Cherry stones, also known as cherry pits, are the small seeds in the middle of the cherry. They are not edible but have many uses, such as medicine, fuel, and tools dating back thousands of years.

In traditional Chinese medicine, cherry pits were used to treat various ailments, such as diarrhea and constipation. While in Europe, heated cherry stone sacks provided natural pain relief for headaches and arthritis. During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, people gathered and burned the stones in fireplaces and stoves to cook food and heat their homes. Cherry stones were popular as a fuel source because they burned slowly and produced a lot of heat without much smoke or soot.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, cherry stones became a popular material for jewelry, particularly in France. Jewelers would carve and polish the stones into decorative pieces, such as brooches and pendants. It wasn't until the 20th century that cherry stones became more widely recognized for their use as a natural heating pad thanks to their excellent temperature-retention properties.

Did you know owner Chris grew up in Switzerland? He remembers his mother having a little door on the side of their wood-burning stove where she warmed sacks filled with cherry pits. Every night after dinner, his mom would place the pit sacks in their beds under the down comforters. Those cherry pit sacks kept the family warm all snowy night long.

We reinvented this Swiss tradition into our own modern-day Cherry Stone Pillow! Our pillows use naturally cleaned and dried cherry stones, a by-product of domestic cherry farming. They can be warmed in the microwave or cooled in the freezer, depending on specific needs.

Cherry stone pillows are natural alternatives to traditional heating pads or ice packs. Whether used for moist heat or cold relief, they are excellent for relieving the symptoms of muscle stiffness, bruising, swelling, inflammation, sinus and migraine headaches, menstrual cramps, toothaches, earaches, and stomachaches—just to name a few. And not only are they more environmentally friendly, as the cherry stones are a natural and renewable resource, but they also provide a pleasant aroma and soothing "rain stick" sound effect when handled.

Cherry stones may at first appear like a small and unimportant part of the cherry, but they are actually pretty cool when you learn about their unique uses and history. Maybe the saying should be, "life is like a bowl of cherries, even when it's in the pits!"