Very cherry!
It is a shame that hardly anyone has fruit trees any more. I remember the first year we lived near Lake Huron, on a farm, the summer of 1956. The wide open fields. There were small patches of bush here and there. But the amazing thing was the wild fruits. There were huge areas of wild strawberries in the back field. Yes they were small and it took much to get them picked and processed, but they supplied a good part of our winter stock of jam.
Then we found cherry trees that looked old and worn along the road. The owner said we could pick all we wanted. In those days it was a shame to be seen working in the garden. People poked at weeds in the twilight of dawn and dusk. Nobody else came to pick cherries. We filled our freezers. A bit later we picked six quart baskets and more six quart baskets of wild raspberries that were so prolific in another neighbour’s bush. We did get some company out there. I guess we could not be seen from the road so it was safe, lol.
A year later everything was gone. The cherry trees were cut down. Dad ploughed up the field where the strawberries had been and the forest of raspberries never produced like this again. We now had to make our own garden. We grew lots of berry fruits, vegetables, and pickling cucumbers. In the fence rows were some wild apple and plum trees. There was one tree more on a neighbours side than ours, but those apples were absolutely delicious. When I remember…. oh why remember, fruit just does not taste as good any more. There were snow apples and northern spy, and pie cherries. Now you can’t even get pie cherries any more unless you can find an orchard somewhere. I used to pick and also buy several 30 pound pails of pitted pie cherries every year.
I was just looking through one of the seed catalogues we get. It is from Henry Fields Nursery in southern Ontario. They even have some fruit trees that might survive our northern climate. One of those northern fruits is the Montmorency cherry, or pie cherry. Did you know how valuable the pie cherry is? Maybe because most of us no longer have free access to these cherries as a daily food fresh from the tree or the freezer, we are sicker than necessary.
Montmorency cherries contain:
Quercetin and isoquercitrin, two flavonoids associated with anti-inflamatory and anti-alergy properties in the case of allergies, heart, and rheumatic diseases.
Kaempferol, a flavonoid, “a strong antioxidant that helps to prevent oxidative damage of our cells, lipids and DNA. Kaempferol seems to prevent arteriosclerosis by inhibiting the oxidation of low density lipoprotein and the formation of platelets in the blood. Studies have also confirmed that kaempferol acts as a chemopreventive agent, which means that it inhibits the formation of cancer cells.”
Anthocyanins and other flavonoids: “Some of the activities attributed to flavonoids include: anti-allergic, anti-cancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-viral. The flavonoid quercetin is known for its ability to relieve hay fever, eszema, sinusitis and asthma. Epidemiological studies have illustrated that heart diseases are inversely related to flavonoid intake. Studies have shown that flavonoids prevent the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein thereby reducing the risk for the development of atherosclerosis.”
At least 17 Flavonoids including those above. “Like their better known chemical cousins, the carotenes, flavonoids are plant pigments, creating a rainbow of colors. In addition, many flavonoids and carotenes function as antioxidants and protect plants from damaging free radicals. The big difference is that flavonoids are water soluble, whereas carotenes are oil soluble.”
Anti-mutagenic compounds: ellagic Acid – “Ellagic Acid has become a known as a potent anti-carcinogenic/anti-mutagenic compound and also has anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties.”
and Perillyl alcohol - “A drug used in cancer prevention that belongs to the family of plant drugs called monoterpenes…. Research at the University of Iowa is showing the amazing properties of cherries. According to Raymond Holm, M.D. at the University of Iowa, tart cherries contain Perillyl Alcohol (POH), a natural compound that is extremely powerful in reducing the incidence of all types of cancer. Perillyl Alcohol ‘shuts down the growth of cancer cells by depriving them of the proteins they need to grow,’ explains Dr. Hohl. ‘It works on every kind of cancer we’ve tested it against’.”
Melatonin, which “is a potent antioxidant for which there is extensive evidence showing it to be significant in improving the body’s circadian rhythms and natural sleep patterns. Melatonin is rapidly absorbed by the body, and it is predicted that eating just a handful of cherries will increase melatonin levels in the blood, thereby improving the body’s natural sleep patterns.”
“Melatonin is one of the most powerful antioxidants ever discovered. Melatonin has a broader range of effectiveness than beta-carotene, vitamin E and vitamin C. …Apart from melatonin’s ability to function independently as an antioxidant, melatonin has been shown to effectively raise glutathione levels in many tissues including the brain, liver, muscle and blood serum….As we grow older we produce less and less melatonin. Also, if there is some sort of trauma in our lives at any time we do not produce as much Melatonin. This could have a great deal to do with why people are not sleeping well. Perhaps it is more than stress. It is because they are not producing enough Melatonin to tell them that it is time to sleep. …Montmorency cherries, which account for the majority of tart cherries produced in the United Sates, contain up to 13.5 nanograms (ng) of melatonin per gram of cherries, more than is normally found in the blood. Melatonin is by far the most potent of the antioxidants, much more so than vitamins C, E and A. The reason: melatonin is soluble both in fat and water and can therefore enter some cells that vitamins cannot.”
There you have it. And to think I can only get pie cherries out of a can well coated with sugar, corn syrop, modified corn starch, locust bean gum, carrageenan, citric acid and water added. That is according to ED Smith for the “light” pie filling. And all that 540 ml which fills only a small pie shell, costs almost $4! If there were more cherry trees it would not have to cost so much.
As every sane person must realize: you are what you eat. If that were not true, we could chew on twigs and straw and be healthy, doctors would not have to recommend diets, and there would not be a prolific industry for the formulation of meals. From my own experience I can also attest that nothing is as good as fruit and vegetables straight out of the garden.
Immunotec Research Concentrated tart cherry juice is a great substitute for fresh cherries. The cherries are harvested chopped and juiced, filtered and immediately flash pasteurized to keep them from fermenting but not enough to destroy the important activity of its components. They are then cold-filled into special aluminum bottles with a food-grade liner so the aluminum does not affect the quality of the juice. The metal bottles seal in darkness to prevent breakdown from light.
To give you a comparison with other products here is the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) of several commonly purchased nutritional fruit juices and supplements. The ORAC score allows you to gage the antioxidant strength of antioxidant compounds in those products. The higher the score, the stronger is the antioxidant capability of the product.
Below is also a comparison chart of 100 grams per item listed:
- Tart Cherry Juice Concentrate 12,800
- Dried Tart Cherries 6,800
- Prunes 5,770
- Blueberries 2,400
- Blackberries 2,036
- Frozen Tart Cherries 2,033
- Canned Waterpack Tart Cherries 1,700
- Strawberries 1,540
- Raspberries 1,200
- Plums 949
- Oranges 750
- Red Grapes 739
Yummy! I am enjoying an ounce of cherry concentrate in some leftover lemonade with water added to make a full glass. It’s a great cocktail before retiring.
To get your own Immunotec tart cherry juice order directly at the company site. You won’t regret it. However, please realize that a lifetime of lack will not necessarily give you instant relief when you use the product. If you consume the concentrate daily and consistently, the sleep effect will become more and more evident.
March 25, 2010
Tags: anti-inflamatory, anti-mutagenic, arthritis, flavonoids, improve sleep pattern, melatonin, montmorency, red cherry Posted in: Immunotec
2 Responses
This is yet another FABULOUS and superbly INFORMATIVE article, Annette! You paint such beautiful word pictures, they linger wonderfully…
Are you serious, gardening used to be looked down upon? Incredible!
I also just took my Immunotec Tart Cherry Concentrate. I take it also for my eyes, since it gives you one of the highest protections out there (short of Immunocal) for Macular Degeneration.
Thank you for all your exquisite writing, Annette!
Gunny
Gunny, do you have a reference for that? ya gotta back up your statements.
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