Black cherry for immune enhancement?

Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)

Also known as: wild cherry, wild black cherry,
cabinet-cherry, black choke, rum cherry,
whisky-cherry, Virginian prune-bark.

I don't recall the specifics now, but I must have
researched black cherry because somebody
somewhere said it was good for your immune system.

I found very little evidence or documentation to
support that.

According to one site, the Flambeau Ojibwa
Native Americans prepared a tea from the bark of
wild cherry to treat coughs and colds.

Assuming that's even true (and I'm skeptical of claims
about what Native Americans did, since they left
no written records), it's still possible that
they main benefit came from drinking the hot
tea. Maybe they just used black tea because
it tasted good.

According to the Chinese, cherry tonifies the
blood and energy, and prolongs life.

That may be true, but it has little to do with your
immune system, which is my focus on this blog.

Wild cherries do contain lots of Vitamin C, plus
flavonoids. Also potassium, lignins and tannins. So
certainly they're a healthy food, and no doubt has
some beneficial effect on your immune system.

I saw different recommendations for adding black
cherries to lemonade. I've never tried that but
it sounds good.

They are healthy and they taste good -- so eat
as many as you like. I just can't
document that they do anything extra for your
immune system.

I couldn't even find a good source for black
cherries, not as a supplement by itself.

I did find black cherry tea from Celestial
Seasons. That sounds good, and no doubt it
will make you feel better if you come down
with any respiratory infection:

black cherry tea