What Is Pomegranate Juice & Tea Good For?

When you slice open the leathery red skin of a pomegranate, you can see minuscule gemlike juice sacs, which are bursting with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory substances. A popular refreshment, pomegranate juice contains copious plant chemicals that can offer you health benefits such as lowering cholesterol and high blood pressure, according to Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). In addition, pomegranate tea is available brewed from the leaf or seed, or as a flavor added to dried black or green tea leaves. Consult your doctor before using pomegranate for medicinal purposes.

Nutrition and Chemical Constituents

According to the USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory, one cup of bottled pomegranate juice contains 134 calories, 33 g of carbohydrates, and 32 g of sugars, as well as potassium, choline and vitamin K. Pomegranates also can provide you with abundant phytochemicals, including tannins, plant sterols, fatty acids and phenols such as ellagic acid. Phytopharmacologist Robert A. Newman, Ph.D., author of the 2007 book, "Pomegranate: The Most Medicinal Fruit," recommends that you take a supplement containing the whole fruit rather than a chemical isolate such as the antioxidant ellagic acid.

Fermented Pomegranate Juice

Research has found that fermented pomegranate juice with the alcohol removed has more health benefits for you than fresh juice. Health-giving properties multiply in fermented juice, due to a chemical process called zymolosis, according to Newman. Antioxidant substances called polyphenols are bound to sugars in fresh pomegranate juice. Fermentation activates zymolosis, separating the polyphenols from the sugars. This digestive process facilitates the absorption of polyphenols. The polyphenols are then able to hunt down and neutralize free radicals in your body that cause oxidative damage.

Health Benefits of Pomegranates

In a 2002 article in "Breast Cancer Research and Treatment," researchers have found that fresh and fermented pomegranate juice and pomegranate seed oil all inhibited cancer cell proliferation. Pomegranate seed oil contains a potent anti-inflammatory phytochemical called puninic acid. It is a fatty acid that has been shown to inhibit the progression of substances called prostaglandins, which can cause inflammation. According to Newman, puninic acid's anti-inflammatory action may halt cartilage damage if you suffer from arthritis and prevent cartilage degeneration if you don't.

Safety Considerations

If you are taking statin drugs, pomegranate juice has the potential to increase your risk of rhabdomyolysis, a degenerative muscle fiber condition, cautions MSKCC. Additionally, diabetics should note the high sugar content of pomegranate juice. One case of an adverse reaction between an anticoagulant drug and pomegranate has been reported. In one study, males consumed 8 oz. of juice daily over a two-year period with no notable adverse effects, according to MSKCC.