Tart Cherry Tea For Anxiety – Does it Work?

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If you’re expecting tart cherry tea to be a magic solution that instantly makes your anxiety disappear, it won’t. But it can be another tool to use to help ease your mind and body. So it can help!

Tart cherry tea can be used to help you relax, sleep better, and manage stress more effectively throughout the day. Wondering if this drink is a good non-pharmaceutical option for your anxiety? Get all the details you need below.

What Is Tart Cherry Tea?

Tart cherry tea refers to any tea made with sour or tart cherries, which are usually dried and are often mixed in with other herbs and tea to create a herbal beverage. Tart cherries, also known as Prunus cerasus, are closely related to sweet cherries, and they grow in most of Europe, as well as some parts of southwest Asia.

As the name implies, the fruit of the tart cherry, which is smaller than the black cherry or sweet cherry, also has a more bitter, acidic flavor. There are two subspecies – amarelle cherry, and morello cherry. These small fruits are often dried and used for cooking, and are not usually eaten fresh.

Tart cherry tea and related foods and beverages made using tart cherries have been consumed for thousands of years. Tart cherries were popular with the Greeks, Persians, and Romans, and were widely cultivated in England in the 16th century.

Our favorite brand of tea is Taylors of Harrogate Sour Cherry Infusion. Keep reading to learn why.

How Cherry Tea Can Help With Anxiety

There has been a lot of research on the effects of tart cherries, which are naturally high in antioxidants and nutrients that help encourage a healthy lifestyle. So, how can tart cherry tea help with anxiety?

Among other healthy compounds, tart cherries have been found to have extremely high levels of melatonin. A study examining the effects of tart cherry juice found that consuming a few ounces of tart cherry juice concentrate before bed helped provide “improved sleep time and quality in a healthy population.” 

Another study published in the Journal of Food Medicine found that, in older adults, tart cherry juice beverages helped fight back against the effects of insomnia, and improved every studied variable related to sleep quality.

Anxiety is heavily correlated with insomnia, and low-quality sleep interferes with your body’s natural ability to recover and rest, which can increase feelings of anxiety and the risk of a panic attack.

By helping you get more high-quality, restful sleep, tart cherry tea can help you feel more rested and relaxed, and fight back against feelings of negativity, anxiety, and panic.

What is Tart Cherry good for?

Beyond its ability to help you fight back against anxiety – and its delicious, one-of-a-kind taste – drinking tart cherry tea can have a number of other great benefits for your health and your well-being. Let’s take a look at some of these now.

High levels of anti-inflammatory compounds – Tart cherries have very high levels of anti-inflammatory substances, often at nearly the same level as common nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). If you suffer from inflammation or inflammatory disease, drinking tart cherry tea may help with your pain and inflammation.

Improved memory and brain function – In lab tests on mice, tart cherry juice has even been found to help with memory, decrease brain inflammation, and minimize the effects of aging on the brain. Studies have not been done on humans, but this does suggest that tart cherries may be useful for older individuals who wish to protect the health of their brains.

Plentiful antioxidant compounds to fight free radicals – Tart cherries are also extremely high in antioxidant compounds, including Vitamin A and anthocyanins that can help fight back against free radicals, which can cause illness, aging, and chronic disease.

Exercise recovery – The anti-inflammatory nature of tart cherry tea has been shown to help athletes recover more quickly after exercise, reducing inflammation, muscle damage, and muscle soreness after intense exercise.

What’s The Difference Between Drinking Cherry Juice Vs. Tart Cherry Tea?

Regular cherry juice – like you would find in the store – is not made of tart cherries, but sweet cherries or black cherries. While these cherries do have plenty of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, they don’t have the same chemical makeup as tart cherries, and are not as good for helping with anxiety and insomnia.

Pure tart cherry juice and extracts are available, but are specialty items and are very expensive. For this reason, tea made with dried tart cherries is usually the best way to consume them. Herbal teas with tart cherries are widely available, affordable, and delicious.

What Are Some Other Drinks That Can Help Me Stay Calm And Fight Anxiety?

Looking to control your anxiety with tart cherry tea? Wondering if there are any other beverages and drinks that you can try to stay calm and fight back against anxiety? Here are a few of our top suggestions. Try these beverages on their own – or with tart cherry tea – and you’re sure to feel better!

• Green tea – Green tea is high in theanine, a compound that’s known to help with anxiety and helps promote relaxation – without drowsiness! Try a cup of green tea in the afternoon to energize yourself and fight back against anxiety.
• Valerian root – Beverages with valerian, similar to tart cherry tea, can help promote more restful sleep. The chemical compound in valerian root act as a mild sedative for the brain and nervous system.
• Chamomile – There’s a reason that chamomile is an ingredient in most commercially-available “sleepy time” teas! It is high in glycine, an essential amino acid that helps relax your nerves and acts as a very mild sedative.
• Vegetable juice – Adding veggie juice to your smoothie or drinking juice from fresh vegetables like kale, carrots, celery, and spinach will boost your system with vitamin C, which is key for reducing both the physical and psychological effects of stress.

See The Benefits Of Tart Cherry Tea For Anxiety For Yourself – Try It Today!

As you can see, tart cherry tea is a great option for people with anxiety. Find some at your local health store or order online now, and see if tart cherry tea is right for you as part of your anxiety management strategy.