What are Systemic Enzymes and Do You Need Them for Optimal Health?

You've probably heard about digestive enzymes, which help break down food. But there's another type of enzyme that works completely differently, and they might be exactly what your body needs.

Systemic enzymes don't stay in your gut. Once they hit your bloodstream, they travel throughout your body, breaking down inflammation, clearing cellular waste, and helping with tissue repair. If you're dealing with persistent inflammation or can't shake symptoms after being sick, they're worth knowing about.

Table of Contents:

• What Are Systemic Enzymes?

• How Systemic Enzymes Support Your Cells

• 3 Popular Systemic Enzymes

• When You Can't Seem to Shake Being Sick

• Other Uses for Systemic Enzymes

• How to Take Systemic Enzymes (Timing Matters)

• Which Systemic Enzyme Is Right for You?

• Pairing Enzymes with Cellular Support

What Are Systemic Enzymes?

Systemic enzymes are proteins that work throughout your body once they hit your bloodstream. Some are also called proteolytic enzymes (protein-breaking enzymes). They break down compounds that cause inflammation, damaged tissue, and cellular waste.

Your body makes its own systemic enzymes, but levels drop with age, stress, or illness. A few common ones in supplements include serrapeptidase, nattokinase, and bromelain.

Once in your system, these enzymes support your cellular health by breaking down inflammation, clearing scar tissue, and helping your immune system stay balanced.

How Systemic Enzymes Support Your Cells

Cellular health matters more than anything because that's where the root of health (or disease) begins. Your cell membranes, made of fats (phospholipids), let nutrients in and waste out. About 40 trillion cells make up the organism that is you.

When inflammation or cellular waste builds up, systemic enzymes break down inflammatory proteins and clear debris, supporting your cell membranes so they work properly. This becomes especially important during chronic infections and chronic illness, when waste often accumulates faster than your body can handle. Left unchecked, it turns into a vicious cycle of infection which leads to toxin buildup, which suppresses the immune system, which allows the infection to continue. 

Systemic enzymes help disrupt that downward spiral, allowing your detox and immune systems to recover and rebalance.

Three Popular Systemic Enzymes

A few popular, well-studied options to know.

Serrapeptidase

Discovered in silkworms (which use it to dissolve their cocoons), serrapeptidase breaks down scar tissue, fibrin (a stringy protein in blood clots), and thick mucus. Many people use it for reducing inflammation and pain, especially post-operative pain. Research shows it helps with joint discomfort, clears respiratory mucus, and supports tissue healing.

Nattokinase

From natto (a traditional Japanese fermented soybean food), nattokinase breaks down fibrin in your bloodstream, supporting healthy blood flow and cardiovascular function. It has also been used in post-COVID and post-viral treatment to degrade harmful spike proteins that cause ongoing systemic damage. 

IMPORTANT: This enzyme is not for everyone. Because it affects blood clotting, talk to your doctor before taking it, especially if you're on blood thinners.

Bromelain

Extracted from pineapple stems, bromelain fights inflammation, supports joint health, helps wound healing, and can ease sinus congestion and allergies. Some research shows it even supports immune function and exercise recovery.

Most people tolerate it well, but some people get upset stomachs from bromelain, while other enzymes are tolerated just fine. 

When You Can't Seem to Shake Being Sick

One area where systemic enzymes really help is when you're recovering from infections that just won't fully go away, things like long COVID, Epstein-Barr virus, or Lyme disease.

When your body's fighting something for a long time, your immune system creates a lot of inflammation from the gut to the brain. At the same time, the pathogens themselves release toxins and cellular junk. All of that can stick around and leave you feeling exhausted, foggy, and inflamed way after you're technically "recovered."

Systemic enzymes help break down those leftover inflammatory bits and clear out the cellular waste that built up while your body was in fight mode.

Other Uses for Systemic Enzymes

For pain and inflammation

Research shows systemic enzymes can help reduce pain and swelling from issues like osteoarthritis, sports injuries, post-surgical recovery, and sore muscles. Unlike NSAIDs (over-the-counter pain medications like ibuprofen), they're more selective, going after the bad inflammatory stuff while leaving your body’s healing alone.

Allergy and sinus support

Systemic enzymes like serrapeptidase and bromelain can help break down thick mucus and support your immune system, which means easier breathing during allergy season without feeling drowsy. These enzymes work particularly well when combined with other immune-supporting strategies like vitamin C, antioxidants, and healthy fats for cell membrane support.

Exercise recovery

A lot of athletes use systemic enzymes to help muscles repair quickly and reduce inflammation after hard workouts. Research suggests the enzymes clear out damaged proteins that build up from intense training.

How to Take Systemic Enzymes (Timing Matters)

Here's where timing makes all the difference. Take enzymes with food, and they'll work on digestion. Take them on an empty stomach, and they travel through your body, clearing debris and calming inflammation.

For systemic effects, take enzymes on an empty stomach, about an hour before eating or at least two hours after. This lets them get into your bloodstream instead of being used on food.

Which Systemic Enzyme Is Right for You?

Everyone will respond to systemic enzymes differently. Some people love serrapeptidase but get an upset stomach from bromelain. Others may do great with nattokinase but skip it because they're on blood thinners. Those with bleeding disorders should also be very careful with systemic enzymes and consult a doctor before trying them. 

Working with a practitioner who understands systemic enzymes helps. They can figure out which enzyme fits your situation, get the dosing right, watch how you respond, and make sure nothing's interacting with your medications.

Pairing Enzymes with Cellular Support

Systemic enzymes work their best when your cells have the nutrients they need. Your cell membranes need ongoing nourishment to stay strong and flexible. When your membranes are healthy, your cells can handle inflammation better, clear waste more efficiently, and really make the most of what systemic enzymes do best.

Systemic enzymes are gentle, natural tools that support your body's cleanup and repair work. They travel throughout your body, breaking down inflammation, clearing cellular waste, and helping with tissue healing.

Whether you're working through lingering symptoms, dealing with ongoing inflammation, or want extra support, systemic enzymes are worth exploring.

BodyBio PC supports healthy cells that can benefit from systemic enzyme cleanup and repair.*