A wonderful fruit, tart cherry, is full of antioxidants. It has plenty of names such as sour cherry, dwarf cherry, red sour cherry, and pie cherry. This type of cherry is grown in Michigan, New York, Washington, and Utah.
Being rich in antioxidants, tart cherries have been found to provide several medicinal benefits that include getting relief from inflammation and pain. Patients with osteoarthritis and gout have witnessed improvements when they consumed these cherries, in fact cherries are famous for being an effective home remedy for gout.
The juice of these fruits is also helpful in curing disorders like insomnia, indigestion, back pain, and low urine production. Athletes and physically active people take sour cherry preparations for combating muscle damage occurring during exercising sessions.
Ways in which Tart Cherries are Consumed
Although sour cherries are widely used as flavoring agents in jams and pies, for achieving health benefits, the best way of its consumption is as tart cherry juice.
It is very easy to make the juice and it is not time-consuming at all. Follow these instructions for making a glass of tasty and healthy drink.
You will need:
- 2 cups of sour cherries;
- 4 cups of sugar;
- ½ pint of water;
- 1-2 bottles of soda;
Preparation
- Properly wash the sour cherries and deseed them.
- In a saucepan, put sugar and add the cherries. Stir the mixture well and keep it aside for 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, add water and stir again so that the sugar dissolves completely.
- Place the pan on the burner and bring the contents to a boil, just once. Now, simmer the berries for 15 minutes.
- Strain the berries well in a fresh saucepan.
- Put the syrup on low heat for around 15 minutes. Keep checking the consistency. You may remove the pan from the heat once you have achieved the desired thickness.
- Next, pour the juice in a glass and add soda to it. The tart cherry juice is ready for you.
Regular Intake of Sour Cherry Juice is Highly Beneficial
You should have the juice every day for deriving maximum relief from physical problems. People, who suffer from insomnia, will enjoy a good night sleep if they consume sour cherry juice every night before going to bed.
If you are healthy, even then, you can have the cherry juice daily without any side effects, as the sour cherries are known to improve blood circulation.
How Do Tart Cherries Work?
Research has revealed that sour cherries are rich in anthocyanins, which reduce swelling and prevent growth of tumors. They also contain melatonin that improves sleep.
Furthermore, these fruits have phenolic acid, which acts as a strong antioxidant. Due to the presence of this acid, the cherry tastes sour.
Studies Have Supported Tart Cherry’s Medicinal Benefits
Scientific research has been conducted over the impact of consuming sour cherries. Many studies have proven the ability of these fruits to bring positive health advantages.
A few of the case studies are mentioned below:
- In the British Journal of Sports, a study conducted on a few injured male athletes, who had suffered muscle damage revealed that those sportspersons, who had drunk tart cherry juice experienced lesser pain and lower loss of energy as compared to others, who had had a placebo.
- The University of Michigan carried out a research on rats that were prone to stroke. The results of the study brought to light the cardiovascular benefits of sour cherries. The rats that ingested these cherries showed reduced risk of suffering from heart-related diseases and high blood pressure. According to the researchers, it is because of the presence of anthocyanins that the sour cherries provide similar effects as those drugs do, which are prescribed for cardiovascular ailments. Since the drugs induce severe side effects, the idea of consuming tart cherry juice regularly is certainly better.
- In the European Journal of Nutrition, a clinical investigation performed on 10 healthy male and 10 female participants proved that sour cherries help improve sleep patterns. The volunteers of this investigation were asked to take either a placebo or sour cherry juice concentrate. At the end of the experiment, it was found that those individuals, who had taken tart cherry concentrate displayed better sleep cycles by 5% to 6 % than those, who had chosen the placebo.
Caution While Taking Tart Cherries
Adult individuals, both males and females, can benefit from sour cherry preparations made at home. However, the supplements that contain sour cherry stems may cause side effects. Consultation with a medical practitioner is mandatory prior to taking such supplements.
List of websites used for research:
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-771-SOUR%20CHERRY.aspx?activeIngredientId=771&activeIngredientName=SOUR%20CHERRY
http://altmedicine.about.com/od/completeazindex/a/tart_cherry.htm
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Tart-Cherry-Juice
http://www.uofmhealth.org/news/archive/201304/tart-cherries-linked-reduced-risk-stroke
http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Research/Melatonin-rich-tart-cherries-may-improve-sleep-quality-RCT
