Tart Cherry Juice for Pain Reduction?

Using tart cherry juice to reduce pain from gout and arthritis? How about tart cherry juice to reduce pain from exercise? Sound better than drugs?

In old folk remedies, you can find that they used cherries and cherry juice to combat the pain associated with gout and arthritis. Is this just folklore, or is there science to back it up?

According to Science Daily, there have been tests run to see if cherry juice has a place in pain reduction. In clinical work at Michigan State University (MSU) National Food Safety & Toxicology Center, they set out to prove whether cherry juice was of benefit.

They discovered anthocyanins in tart cherries give ten times the anti-inflammatory relief of aspirin. They specifically wanted to know how cherry juice would affect those who suffer from muscle damage. Only horses and humans suffer from this particular type of muscle pain.

In a trial test, people were asked to consume 12 oz. of tart cherry juice 2x a day for three days BEFORE exercise. And they were required to drink the same amount for 4 days following the exercise. 12 oz. = 50-60 tart cherries (blended with apple juice).

Half of the participating people consumed a placebo. When the test was over, the people who consumed the tart cherry juice were found to still have some pain, but it was greatly reduced in comparison to the people on the placebo juice.

More tests and trials are underway to see if tart cherry juice can be used to combat various forms of pain. Some are hoping that cherry juice will come out in pill form. People might well be anxious to take a tart cherry pill compared to prescription pain pills.

Could this old folklore remedy be making a big comeback? Could our forefathers have been ahead of their time? Time will tell.

Most agree that you need to use tart cherry juice. That means, other than filtered water, there should be no other ingredients listed.

Look for juice that is 100% pure tart cherry juice. No added sugar, colors or preservatives should be listed.

Tart cherry juice is high in antioxidants. Try drinking tart cherry juice every day for 2 weeks. Chart your pain every day. See for yourself if tart cherry juice lessens your pain.