Studies on Tart Cherries: Inexpensive, Healthy Pain Killer – Faster Muscle Recovery For Athletes – Gout – Fibromyalgia

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Cherries are an inexpensive natural remedy for pain (NaturalNews, August 28, 2011):

Pain is a huge problem for individuals, families, businesses and our economy. According to the American Pain Society, at any given time, as many as a third of us are in pain and every year pain drives half of us to a doctor`s office seeking relief. Combined costs of medical care and lost productivity due to chronic pain amount to $150 billion annually. While pain medications are expensive and have serious side effects, a number of natural and herbal remedies for pain relief are available which are good alternatives. One of these is cherries, which are loaded with antioxidants called anthocyanins that give them their red color along with significant pain relief.

General Pain Relief

In research published in 2004 at Johns Hopkins University, rats were injected with either a solution containing tart cherries or a prescription non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) and exposed to either a heated surface or an inflammatory agent. The tart cherries significantly reduced pain sensitivity and at the highest dosage were as effective as the drug. The authors conclude that tart cherries may have a beneficial role in inflammatory pain. In a 2001 study at Michigan State University, the anthocyanins in cherries were found to be equivalent to two common over-the-counter painkillers(also NSAIDs) for inhibiting the COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes associated with inflammation.

Sore Muscles in Athletes

Read moreStudies on Tart Cherries: Inexpensive, Healthy Pain Killer – Faster Muscle Recovery For Athletes – Gout – Fibromyalgia