The FDA has not established a recommended dosage for bromelain. The product is sold as a nutritional supplement, not a medication. There is no minimum daily requirement for bromelain. Research indicates an effect dosage of bromelain is 250-750 mg, taken two or three times a day between or before meals. In Germany, where bromelain is used to reduce swelling after surgery, the standard dose given to patients is 80-320 mg daily. Bromelain is most effective when taken on an empty stomach, and its therapeutic effects are also enhanced when taken in higher doses. Studies on heart patients indicates that increasing the dosage of bromelain to 400-1,000 mg per day may reduce the symptoms of angina pectoris (the severe pain and feeling of constriction about the heart that often radiates to the left shoulder and down the left arm).