Which is better the actual fruit or the bottled juice as far as antioxidants? When you read about all the antioxidant properties of bottled fruit juice, did you ever think whether the bottled juice is different from the fruit that comes right off the tree?
If the end product has been through factory heating processes, which are necessary to kill any bacteria in the pasteurization process, what’s the result? If the product is flash pasteurized, does this save the antioxidants? Where can you go to find out the answers?
What about the extraction chemicals? What other processing change the antioxidant properties of the fruit juice? If you’re reading medical or scientific studies on the juice, were the studies done on the juice that comes out of the bottle in the shape that the consumer sees? Or were the studies done on the fruit when it first had been picked from the farm or orchard?
What’s the source of the fruit juice? Is the source something you’re allergic to or find worsens your arthritis such as the nightshade family of vegetables or fruits?
For example, if you drink Goji juice, sure it’s healthy. But what if your arthritis is worsened by fruits that are in the nightshade family? Goji’s Latin name is Lycium Barbarum, from the Solonaceae family. If nightshade vegetables such as tomato or potato worsen arthritis for you, how can you find out whether Goji juice comes from the same nighshade family?
According to Wikipedia, "Wolfberry – commercially called goji berry – is the common name for the fruit of two very closely related species: Lycium barbarum (Chinese: pinyin: Níngxià guq) and L. chinense (Chinese: pinyin: guq), two species of boxthorn in the family Solanaceae (which also includes the potato, tomato, eggplant, deadly nightshade, chili pepper, and tobacco). It is native to southeastern Europe and Asia.[1]" Also see Google Books.
Juices for arthritis: According to the article, "Natural Remedies for Arthritis,"cherry juice is good for arthritis.
• Black cherry juice is good for arthritis. Take two glasses of this juice twice a day (each glass contains four ounces of juice diluted with four ounces of water). You can discontinue this treatment once the pain clears up.
• People with rheumatoid arthritis should include in their daily diets juices high in the anti-inflammatory nutrients. These nutrients include beta-carotene (found in parsley, broccoli and spinach) and copper (found in carrots, apples and ginger).
• Rheumatoid arthritis improves with a glass or two a day of pineapple juice. Pineapple is a rich source of the enzyme bromelain, which has strong anti-inflammatory properties.
Other Useful Juices:
• Carrot, celery, and cabbage juice. Add a little parsley.
• Potato juice (If you are not allergic to this.)
• Cherry juice.
• Take juice of half a lemon before every meal and before going to bed.
• Carrot, beet, and cucumber.
• During acute stage, one pint to one quart celery juice daily.
• Radish, garlic
Caution: Certain juices may cause adverse reactions in people with osteoarthritis. Avoid citrus fruits, and be careful with vegetables from the nightshade family, including potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant. Citrus seems to promote swelling, and nightshades contain psyllium alkaloids, which cause problems for some people. See Lycium Barbarum.
References: Safety
According to Wikipedia, "Two published case reports described elderly women who experienced increased bleeding, expressed as an elevated INR, after drinking quantities of wolfberry tea.[44][45] Further in vitro testing revealed that the tea inhibited warfarin metabolism, providing evidence for possible interaction between warfarin and undefined wolfberry phytochemicals.[44]Atropine, a toxic alkaloid found in other members of the Solanaceae family, occurs naturally in wolfberry fruit. The atropine concentrations of berries from China and Thailand are variable, with a maximum content of 19 ppb, below the likely toxic amount.[46]."
44. ^ a b Lam AY, Elmer GW, Mohutsky MA. Possible interaction between warfarin and Lycium barbarum L. Ann Pharmacother. 2001, Oct; 35(10):1199-201.
45. ^ Leung H, Hung A, Hui AC, Chan TY. Warfarin overdose due to the possible effects of Lycium barbarum L. Food Chem Toxicol. 2008, May; 46(5):1860-2.
46. ^ Michael Adams, Matthias Wiedenmann, Gerolf Tittel, Rudolf Bauer. HPLC-MS trace analysis of atropine in Lycium barbarum berries. Phytochemical Analysis 17(5):279-283.
Photo credits: Flickr.com – juices
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