Well, here's my problem.  Due to other medications I have to take, NSAIDS and aspirin are out.  Acetaminophen is OK, but its not a very effective anti-inflammatory.  Synthetic codeine is also a good pain killer, but you can almost set your clock by my negative reaction to taking it (almost 24 hours to the minute after taking it anything on my stomach is coming back up).  So, my choices in this category are not particularly broad.

So, I've been looking for something that might fill that niche in my medical needs (but not necessarily something I'd take long term).  So, for example, if I know that I'm headed into the bush (where shoulders my get a bit more work and the back might let me know that I'm sleeping on the ground), I might ramp-up pre-trip and take it for the duration. 

As for research on tart cherry extract, much of it seems to come from universities in Michigan (go figure, since cherries are a major crop in Michigan!).  That leads one to wonder how "independent" the results are.  There also seems to be limited information of interaction effects between the extract and other medications.  (I guess I'll ask my doc about it next week since I already have an appointment.)

I used to do something similar when traveling to high altitude.  I'd take acetazolamide (a.k.a. Diamox) for a few days prior to ascent and for a few more at altitude.  Then I'd back out of it after the trip was over.  (But after a while I didn't bother even with that ... didn't really care for the side affects.)

dd