Try a slice of cherry pie the next time you get a headache. Researchers at Michigan State University have found that the chemicals that give tart cherries their red colour may relieve pain better than aspirin and may also provide antioxidant protection comparable to vitamin E supplements.
Writing in the peer-reviewed Journal of Natural Products, published by the American Chemical Society, Dr Muralee G. Nair said a laboratory assay suggested that a person eating about 20 tart cherries could reduce oxidative damage.
They also inhibited enzymes called cyclooxygenase -1 and -2, the targets of anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin or ibuprofen.
