The same chemicals that give tart cherries their color may relieve pain better than aspirin and ibuprofen in humans. Eating about 20 tart cherries a day may reduce inflammatory pain and headache pain.
There are about 7,000 cherries on the average tart cherry tree. The number varies depending on the age of the tree, weather and growing conditions. It takes about 250 cherries to make a cherry pie, so each tree could produce enough cherries for 28 pies!
Today, in Michigan, there are almost 4 million cherry trees, each of which annually produces 150-200 pounds of tart cherries. You do the math...
Source: Agriculture Council of America
Love love LOVE tart cherries! I'm so glad to live in Michigan where they're plentiful, AND the crop at the U-pick farm was superb this year. One of the easiest fruit crops to pick and clean (they have hand-cranked pitters onsite). I make cherry jam - yum! My husband has tried cherry juice for minor arthritis pain - it seems to work for him.
ReplyDelete