Montmorency cherry juice can lower your blood pressure as well as some hypertensive drugs, according to a study published this year in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
These cherries are a rich source of antioxidant polyphenols, which improve arterial elasticity and promote blood vessel dilation. Although tart to eat, drinking a quarter cup (60 milliliters) of concentrated Montmorency cherry juice, diluted with a bit less than half a cup (100 milliliters) of water, was found to lower systolic blood pressure (the upper reading) by 7 mmHg, compared with a similar-tasting, fruit-flavored placebo.
The blood pressure lowering effect occurred within just one hour and persisted for at least eight hours after drinking the cherry juice to produce a similar antihypertensive effect as thiazide diuretics (water tablets).
Although the study was carried out in men with “early” hypertension (blood pressure over 130/80 mmHg), similar results are expected to occur in women.
