Phú Quý Island is considered the land of wild pineapple plants. Wherever you go, you can see wild pineapples along roadsides, on sandy hills, mountain slopes, and along the coastline — wild pineapple plants are everywhere in Phú Quý.

Wild Pineapple Fruit in Phú Quý

Wild pineapple belongs to the flowering plant family and originates from tropical regions. It is a type of forest plant that grows wild in many places, especially mountainous areas. This plant is commonly found in moist sandy areas, mangrove forests, along salty coastal waters, and today it is widely used in science as a medicinal herb. It is a valuable herb with nutritional benefits that supports treatment for liver diseases, kidney stones, diabetes, and more, making it popular among many people.

The main harvesting season for wild pineapple fruit is around the 11th and 12th lunar months each year. The best time to harvest is when the fruit is ripe, the skin darkens, the eyes crack, and the fruit becomes firm. To dry and preserve the fruit for long-term use, the best method is to separate the fruit into individual segments, then sun-dry them under strong sunlight. After drying, store the fruit in sealed plastic bags to use throughout the year.

Currently, Phú Quý has two types of wild pineapple: turmeric pineapple and fire pineapple. The turmeric pineapple is sweeter and rarer, often used for infusing liquor.

The wild pineapple fruit contains many hard, segmented seeds clustered around a core. After harvesting, people hollow out the core, split the fruit into segments, then dry them on a cement surface in front of their homes. A fresh fruit weighs about 1.5–2 kg, and when dried, it weighs about 0.5–0.7 kg.

Some Medicinal Uses of Wild Pineapple

According to traditional Eastern medicine, wild pineapple has a sweet taste and a neutral nature. It is a precious herbal medicine with many uses, such as strengthening vital energy, balancing yin and yang, calming the spirit, supporting the spleen, nourishing the blood, and detoxifying alcohol poisoning. These effects have made wild pineapple fruit highly sought after today.

Selected Herbal Remedies from Wild Pineapple

Treatment for pain from injuries: Crush the wild pineapple root and apply it directly to the injury, then secure it with a bandage. Change the dressing once daily.

Treatment for cirrhosis with ascites:

Remedy 1: 20–30g each of cat’s tongue grass and achyranthes root, 30–40g wild pineapple root. Decoction, take one dose per day.

Remedy 2: 200g wild pineapple fruit; 200g starchy aroid stem; 50g each of water quao bark, vọng cách bark, tram bầu leaves, mortar leaves, achyranthes root. Decoction for drinking.

Treatment for kidney stones:

Remedy 1: 18g desmodium styracifolium, 12g seed of wild banana, 15g wild pineapple seeds. Decoction, one dose per day.

Remedy 2: 20g each of cỏ bợ (a herb), mugwort, and young shoots of wild pineapple. Crush, strain juice, add sugar, and drink.

Treatment for cough caused by cold: 4–12g wild pineapple flowers or 10–15g wild pineapple fruit. Boil for drinking; continue until symptoms improve.

Treatment for long-lasting sores on hands and feet: Crush young shoots of wild pineapple and soybeans, apply to sores. This helps wounds heal quickly and acts as an antiseptic.

Treatment for acute and viral hepatitis: Use 12g wild pineapple fruit, 8g phyllanthus, 12g cốt khí củ, 12g imperata cylindrica, 4g licorice, 6g schisandra fruit, 8g dried tangerine peel. Boil with 1 liter water until reduced to 450ml. Divide into three doses and drink on an empty stomach for best results.

Treatment for heatstroke and headaches: 20g each of jackfruit leaves, pennywort, kudzu leaves, bamboo leaves; 40g pennywort herb, 30g wild pineapple leaves. Boil for drinking twice daily.

Treatment for itching and dermatitis: 40g each of large onion ginseng and green pink vine; 20g each of climbing vine, pennywort, dandelion, cỏ chỉ thiên, and 20–30g wild pineapple leaves. Decoction for daily use.

Treatment for dysentery: Use 30–60g wild pineapple fruit; decoct and drink daily.

Treatment for rheumatism: 30g wild pineapple leaves, 20g wild pineapple roots, 20g solanum procumbens, 40g achyranthes root, 20g lốt leaves, 20g dandelion. Decoction once daily until symptoms resolve.

Treatment for urinary tract inflammation and kidney stones: Prepare 12–20g wild pineapple root, 10–12g cogongrass root, 10–12g wild banana seed, 10–12g reed root, 15–20g desmodium styracifolium, 10–12g rhizome of imperata cylindrica, 8–10g plantain flower. Decoction for drinking 2–3 times daily, 150ml each time, preferably before meals.

Treatment for edema: Prepare 12g magnolia bark, wild pineapple root, rattan root, patchouli, roasted big tree bark, perilla, basil, and young betel nut root each 8g. Boil and drink.

Treatment for chronic hepatitis: Prepare 50g Euphorbia hirta and 100g wild pineapple fruit. Boil daily until symptoms improve.

Treatment for orchitis: Use 30–60g wild pineapple seeds, 30g perilla leaves, and 30g kumquat leaves; wash and boil. Use warm decoction to rinse the testicles.