Prunus cerasus – Nutritional Value, Health Benefits

Sour Cherry – Prunus cerasus Facts

Sour cherry is a drupe-shaped light to dark red colored fruit native to Europe and southwest Asia. It is sour in taste and is not consumed fresh. Although it is closely related to sweet cherry it has got greater nutritional benefits.

Plant

Sour Cherry is a deciduous or evergreen tree or shrubs growing 4–10 m tall, which do well in cooler, humid climates and prefers rich, well-drained, moist soil, Stem is covered with red to gray-brown bark, tight but rather rough, along with prominent horizontal lenticels, often peels. Its branches spread upwards and have smooth twigs. Leaves are usually deciduous, simple, alternate and serrated, 3-9 cm long, 2-5 cm wide, oval to obovate, smooth and glossy on top, and downy underneath. Flowers are hermaphrodite, white, and found in clusters of 3-5. Petals are notched or lobed and are found blooming during May.

Fruit

Sour Cherry is a drupe fruit that is 20 mm in length and 18 mm in width. It is usually light to dark red-colored. Sour cherries have been intense, tart, and somewhat tannic flavor when fresh and sweet/sour, but not bitter in taste, and are also available in dried, frozen, and in juice. The skin of the fruit is smooth and firm with a glossy sheen. Its flesh contains a small central seed which is light brown colored. Sour cherries are available from June to early August depending on the region cultivar. Sour cherries, also known as tart or pie cherries are key ingredients in desserts like cakes, sorbets, and ice cream. They are also a perfect cherry for glazes, sauces, and reductions.

History

Prunus cerasus is supposed to have initiated as a natural hybrid between Prunus avium and Prunus fruticosa within the Iranian Plateau or Eastern Europe and produced a new, distinct species. It is also said to have originated from Southeastern Europe between Russia and Turkey. Sour cherry is one of America’s most sought-after fruits, usually the Montmorency and Balaton varieties, mainly grown in Washington, Michigan, Utah, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Oregon, and New York.

Nutritional Value

Apart from their intense, tart and somewhat tannic taste Sour cherry is a good source of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Consuming 155 gram of sour cherry offers 0.161 mg of Copper, 15.5 mg of Vitamin C,99 µg of Vitamin A, 0.174 mg of Manganese, 2.5 g of Total dietary Fiber, 0.5 mg of Iron,268 mg of Potassium and 0.068 mg of Vitamin B6.

Health benefits of Sour Cherry

1. Antioxidant Benefits

Chemicals that give tart cherries their red color might relieve pain? much better than aspirin and also may provide antioxidant protection comparable to commercially available supplements like vitamin E. Research suggests that the daily consumption of cherries might have the potential to decrease cardiovascular or chronic? diseases related to inflammation, arthritis?, and gout? in humans.(1)

2. Reduced risk of stroke

Millions of people are at risk for diabetes or heart disease, a diet that contains tart cherries might be better than what the doctor recommended medicines. Research suggests that tart cherries not just offer comparable cardiovascular benefits as the recommended medications, but in addition, they can also lessen the risk of stroke, even when used with these medicinal options.

Prescribed drugs recover the outlook for certain risk factors, but they’ve also shown undesirable side effects. But Sour cherries did have a positive effect even when combined with the medication without any negative effects.(2)

Reduce Heart Disease and Diabetes

Tart cherries may have more than just good taste and bright red color going for them. Research done by consuming whole tart cherry powder combined into a high-fat diet didn’t gain as much weight or build up as much body fat as others that didn’t receive cherries. And the blood displayed much lower levels of molecules which indicate the kind of inflammation that has been related to heart disease as well as diabetes. In addition, they had significantly lower blood levels of cholesterol? and triglycerides than the other.

Obese people that used cherry powder were less likely to build up fat in their bellies — another factor linked to cardiovascular disease. Consuming sour cherries also had lower-weight retroperitoneal fat, a type of belly? fat that has been related to high cardiovascular risk and inflammation in humans.(3)

4. Eye Benefits

Vitamin A is essential to protect the eye surface and provide better vision.  The research discovered that lubricating eye drops that contain vitamin A were effective for the treatment of dry eye syndrome? as well as for a particular type of eye inflammation called superior limbic keratoconjunctivitis. Sour cherry is rich in vitamin A which helps to protect the eye and offer better vision.

Vitamin A along with other Antioxidant Vitamins helps to decrease the risk of macular degeneration. People at high risk of the disease who use multiple vitamins like Vitamin A, C, E, Zinc, copper daily had a 25% reduced risk of Macular degeneration. Include Sour cherry in your diet to have better eyesight.

5. Brain Stimulation

Sour Cherry is one of the brain stimulants as regular intake is beneficial for proper brain function.  Copper content must be in correct proportion because too much copper is not good for the brain. Copper has a control function to play in the brain; therefore the amount of sour cherry supplementation has to be balanced. Research has revealed a direct link in-between copper content in the brain and creative or out-of-the-box thinking, displaying that copper allows neural pathways to develop in unique ways. Sour cherry consists of 0.161 mg of copper which is 17.89% of the daily recommended value.

6. Treatment of the Common Cold

Sour cherry consists of a considerable amount of Vitamin C which helps to enhance the immune system of our body that protects us from colds and coughs. It enables the absorption of iron and as a result, strengthens the body’s resistance to infection?. It also fights against viruses too.

7. Control Weight

Carbohydrates are accused of weight gain, but the fact they help you in reducing or controlling weight if done correctly. Most of us have thought that a decrease in the intake of carbs is the only solution to reducing weight, which is mythical. Proper selection of your carbs in fact helps you in reducing weight. The proper diet of fruits, vegetables, and fibrous foods in fact help you lose weight. Diets rich in carbohydrates can be supportive in reducing weight as well as controlling muscle tones. Minimal intake of sour Cherry is also beneficial to reduce body weight effectively.

8. Inflammation and Sprains

Manganese is a renowned cure for sprains as well as inflammation as it helps in increasing the level of superoxide dismutase. This increased level is due to the antioxidant properties of the mineral. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is usually found in very low levels in patients along with arthritis. It has anti-inflammatory? qualities which arthritis sufferers desperately require, therefore including manganese into the body to boost synthesis and function of SOD has been associated with a reduction in symptoms of this condition. Include manganese-rich Sour Cherry in your diet to decrease inflammation and sprains problems.

9. Digestive health

Dietary fiber is essential to normalize bowel movements simply by bulking up stools and making them easier to pass. This can help relieve and avoid both constipation? and diarrhea?. Consuming plenty of fiber-rich sour cherry can reduce your risk for diverticulitis? (inflammation of the intestine), gallstones, kidney? stones, hemorrhoids?, and provide relief for irritable bowel syndrome? (IBS?). Research also indicated that a high-fiber diet may help to lower gastric acid and decrease the risk for gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD?) and ulcers as well.

How to Eat

• Dried sour cherries are used in Cakes, pies, tarts soups, and pork dishes.
• In liqueurs and drinks, sour cherries or sour cherry syrup are used.
• Sour cherries are used for making spoon sweets simply by gradually boiling pitted sour cherries and sugar; the syrup thereof is used for vişne şurubu or vyssináda,(a beverage made by diluting the syrup with ice-cold water) in Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus.
• Sour cherries are used in the production of kriek lambic, (cherry-flavored naturally fermented beer) in Belgium.

Other Traditional uses and benefits of Sour Cherry

• Sour cherries are useful in lessening sleep problems due to their high melatonin content.
• The bark of Sour cherry is astringent, bitter, and febrifuge.
• To treat cough?, fevers, and colds an infusion of the bark has been used.
• The root-bark is used as a wash for old sores and ulcers.
• In Cherokee Indians, cherries were traditionally used as a remedy for gout and arthritis.

Other Facts

• Edible drying oil obtained from the seed is used in cosmetics.
• A gum obtained from the stem is used as an adhesive.
• Plants can be grown as a hedge.
• A green dye is obtained from the leaves.
• Dark grey to green dye is obtained from the fruit.

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References