A Bowl of Cherries...and Antioxidants

Singer Rudy Vallee used to croon: "Life is just a bowl of cherries." I always wondered, "Why cherries? Why not plums, pears, or persimmons?" No longer. Scientists are now proving that the cherry (particularly the tart cherry, Prunus cerasus) contains a host of marvelous compounds that fight diseases, including cancer.

The cherry is of course a harbinger of spring, its deep-colored fruit among the best of summertime treats. The tart cherry is a hardy and attractive planting. Despite its name (sometimes also called "sour cherry"), it is a delightfully pungent fruit to eat. My neighbor, Jan W., has a magnificent tart cherry tree in her front yard. The soil is not rich yet in good years she feasts off that tree, about 7,000 cherries in a good season! Tart cherries are only "sour" in comparison to sugary sweet cherries. The top tart cherry species in the US is the Montmorency, but recently, Dr. Amy Iezzoni of Michigan State University discovered another variety, called the Balaton, named for Hungary's largest lake. Balaton cherries are sweeter, larger and firmer that the Montmorency. Its juice is more highly colored, making it great for preserves.

For centuries, the cherry, either as bark, root or fruit, has been a source of medicine for indigenous peoples. Native Americans prized cherries as pain relievers, especially for sore throats. The Cherokees used an infusion of sour cherry bark to treat laryngitis. The Ojibwa used the crushed root for stomach pain. The Forest Potawatomi employed an infusion of the inner bark to alleviate internal pains while the MicMac used black cherry fruit as a health tonic. I suspect that the cherry flavoring of most cough medicines is a faint memory of this ancient Native American usage. (Use great caution in applying these folk remedies, since some wild cherry leaves, kernels or bark may be poisonous.)

In 1999, Michigan State University scientists discovered that cherries' dark coloring material is an outstanding source of anthocyanins. This makes them similar to the food supplement Pycnogenol. In fact, the antioxidant activity of tart black cherries is greater than of vitamin E, the benchmark antioxidant. Dark-colored Balaton cherries are particularly rich, with a total of 37.5 mg of anthocyanins in every 100 grams of fruit.

Second, cherries contain pain-relieving compounds. Most of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, ibuprofen, Vioxx, and Celebrex work by inhibiting cyclooxygenase I and II, popularly known as cox 1 and cox 2. Cherries also deliver a dose of cox inhibitors comparable to, say, Advil. Cox inhibitors are also being investigated for anticancer activity. Finally, cherries contain surprisingly high levels of melatonin, a hormone previously thought to be produced only by the pineal gland in the brain. Melatonin is part of the body's natural way of regulating sleep.

It also may have anticancer properties. "Consuming cherries could be an important source of dietary melatonin," said Texas scientists recently. For reasons such as these, last year, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) gave a grant to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore to study the use of sour cherries in alleviating the pain of cancer. How many cherries do you need to provide these benefits? "Cherries can prevent and treat many kinds of pain," said Muraleedharan Nair, the lead researcher of the Michigan State University project. "Twenty cherries provide 25 milligrams of anthocyanins, which help to shut down the enzymes that cause tissue inflammation in the first place."

Michigan produces 80 percent of America's tart cherries. Depending on the variety, two teaspoons to two tablespoons per day of concentrated cherry juice is a reasonable dose. I am unaware of any adverse effects, such as occur with aspirin or other NSAIDs.

At least one Michigan company is thinking of bringing out a cherry supplement pill. More power to them. For now, it is easy to find and take concentrated cherry juice. Or better yet, do as I have done, and plant a few tart cherry trees in your front yard and then help yourself to Nature's bounty.