How we as a species thrived during in the early days of our existence is quite simple however, as thousands of years leave this era of Man Kind behind the significance of that simple way of life has begun to surface. Non-existent back then were the synthetic properties of food, juices, plant foods and meats. Yet we survived and thrived without the drug store and its thousands of simulated therapeutic and medicinal concoctions.

Nonetheless, modern society has fallen victim to the saturating of commercialism and its endless array of quick fix remedies and medicines. And ironically, many of these products offer limited results. Thus, we are poised to further our search for that magical remedy that actually works, an endless cycle that may have been feeding only one source.

New interest has sparked controversy in regards to the simply cherry fruit or rather new interest has resurfaced old traditions. Either way it appears to be adding a new dimension to the food industry and our natural food supply along with our futuristic mind set as to what we choose to consume.

The cherry fruit along with its distant cousins, blueberries, oranges, lemons and strawberries have always been regarded as nutritious. However, nutritious can be a vague description of what's actually inside these little bits of food. And for many it has never been part of their regular diet. Maybe it's because the cherry fruit has never been included as part of wide scale commercialism for its health benefits just as the Aloe Vera Plant or juices has never been publicized for its incredible compounds.

Food scientists however spend their lives researching underexposed ingredients of many foods and the new or rather re-surfaced discovery of the health benefits of this fruit is what's creating new interest.

Cherry produces ten Times more Melatonin

Melatonin research has regarded the tart cherry with high regard and Dr. Russel Reiter who has spent 30 years researching was amazed by his findings of the hormone Melatonin and the abundance of it in the tart cherry. In addition, Montmorency cherries which are more widely produced contain up to 13.5 nanograms of melatonin per gram.. This ratio is more than what is found in our blood. And in comparison to other raw fruit cherry juice concentrate because of the lack of water has ten times more Melatonin.

Among the many forms of antioxidants, the hormone melatonin is the most potent favouring over vitamins A, E and C because of its ability to enter certain cells other vitamins cannot. Melatonin is soluble in both water and fat which means it can enter the lipid or aqueous part of a cell. Vitamin C on the other hand enters only the aqueous part while vitamin E enters the lipid part of a cell.

Eating them will simply supply the body with a high concentrate of natural melatonin therefore increasing the antioxidant capacity in our bodies.

Adding Cherries to Ground Meat

Adding fruit to ground meat is an unusual approach to preventing mutagen formation however, Dr. Alden Booren, professor of Food Science and Human Nutrition compared the adding of tart cherries to other antioxidants added. Their discovery gave way to amazing results. Adding tart cherries during cooking reduced the formation of mutagenic compounds in ground beef by a startling 90%. Not only does this discovery break new ground, the tart cherry is found to be the most valuable source for preventing mutagen formation in ground beef while being cooked.

Nutraceutical-Definition

Nutraceuticals are foods or food components which are highly considered in the prevention and treatment of disease and provide health and medical benefits. Scientists are now revealing proof that these types of foods most defiantly support in the fight against the simple ailment to a health declining disease.

Not only does this magical little fruit contain high concentrations of antioxidants, the health benefits cherry growers have been exposed to include anti-inflammatory properties. Also growers who do eat up to six times more cherries than the average citizen have decreased numbers of heart and cancer conditions. Antioxidant compounds in the cherry outweigh vitamins C and E along with some synthetic antioxidants.

Extracting these natural compounds anthocyanins which give the fruit its red colouring could prove very useful in food processing. Not only that, blending and mixing them to any food can most certainly enhance our diet without the price tag of a synthetic product. A parental species of the dwarf cherry the tart cherry has been the most widely researched however, because its amazing benefits stem from the colour of its skin and gel, the dwarf cherry is believed to have very similar benefits.

Tart Cherry Compounds

With their superior health properties research explains that the tart cherry contains a healthy combination of what as known so far as 17 natural compounds. The most prevalent are listed here.

Melatonin: As explained above, this potent antioxidant also serves in improving the body's natural sleep patterns and circadian rhythms. And can aid in soothing sore muscles

Beta Carotene: Excellent for shortening the lifespan of a cold or minor flu. Also aids in preventing more occurrences of colds. Antioxidant also works in conjunction with pituitary gland and hormone production.

Vitamin A: when beta carotene enters the body it is stored to be broken down into vitamin A

Flavonoids: Known as melatonin and phenol compounds which help support cardiovascular health. Cherries contain three flavonoids, anthocyanidins, proanthocyanidins and anthocyanins, which gives fruits, plants and vegetables their colour.

SOD Compounds: Very few foods contain SOD (super oxide dismutase). These unique properties serve the body as scavengers in their search and destroy method of eradicating the free radical enemy throughout the body.

When comparing the similar qualities that are evident in the cherry fruit and the Aloe Vera plant, it's not any given ingredient that makes them unique. It's the combination of all their properties and how they function together within the plant itself that creates the perfect partnership when absorbed into the human body. And breaking down the plant and dispersing these compounds one can only assume that soon, an array of cherry based products will be available. Common sense however indicates that cherry extract concentrate juice and the simple cherry itself would be the wisest choice.

Kellie Hastings copyright 2007

Resources:

http://www.fruitadvantage.com

Cherry Marketing Institute

[http://www.Orchard] Of Health.com

Journal of American Chemical Society. Burkhardt-Montmorency tart cherries.

Rick Sawatsky-research technician U of S