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Q. I have suffered from arthritis in my right hip for several years. By last fall it got so bad I could hardly walk. Over the years, I tried all of the supplements for joint health advertised on TV. I have also had two expensive injections into my hip that gave me relief for only a few days. Nothing was helping.
I was unable to exercise and was having a very difficult time doing my job. My X-rays looked horrible and the surgeon who will do my hip replacement wondered how I was even walking.
I don’t remember when I heard about cherries, but I started eating Bing cherries in the spring. I also started drinking tart cherry juice concentrate mixed in water. I finally got some real relief!
It has been a very effective anti-inflammatory for me. I can climb stairs, exercise, mow the grass, and work without a lot of pain. These are things I have not been able to do for a few years. I will still go in for hip surgery next summer, but until then, tart cherry juice is the best!
A. Tart cherries contain anthocyanin compounds that inhibit enzymes called COX-1 and COX-2 (Phytomedicine, Sept., 2001). These enzymes are targeted by anti-inflammatory drugs like Celebrex, diclofenac or ibuprofen, so it is not surprising that cherry juice appears to alleviate pain (Behavioural Brain Research, Aug. 12, 2004). We discuss many other natural remedies for joint pain in our Guide to Alternatives for Arthritis.
Markus E.
I have had knee pain for the past two years. Although I went to a doctor and had X-Rays taken, no specific diagnoses was made. Nevertheless, it feels like arthritis, which I already have for the past twelve years. It seems to be triggered by a change in cold-damp weather, stress and excessive sugar and alcohol.
I incorporate tumeric, ginger, and pineapple for the arthritis, but it does not seem to help the knees. Fortunately, I found tart cherry juice has offered me relief in the knees. Neither naproxen nor aspirin seem to help, but the tart cherry juice seems to make a noticeable difference.
ANON
The local Walmart has their brand of Dark Cherry Juice. Vitamin Shoppe ( by Kohls in Ventura ) also carries Dark Cherry Juice ( both concentrated version and another bottled versions. Walmart’s is sweeter so is palatable. Vitamin Shoppe’s should be diluted as alone it has a bit/kick to it.
SW
TRADER JOES $3.99 A BOTTLE
Ranger
I had terrible problems with gout and had to take two pills a day to keep the wolf away.
Then I stumbled on cherry juice, both regular, or tart which is more expensive.
I drink about a third of a glassful every morning, and the gout disappeared almost immediately.
I probably should drink more for total relief, but I’m not complaining.
Note: My gout pain was so bad, my wife had to wheel me into the doctor’s office for an appointment.
I still take a colchicine pill every other day. From 14 to 3 ain’t all bad!
Note #2. GoutInfo.com is the latest to tell you about gout pills. But not one mention of cherries or cherry juice. And those in the know say it doesn’t matter whether you eat cherry pie, fresh cherries, frozen cherries, cherries in a can, or cherry juice.
Cheryl
My son has the same problem and constantly scratches in his sleep and actually has permanent scars on his chest and back. He is 13 so I feel okay with starting Vitamin C TONIGHT. I have used every anti itch cream and home remedy known to man. Thanks for your comments.
Wish me Luck
Cheryl
I have had hip and left knee pain for a couple of weeks and today I began experiencing pain in my left great toe. I now have a swollen hard painful to touch area on this toe. It may be gout, who knows. I began searching for remedies for arthritis and gout and happened upon this site. Currently my husband is on his way to Harris Teeter in Greensboro to purchase Tart Cherry Juice. I am praying this works.
THANK YOU so very much
Carol
I had heel pain for over 4 years or more, and after trips to the doctors for feet, and trying all kinds of inserts, I finally got relief wearing doctor Scholl’s toner tennis shoes. It was nothing short of a small miracle. Really. They are so cushy, and the design of the shoe stretched my foot just the right way and the pain went away. What a relief not to have my feet hurt, especially in the mornings when I get up.
Carol
I buy my tart cherry concentrate at Walmart! In the dairy case. It is kept cold.
Sb b
Earthfare sells tart cherry juice.
J Gumps
I drink cheribundi tart cherry juice everyday. It is available @ Whole Foods and Wegmans. It tastes like cherry pie and has helped cure my hip pain.
PS
Hi, you may have plantar’s heel. I stretch to relieve the pain. Put your leg straight out in front of you and bend your foot upwards bringing your toes towards you. You will feel the stretch in your calf. Hold the stretch for ten to thirty seconds and repeat a few times. Good luck.
mgd - FV - NC
i just purchased some in the “healthy” section of kroger. most grocery stores have it, just watch for pricing can almost double in price depending on where you go. I paid less than $4 for a quart, my friend pays $7 at food lion.
O.T.
I don’t know if the cherry juice will work. I had heel pain recently and went to a podiatric surgeon and he ordered orthotics for me and the heel pain went away.
greta de ville
Can you tell me if tart cherry juice can help my heel pain, I’ve suffered with this pain awful pain for 8 months. What’s the best thing for me to do for this pain?
CB
I bought tart dried cherries at Costco. I eat 8-10 a day, have had very good results, also eat about 10 golden raisins a day, soaked in gin. They have helped me tremendously. I am 70-80% better.
m b
Got it that tart cherry juice is great for you for a variety of reasons but husband is taking it to increase natural production of melatonin. We need to know the proper dosage and can it be diluted with water? Will check other stores, ie trader joes and whole foods for price as it is rather expensive elsewhere. Thank you for any info regarding dosage.
art avery
I have read where tart cherry juice and apple juice mixed is good for arthritis but cannot find amounts to take and mix. Took raisins and gin, grape juice and certo, now cherry juice. Hope something relieves the pain. Need amounts per day and amounts to mix… Thank you.
AJ
My husband’s boss swears by cherry juice for arthritis pain in her knee. Says it helped within a few days and when she later had to be off it for awhile, the knee pain flared up again. In our area (Minnesota), she buys it at Cub Foods, about $18 for a 32 oz. bottle, found in the organic foods section. She mixes 2 T. in a glass of water or other beverage.
steve1077
Put “low cost tart cherry juice” in the google box and you’ll find plenty of places to buy tart cherries in various forms. The cheapest I saw was obstbaum orchards which sells 2 gallons(256 oz. or 16 pints) for $98 with free shipping. Works out to 38 cents/serving and lasts 8 months. I’d do anything to get rid of the leg pain I have from grain allergies.
Annette
Haha. this was funny… why couldn’t they just do a search? Health food stores all over the USA carry this juice… what’s the big deal? People!
TT
I’ve had chronic pain in my ankle since last summer due to a tennis injury and up until a few weeks ago, it was painful to run or even walk for long periods of time. I was introduced to tart cherry juice by a friend who had been drinking it to relieve gout pain. It has been working for him so, I decided to give it a shot. I’ve been drinking about an ounce or two a day in the morning with my vitamins. It’s been about three weeks now and I’ve notice a tremendous difference.
I’ve been able to run and do other exercises without pain during and minimal pain afterwards. I don’t know if it’s all in my head, but I would say that it’s working. Tart cherry juice is tough to find. I buy mine at WholeFoods at about $4 for a 32oz. bottle. Give it a shot. Good luck!
PM
I mix 1 tbl. Apple Cider vinegar and 1 tbl. clover honey in an 8 oz. glass of water and drink it twice a day. It takes care of my arthritis as well as leg cramps and or charlie horses. It helps the digestion system also.
AJ
A yummy medicine, indeed. I would never hesitate to use such medicines.
LFL
The Kroger’s Grocery stores in the Houston area carry canned cherries, both tart and sweet. There is, of course, plenty of juice in each can. They cost over a dollar each, but are certainly cheaper than some of the juices that people have tried to buy elsewhere. If you are a Kroger customer and are over 55, ask for the senior discount Kroger card. This will get you 10 percent off any Kroger product, including the canned cherries.
Joan
Trader Joe’s carries a quart size tart cherry juice – I think it’s even organic and it costs about 4 dollars and change.
trigrl62
Harris Teeter in Charlotte carries one brand and charges about $13. Healthy Home Market (fka Home Economist) carries several brands that range from $7-$12.
I had been taking 200 mg daily of celebrex since ’06 — mostly for aches/pain/arthritis related to old sports/exercise injuries (I am 47 yo female – active in triathlons, running, biking, swimming, strength trning, etc).
About 4 weeks ago I started mixing a couple of TBLS in with my 24 oz water bottle once a day. (I fill my bottle 3-4x a day and the CCJ goes in my first serving).
I have taken 200 mg of celebrex maybe 6 times in 4 weeks!! I still have some minor aches and pains, but nothing to prevent me from training. There’s definitely something going on!!! I bought two bottles last trip to the store!
Pat
I bought it online…….Cherry juice power; I mix 2Tbsp.with 4 oz water; I’ve been taking this for about 2 weeks and have definitely seen an improvement! also, gin-soaked raisins help, too.
gerri a.
I don’t understand why you put letters in your column like the bing cherry juice for sore hips without some information about where to purchase and how much etc.
PEOPLE’S PHARMACY RESPONSE: WE DON’T ALWAYS KNOW WHERE THE READER BOUGHT THE PRODUCT, BUT FIND THAT MANY READERS ARE RESOURCEFUL ABOUT FINDING SOURCES.
AC
I found it at vons pavilion in the organic section, it is made by Knudsen.
Wanda R.
I just saw Tart Cherry Juice at Whole Foods in the juice aisle with all the other juices. Also see it at Publix. I started out with a small amount and found 4 oz (1/2 cup) to work fine for me.
Orrin
I have looked for cherry juice and concentrate at my local Vons and Ralphs but have been unable to find it. I live in Oxnard/Ventura CA. Any suggestions as to where I can find the juice or concentrate?
Thanks
LGF
My dad buys it at Harris Teeter in Greensboro (I’m assuming Raleigh would have it, too, in their stores). It is expensive, though.
B
Both of my parents have problems with their hips and have arthritis. When I read the article in today’s paper I ran over to couple of local grocery stores looking for the Bing Cherry Tart Juice. Was not able to find it in the grocery aisles or in the organic section of the store.
I went on line and found a website that does sell Bing black cherry juice for $14.00 a bottle and will ship to your home for $18.50; Wow that can become a very expensive medicine since the juice is cheaper than the shipping cost.
Do you have a suggestion of where we can purchase the juice in the Tampa bay area and how much would one with average weight of 140lbs would drink a day of this juice.
Thank you, B.
martha a.
I saw a message a few weeks ago on your site. It was a letter from a mother of a 14 year old son with chronic hives. I’ve been searching for a cure for hives as my husband is plagued by them for years now. We can’t believe the results he has gotten from this simple remedy. He takes 500mg. of vitamin C twice a day. It happened within days.
He used to get huge welts all over and scratch and itch terribly. Want to thank that mom for sharing such great information and also for your website. If it weren’t for you and all that great information my husband would still be keeping me up at night and worst of all suffering needlessly. Please keep up the great work. Thank you so much.
onw
Do anti-inflammatory drugs, such as Advil gel caps, cause kidney damage??
Vicky
Where can you buy tart cherry juice in the Raleigh area? And how much do you drink?
MM
I do hope that many people who suffer from arthritis in large muscle areas will try capaiscin, available at most pharmacies. It’s a natural product produced by hot peppers. After two surgeries to correct a broken femur this inexpensive cream made all the difference in healing and being active again.
Apply with latex gloves, relief is instant. When starting .25 concentrate is fine to learn if you have any allergic reaction (which is rare).
I began with capaiscin HP (high potency) 1% concentrate and it works now when
I only occasionally need it as well as ever. No side effects. Cherries sound
fine, but I love the simplicity, travel worthiness, and low cost of capaiscin.
tmf
Really, really fresh tart cherries eliminated by arthritic hip pain completely. Impossible to keep that up though. Since I am concerned about calories, I take Tart Cherry Extract pills. Works not quite as well as fresh cherries, but close enough.
C Snead
Interesting information regarding cherry juice and arthritis. I too have arthritis, history of internal bleeding so limited to type and amount of prescription pain relief. Is only “tart” cherry juice effective, and what is the recommended daily intake to achieve results, i.e. pain relief?
PEOPLE’S PHARMACY RESPONSE: SOME STUDIES HAVE USED 12 OUNCES TWICE DAILY, BUT THE CHERRY JUICE WAS MIXED WITH APPLE AND THE PROPORTIONS ARE UNKNOWN. YOU MAY HAVE TO EXPERIMENT TO SEE WHAT WORKS FOR YOU.
Carolyn H.
I read the article in the Houston Chronicle today about cherry juice that helped a lady with arthritis. How much juice did she drink a day to help her? I have damaged my kidneys taking ibuprofen which I can control with diet.
Will the juice harm my kidneys? Thanks, and waiting to hear from you.
Carolyn H.