Tart Cherries - The Super Fruit Gout Relief

The History of the Tart Cherry is as amazing as its joint pain relieving ability.

The tart cherry has a long history of pleasing palates over the centuries ranging from emperors, presidents and peasants. Its ruby-red hue and tangy taste has won places on the tables of Roman conquerors, Chinese noblemen and Greek citizens. The tart cherry has traveled the globe and was brought by early settlers to the New World in the 1600's. After reaching the New World and traveling across America, the tart cherry ultimately settled up being grown a several States including Washington, New York and Utah. However, one geographical region of Northern Michigan grows an astonishing 70%+ of all of the U.S. tart cherry crop. This little region of Northern Michigan is known as the "Cherry Capital of the World."

How Does the Tart Cherry Relieve Gout and Arthritis Pain Naturally?. One of the main reasons for gout is increased uric acid levels in the blood. According to research conducted in 2003 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Western Human Nutrition Center at the University of California reported tart cherries lower blood urate levels. The research was conducted on ten healthy women, ages 20 to 40. Each of the participants was asked to consume 45 cherries per day. At the end of the study all of the participants had lower blood uric acid levels. The average reduction in uric acid levels was 15 percent.

Regarding arthritis, Michigan State University was the first research university to identify Anthocyanins in tart cherries. The research indentified the bioflavonoids and Anthocyanins which naturally inhibit the COX 1 and COX 2 enzymes. According to the research, tart cherries inhibit COX 1 and COX 2 (cyclooxygenase 1 and 2) enzymes and prevent inflammation in the body. The tart cherry helps the body to produce similar types of chemical process as non-sterodial anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS). Examples of NSAIDS drugs are ibuprofen and aspirin. Tart cherries compounds function in a similar manner to NSAIDS. The inhibitors found in tart cherries are of the flavonoids class. Unlike NSAIDS, research shows these flavonoids also protect against stomach damage. Thus, compounds in the tart cherry are natural COX-1 and COX-2 inhibitors.

Here are a few suggestions to get the powerful joint-pain relieving properties of the tart cherry.

Fresh Tart Cherries: The tart cherry season is from Mid July to Mid August. When in season, tart cherries are available straight from the farm market or the produce section of your local store. In addition, you can have tart cherries delivered to your door from several websites.

Tart Cherry Juice Concentrate: Tart cherry juice is a super-charged way to get its joint pain relieving properties. It takes approximately 100 tart cherries to make one ounce of tart cherry juice concentrate.

Dried Tart Cherries: In addition to making a tasty addition to your morning cereal, a handful of dried cherries make a healthy snack. They also make a good alternative to the candy in the candy jar next to your computer. One source for dried cherries is Traverse Bay Farms. The company will ship them directly to your home or office.

Check out these great sources for tart cherries and start relieving your joint pain today, naturally. Also, don't forget to download your free copy of the super fruit handbook.

Russ Anderson is an avid writer about the the natural benefits of food. Download a free copy of the Super Fruit Handbook at http://www.superfruithandbook.com. To learn more about the tart cherry visit http://www.traversebayfarms.com