Cherries Nutritional Benefits

Cherries Nutritional Benefits

The Many Health Benefits of Cherry Juice
By Rachel Michelle

Tart cherry juice offers a complete array of natural health benefits including relief of joint pain due to gout and arthritis. In addition, this tasty red drink offers natural relief for muscle soreness and even helps with spider or varicose veins. But does this juice made from Michigan-grown Montmorency tart cherries really offer all of this amazing relief? The answer is yes and no. Just like other natural and man-made remedies and cures, the cherry does offer a number of healthy benefits, so should it be called a miracle fruit or the next miracle drink? The definite answer to that question is no! The reason is simple, once people start referring to the tart cherry as a miracle fruit or miracle drink it will be quickly defined as a quack remedy or snake oil.

So without making any claims of what the Montmorency tart cherry can do let's look at the supporting research underlying many of its health benefits. So the areas with supporting research we will learn more about are gout, arthritis, muscle soreness and varicose veins. Although all of these issues may seem completely unrelated in reality they are delicately intertwine with one of the core compounds of the tart cherry. The core compound that benefits all of these areas are the Anthocyanins.

The Montmorency tart cherry is one of the leading sources of naturally occurring Anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are responsible for giving to color to Mother Nature. They are the compound responsible for giving the eye pleasing color spectrum of the produce section of you local grocery store. They give the blueberry its distinctive blue, the cherry its ruby red color and the grape its purple glow. According to research over 350 different types of anthocyanins are present in nature, but the specific type of anthocyanins found in the tart cherry gives it amazing anti-inflammatory and healing benefits.

In regards to gout relief, cherry juice helps the body with two areas namely dissolving the uric acid crystals between the joints and helps the body to repair the damaged area. The first recorded benefits of cherry juice dates back the 1950's when Dr. Ludwig Blau after eating cherries on a daily basis and rose from his wheelchair to walk again. The anthocyanins in the tart cherry dissolve the jagged uric acid crystals that form between the joints due the result of increased levels of uric acid in the body. Once the crystals are dissolved they are better able to be flushed from the body in the urine. In addition, they also help the surrounding tissue to heal itself by remaining on the scene to help repair the damaged area.

Arthritis is another area cherry juice can help since the anthocyanins are a natural anti-inflammatory. They act similar to NSAID pain medications because they block the pain signals to the pain. So not only do they block the pain signals, anthocyanins also helpt repair the damaged area. This has been reported in published research from Michigan State Universty.

Relief of sore muscles research has been conducted at the University of Vermont using a tart cherry juice blend. The participants were asked to consume 12 oz. of the cherry juice blend for three days before and four days after intense exercise. The participants who drank the juice report less muscle soreness than those drinking the placebo.

Finally, we'll explore how tart cherries help to prevent varicose veins. Montmorency tart cherry juice is packed full of the antioxidants to fight free radicals and help to detoxify the body. Just like mentioned above, the antioxidants and anthocyanins help to reduce damaged tissue they also help the strengthen blood vessel walls prevent spillage and the creation of spider veins.

So with all of the different type of cherry juice products on the market what should you look for in a cherry drink. Here is my checklist in what I look for in my drink. The first is the product must be sediment-free. This means there is no floating clumps of cherries or thick sediment buildup in the product. Sediment means the cherry juice may be breaking down. Second is I look for a product that is 100% natural and not mixed with other juices or added sugar. The only tart cherry juice product that fits these two criteria is the cherry juice from Traverse Bay Farms. In addition, the company also offers tart cherry capsules which are great for traveling and very convenient.

So what is tart cherry juice really good for? The answer is to act as a natural anti-inflammatory in the body, thus reducing tissue damage, soreness and inflammation. So the next time your are looking for a natural anti-inflammatory drink a glass of tart cherry juice or take some tart cherry capsules and you'll be glad you did.

Cherries Nutritional Benefits