Cherry

Scientific Name: Prunus avium

Bahasa Indonesia: Buah seri

Batak: No name

Basic Information: Prunus avium is commonly called wild cherry, sweet cherry, or gean, and is a species of a flowering plant in the rose family Rosaceae. This is a deciduous tree growing 15-32 meters tall. The bark is a smoothish, purplish-brown with horizontal grey-brown lenticels on young trees, becoming thick dark blackish-brown and fissured on old trees. The leaves are alternate, broat, and a matte or sub-shiny green above. The flowers are produced each spring and have five white petals, yellowish stamens, and a superior ovary. The fruit is a drupe about 1-2 cm in diameter and are bright red to dark purple when mature. Cherry trees originate from the Caspian-Black Sea region and Asia.

Health Benefits:

  1. Helps with Inflammation – high antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds help to reduce the risk of chronic disease and promote overall health.
  2. Boosts Exercise Recovery – consuming cherries, especially the tart cherry products like juice and powder may improve athletic performance and reduce exercise-induced muscle damage and soreness.
  3. Benefits Heart Health – high levels of potassium and polyphenol antioxidants have powerful heart-protective properties.
  4. Improves Symptoms of Arthritis and Gout – the anti-inflammatory properties of cherries may benefit those who suffer from arthritis and gout.
  5. Improves Sleep Quality – the anti-inflammatory compounds and melatonin found in cherries may help improve your quality of sleep.
  6. Protects Against Diabetes – cherries rank lower than many fruits on the glycemic index so they don’t trigger spikes or crashes in your blood sugar and insulin levels.
  7. Helps Reduce Cholesterol – drinking tart cherry juice is shown to help lower total cholesterol.

Fun Facts:

  • There are seven different days that are considered a different national cherry dessert day. For example, January 3rd is National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day
  • The word cherry comes from the French word “cerise,” which comes from the Latin words “cerasum” and “Cerasus,” the classical name of the modern city Giresun in Turkey
  • Records indicate that cherries were a prized food in a region of China dating back to 600 BC, fit for royalty and cherished by locals

 

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_avium

https://plantvillage.psu.edu/topics/cherry-including-sour/infos

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cherries-benefits#section7

https://www.health.com/nutrition/health-benefits-cherries

https://mobile-cuisine.com/did-you-know/cherry-fun-facts/