Expensive, exotic juices have been all the rage for the past few years, with claims from “boosts energy levels” to “cures cancer” and everything in between. I’ve used a few of them, from deep sea vegetation to goji and acai berries, and I’ll admit that most do taste pretty awesome.
But… they’re expensive, and you can’t really tell if they’re working unless you actually have a serious illness that improves while you’re using the juice.
That’s why I was happy to hear that plain old black cherry juice has been in the headlines this year. It’s much simpler than the exotic juices, it costs just $8 per bottle, and I have seen it work!
The Secret is in the Cherries!
In this day and age where everything is fixed with some prescription drugs or miracle supplements, it’s almost a secret that eating fruits is a great way to get healthy. Cherries, along with many other fruits, are rich in antioxidants that promote blood circulation and joint health.
However, cherries are also rich in isoqueritrin and queritrin, two important flavonoids. According to leading researchers, queritrin is one of the most potent antioxidants ever discovered!
But wait, there’s more! Cherries also contain these wonderful substances called anthocyanins, which are the natural dyes and pigments that give cherries their dark red color. Anthocyanins have been called “Mother Nature’s all-natural chemotherapy agents.”
The Benefits of Black Cherry Juice
Cherry juice concentrate is highly regarded for its ability to relieve painful arthritis, gout, and other types of joint pain.
Gout is a type of arthritis caused by a buildup of uric acid in the joints. Normally uric acid builds up in the blood and is removed by the kidneys in urine, but if it’s not, it can enter joints and crystallize, which leads to pain and inflammation. (That makes me think of the sharp and pointy “rock candy” I had as a kid… except that instead of eating it, it is stuck inside my joints… which would have to be extremely painful!)
My grandma successfully used this stuff to ease the pain of arthritis in her knee, which is how I first heard of it. Luckily I don’t have arthritis, but I do have my fair share of joint pain, so I decided to give this stuff a shot.
It turns out that black cherry juice concentrate tastes very good, and it’s extremely healthy even if you don’t have bad joint pain. I did happen to have joint pain, though, due to a dislocated shoulder and some rotator cuff problems.
While taking the black cherry juice for about a week, I noticed a decrease in the swelling, and I could tell my shoulder was definitely healing because of the increase in range of motion. (That could have happened anyway as a normal part of the healing process, but if the cherries played even a small role, I’m a happy camper.)
Buying Black Cherry Juice
I got my black cherry juice locally at a health/herb shop. If you don’t have one, try something like GNC.
You could also order online - the brand I used is available at www.dynamichealth.com, on the black cherry juice concentrate page.
Consuming Black Cherry Juice
This juice concentrate is thick and sugary. It does taste good alone if you like the sweetness, but otherwise, mix a few teaspoons of it in a cup of water. You could also use it in smoothies or mix it in with some plain, organic yogurt. (You know, the healthy but sour yogurt… it tastes good mixed with the sweet cherry juice.)
Take as much as you want, and then hope it relieves your pain. I would give this a shot before you start swallowing handfuls of ibuprofen, as it is healthier and all-natural (and less likely to have any side effects.)
Posted April 15, 2008 
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