Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Tart Cherry Juice as an aide in sleep and anti-inflammatory symptoms



     In recent months, we had heard about Cherry Juice as an Anti-Inflammatory agent while watching Dr. Oz – Information here http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/amazing-antioxidants-tart-cherry-juice.  So we thought hey let’s try this.  My husband suffers from Knee issues as well as Small Fiber Peripheral Neuropathy.  As you may imagine along with my own health issues this is extremely painful.  It can keep you from living a lot of life as well as avoid sleep due to the pain.  At this point of these health issues you want to find something that actually works vs. being bombarded with pills of some sort. Can something actually work to this degree?  YES! 

My husband has been doing this therapy for the last couple of months now and we have seen him go from almost debilitating pain to almost zero pain.  Nights are unfortunately still difficult for him. We are slowly getting him back to a normal way of life and routine.



Ok, now the science. 

There are amazing properties in Tart Cherry Juice.  Tart Cherry Juice carries many qualities and active anti-oxidant properties.  It carries Phytochemicals, Polyphenols, Carotenoids and a natural source of Melatonin.  Phytochemicals are chemicals that occur naturally in a plant source.  Sometimes these can also be called a Phytonutrient.  Bioactive chemical compounds found in plants can be known as Antioxidants, which are beneficial to human health.  Polyphenols are various alcohols that contain two or more benzene rings… these basically are components that have at least one hydroxyl group (OH) attached.  Many polyphenols occur naturally in plants and in some cases, flavonoids and tannins are believed to be very beneficial to health.  Carotenoids are very similar to Carotene (really the same thing).  They both protect chlorophyll from photo damage in plants.  These also contain Vitamin-A, a very important vitamin for your eyes.  These also can act as Antioxidants in one’s body.  In human consumption, there are three carotenoids; Beta-Carotene, which we hear a ton about, Alpha-Carotene and Beta-Cryptoxanthin.  When Vitamin-A is absorbed it creates Retinal or Retinaldehyde.  This allows microorganisms to convert light into metabolic energy.  The Carotenoids that protect the eye you may recognize as Lutein, astaxanthin and zeaxanthin act directly to absorb the damaging blue and near-ultraviolet light, in order to protect the Macula in the Retina, the part of the eye with the sharpest vision.

If you take Vitamin-A directly be very careful as too much is not a good thing in this case. Read more about Vitamin-A overdose here - http://vitaminaoverdose.net/.  

 The anti-inflammatory side of it is that it reduces the CRP (C-Reactive Proteins) in our blood.  When this is reduced it helps prevent the development of heart disease, stroke, arthritis and obesity. 

Recently, the European Journal of Nutrition did a study on the effects of Tart Cherry Juice and Melatonin levels and enhanced sleep quality. 



This study basically outlines that if you drink a glass or two before bedtime, you may improve your sleep quality and length of sleep overall.  They ran this study with a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial.   The results were in – Not only did it improve the time spent in bed sleeping it also helped the quality of sleep in those given the real stuff.  Now keep in mind this does naturally contain melatonin, so you may very well feel groggy if you decide to drink it during the day.  If you do not like the taste of the juice there are indeed supplements.  

ALWAYS be sure you are purchasing from a reputable company like GNC or purchase through a large chain like CVS or Walgreen’s.  NEVER purchase from a place you are not familiar with or unknown manufacturer.  Taking a risk like that can really hurt you and possibly kill you.  According to some sites it is safe for pregnant women and children with issues.  Recently, I have also heard it is great for gout too! 

Personally I think this would do very well for kids that have joint problems or cerebral palsy, but always check with the physician treating them to be sure.  I refuse to be responsible for someone making an error in judgment.  

What also is great about Tart Cherry juice is that it also contains Vitamin C, Potassium, and Boron (a mineral that plays a role in bone health, especially for women).   For me and my health problems this is super exciting for me!  Even more so now I know that there is a supplement available so I won’t have to drink the tart juice.   

Cherry Extract


For some they may LOVE the taste of the juice but not all will like the taste, it may be too much to handle.  I urge you to talk to your doctor before you try this therapy to get clearance.  If you do try it, please let me know how you do after a month of the therapy.    

Be sure to keep a journal from the beginning to a month after and so on.  I would LOVE to hear about how it is doing for you! 

So here is what we have learned from this post: 

Tart Cherry Juice is a miracle worker! It can help anything from:


  • ·         Arthritis (all types
  •       RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis)
  • ·         Fibromyalgia
  • ·         Gout
  • ·         Sleep problems
  • ·         Bone health
  • ·         Heart health
  • ·         Obesity

Want to hear more about Cherries and what they can do for you?  View my resources below! 




Allergic to Cherries? Keep an eye out for a future post on my blog of alternate methods similar to this therapy. Blueberries may just be your ticket out of pain!


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