Cherries are so delicious, juicy, tasty and healthy, rich in vitamins, mineral salts and antioxidant substances. And the great thing of cherries is that nothing is thrown away, neither the stems nor the stones, both interesting natural remedies! But let's see better in detail.
Cherry stems
Cherry stems are highly diuretic and therefore useful in case of water retention and cellulite (Hooman et al, Pak J Pharm Sci, Oct 2009). Moreover, scientific studies (Aires et al, ABP, 2017) have observed that cherry stems contain important antioxidant substances such as flavonoids and phenols that act with anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. Thanks to these effects, the herbal tea prepared with cherry stems is a useful remedy even in case of cystitis. The preparation of the cherry stem tea is the following. Bring to the boil 100 ml of water together with 1 tablespoon of chopped cherry stems. Let it simmer for a few minutes, then remove from the heat and leave to brew for ten minutes. Filter and drink up to two cups away from meals. As an alternative to herbal tea you can use the mother tincture of cherry, which is always prepared from the stems of the fruits and therefore able to show the same properties. In this case you can take 40 drops in a little water three times a day between meals. Avoid during pregnancy and lactation.
Cherry stones
Cherry stones are also useful. In fact, with the stones of this delicious fruit you can make a pillow that can be very helpful in case of joint or muscle pain, cervical pain, menstrual pain but also cold hands or in case of bruises. Cherry stones have indeed a peculiarity, inside they are small natural air chambers and therefore they can hold the temperature for a long time. Therefore, by heating or cooling the pillow of cherry stones this will release the heat or the cold, according to the needs, on the area to be treated. The heat will help in case of joint pain, back pain, stiff neck, stress, stiffness and tension, while cold is useful in case muscle inflammation, stings, sprains, bruises but also excessively hot body. You know, one cherry leads to another, for this reason it will not be difficult to have a considerable number of cherry stones. Wash them well, rub them with a scourer and let them dry in the sun for a few days. Then the stones are heated in the oven at 100°C for 20 minutes, in this way the stones will be completely dry to avoid the proliferation of mold. Fill a small pillowcase with the stones but the fabric should be fairly thick and heat resistant, so avoid synthetic fabrics. Alternatively, if you don't like DIY, you can buy the ready-made cherry stone pillow. The pillow, whether self-produced or purchased, must then be cooled or heated and then applied on the area to be treated. To cool it, simply put it in a plastic bag to prevent it from collecting moisture and place it in the freezer for half an hour, to warm it instead you can place it on a radiator until it reaches the desired temperature or you can keep it in the microwave at about 600 watts for 1 minute. In alternative, heat the pillow in the oven at 100°C for 10 minutes.
