Growing up with German grandparents, no celebration felt complete without a Black Forest cake. The traditional dessert featured layers of decadent chocolate cake, freshly whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and the best part of all: tart cherries. Back then, I had not yet discovered the health benefits of those tangy, delicious fruits.
Cherries grow on trees that are closely related to plum, peach, and almond trees. Many varieties of cherries fall into two main categories: Prunus avium (sweet cherry) and Prunus cerasus (tart cherry). Tart varieties like Montmorency and Morello offer greater therapeutic effects compared to sweet varieties.
First grown in Turkey thousands of years ago, tart cherries began to spread across Europe and eventually arrived in North America, where Traverse City, Michigan is now referred to as the “Cherry Capital of the World”. The city even hosts an annual National Cherry Festival in early July, with thousands of attendees from around the world. You can also buy tart cherries fresh and locally in Ontario during the summer months.
TART CHERRY JUICE: A NATURAL SOURCE OF MELATONIN
Tart cherry juice has been the focus of numerous clinical trials—and for good reason. As a source of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds, it has been shown to aid muscle recovery following workouts by reducing exercise-induced inflammation and oxidative stress.
Ongoing studies show that tart cherry juice also improves the quality and duration of sleep. It’s one of the best food sources of melatonin—a hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle. While you may recognise melatonin best in supplement form, you’ll be pleased to know that many foods such as grapes, strawberries, tomatoes and peppers naturally contain small amounts of melatonin as well.
MOON MILK RECIPE
My moon milk recipe is a soothing sleep tonic blending the natural melatonin from tart cherry juice with magnesium bisglycinate, which gently relaxes muscles and soothes the mind to promote deep relaxation. Enjoy this ritual for a restful sleep any night.
- In a small pot, heat your choice of milk and tart cherry juice over medium heat.
- Remove from the heat before stirring in honey and magnesium powder.
