Did you know that drinking a glass of Montmorency, tart cherry juice can help to ease joint pain due to arthritis or gout? The reason for the joint pain fighting capability of the ruby-red super fruit drink is due to the presence of anthocyanins.
What are Anthocyanins?
Anthocyanins are phytochemicals that give plants their color. No matter if the plant is green, purple, red or orange, the presence of anthocyanins are responsible for giving Mother Nature all of her hues. They are also responsible for turning the green leaves of trees to the fiery colors of the fall.
These powerful compounds have been found to also block pain signals from the body to the brain. They are basically Cox-1 and Cox-1 inhibitors. This means when your body feels pain, the anthocyanins naturally present in tart cherry juice will block the pain signals going to your brain. This is ideal for those suffering from joint pain due to arthritis.
In addition, they also help to reduce inflammation on the body naturally. Pain is caused by inflammation in the body, so by drinking tart cherry juice, the body will be able to fight inflammation, thus reducing the pain, too.
How many Anthocyanins are needed?
According to research published from Michigan State College, eating as few as 10 tart cherries per day can help reduce pain in the joints. An 8-ounce glass of tart cherry delivers approximately 25 anthocyanins. A glass of cherry juice is made with 1 oz. of Montmorency tart cherry juice concentrate mixed with 7-ounces of water. This makes a 100% pure glass of tart cherry juice. How many anthocyanins are needed to get joint pain relieve? The answer would be to enjoy one glass of Michigan-grown, Montmorency tart cherry juice daily.
What Type of Cherries are the Best?
The majority of the research has been conducted on the Michigan-grown, Montmorency tart cherries. This means most of the research you read about the joint pain fighting abilities of tart cherries is the Montmorency. However, many brands are selling tart cherry juice made from Balaton and even Morello cherries. While both of these are tart cherries, the majority of the research has been conducted on the Montmorency and not the Morello cherry.
Unfortunately, some brands don’t know the difference between the types of cherries, they are simply selling cherry juice. The best thing to do to ensure you’re drinking Montmorency cherry juice is to purchase from companies that print the word “Montmorency Tart Cherries” on the product label.
What to Look for in Tart Cherry Juice?
With more and more companies rushing to sell tart cherry juice, it can be very confusing for the consumer. The reason is many of the juices on the market are imported from China, Turkey or Poland. Unless the product says made with USA grown cherries printed on the label, you may not be drinking USA grown cherry juice. Although, the label may say “Made in the USA” which may mean the product was bottled in the USA using imported cherry juice from China.
Consumers should look to see the label and see the exact ingredients on the label. For example, the front of the label says, Tart Cherry Juice Concentrate, but the back of the label reads made with Montmorency and Morello cherries. You can learn more about 100% Montmorency tart cherry juice from Traverse Bay Farms.
