemade salt-sugar solution) and antibiotic use. Dr Udodi said the claim can distract people with diarrhoea from taking appropriate measures to stop the diarrhoea.
“Loss of body fluid and electrolytes can rapidly lead to death in severe cases, as seen in the cholera outbreak currently happening in parts of Nigeria. Replenishing lost fluid and electrolytes using oral rehydration solution, either factory-packaged preparations or homemade salt-sugar solution is one of the cornerstones of treatment.
“This simple but effective treatment has been shown to save lives. Doctors often prescribe antibiotics for affected people to kill the organisms and facilitate quick recovery. There isn’t enough evidence that the concoction described in the claim can cure any of the above diseases.
“The claim could distract affected people from taking appropriate simple measures such as oral rehydration or seeking proper medical attention,” he said.
Similarly, Nneka Ogbodo, a senior doctor at the National Hospital in Abuja, stressed that she is unaware of any clinical trial showing that pineapple leaves benefit one’s health or diarrhoea. She said diarrhoea is an easy-to-treat ailment but also easy to mismanage, especially in children. She says rehydration is the best remedy for diarrhoea until one gets definite medical attention.
“I am not aware of any well-controlled clinical trials showing any beneficial health effect from drinking extracts of pineapple sucker. One should beware of unverified claims of cures that could leave one worse off than the disease one is trying to treat.
“Diarrheal diseases can be simple to treat but deadly if mismanaged (especially in children). For those who get the disease, oral rehydration solution is very useful to maintain good hydration till one gets definitive medical treatment,” she said.
Conclusion
No evidence supports the claim that pineapple crowns can treat diarrhoea. Experts advise using oral rehydration solutions (store-bought or homemade with salt and sugar), avoiding specific foods, and getting proper medical care as the most effective methods to address diarrhoea.
The researcher produced this fact-check per the DUBAWA 2024 Kwame Karikari Fellowship, in partnership with Premium Times / UNILAG, to facilitate the ethos of “truth” in journalism and enhance media literacy in the country.
