Cherries, an old and effective remedy

UPDATE: Cherries for Insomnia  July 2010 -

Tart cherry juice may reduce insomnia

SAN ANTONIO, July 14 (UPI) -- Drinking tart cherry juice daily may help fight insomnia because it contains melatonin, which moderates the body's sleep-wake cycle, U.S. researchers suggest.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, University of Rochester in New York and the VA Center of Canandaigua in New York had 15 adults drink 8 ounces of tart cherry juice beverage in the morning and evening for two weeks. They compared this to a comparable juice drink, with no tart cherry juice, given for another two-week period.

Those who drank the tart cherry juice saved about 17 minutes of wake time after going to sleep, on average, and reported significant reductions in insomnia severity, while those who drank the other juice drink has little change in insomnia.

"When consumed regularly, tart cherries may help regulate the body's natural sleep cycle and increase sleep efficiency, including decreasing the time it takes to fall asleep," Russel J. Reiter, a biomedical scientist at the University of Texas Health Science Center, who is an authority on melatonin, says in a statement. "And, because cherries are so rich in other antioxidants, such as anthocyanins, you get other important health benefits."

The findings are published in the Journal of Medicinal Food.© 2010 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Cherries have been used for how many decades now, I can't recall because its been sooooo long. Mention of cherries can be found in the literature of the ancient Chinese, Greeks and South Asians.

Maybe its just that extra vitamin C and potassium along with those nice red and juicy antioxidants. I often add Bernard Jensen Black Cherry concentrate to my berry smoothies, not only for taste, but for added nutrition.

Cherries with ricotta cheese help you sleep and fight cancer because of all the extra melatonin and proanthocyanidin. They even offer some hops to people with diabetes.

"A growing body of science reveals tart cherries, enjoyed as either dried, frozen cherries or cherry juice, have among the highest levels of disease-fighting antioxidants, when compared to other fruits. They also contain other important nutrients such as beta carotene (19 times more than blueberries or strawberries) vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, iron, fiber and folate.

Emerging evidence links cherries to many important health benefits – from helping to ease the pain of arthritis and gout, to reducing risk factors for heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers. Cherries also contain melatonin, which has been found to help regulate the body’s natural sleep patterns, aid with jet lag, prevent memory loss and delay the aging process."

So it seems that after the government food police interference decided the cherry board can't make a claim at all about how this glorious fruit helps and perhaps even cures arthritis, medicine once again sticks in a dirty finger. Could it be leading to control the cherry crop?

FDA Threatens To Raid Cherry Orchards

I guess you have to be the judge.

And remember to tell your member of congress - NO on HR 875!

Can Cherries Relieve The Pain Of Osteoarthritis?

ScienceDaily (2009-03-21) -- For the estimated 27 million Americans who suffer from osteoarthritis, pain relief may come with a cherry on top. According to researchers, tart cherries, in pill form, may be a promising pain-reliever for this common and debilitating form of arthritis. ...  read full article