Best drink for body pain: water, coffee, tart cherry or turmeric?

TL;DR:

• There is no one best drink for all pain.
  
• Hydration helps many headaches and general aches.
  
• Coffee can boost common painkillers for acute pain.
  
• Tart cherry juice may ease post-exercise soreness.
  
• Turmeric drinks may help knee osteoarthritis pain.
  

What you should drink for body pain, in plain English

There is no single “pain drink.” The right choice depends on the pain type. Hydration helps many headaches. Coffee can enhance over-the-counter pain relief. Tart cherry juice may reduce post-exercise soreness. Turmeric drinks can ease knee osteoarthritis pain for some people. The science backs these picks, with limits and caveats. As of September 16, 2025, here is the best, simple guide you can use today.

How drinks can affect pain

Fluids and plant compounds can change pain in three ways. First, hydration supports blood volume and brain function. That can ease headache triggers in some people. Second, caffeine can increase the effect of common painkillers. Third, anti-inflammatory polyphenols in fruits and spices may reduce soreness or joint pain over time. Evidence varies by drink and pain type.

Best choices by pain type

1) Headache and general “body aches”: start with water

Dehydration can worsen headaches and make you feel more sore and tired. A small randomized trial found that increasing water intake helped some people reduce headache impact over several weeks. Research since then is mixed but points the same way, and health groups still advise meeting daily fluid needs. Aim for steady sipping during the day rather than chugging at once.

How to use it: Keep a bottle nearby. With meals, choose water or unsweetened tea. If you sweat a lot or live in heat, you need more than the usual daily amount.

Good to know: Coffee and tea count toward fluids. Plain water is still the safest first step.

2) Sudden aches, dental pain, tension headache: coffee with an OTC painkiller

Caffeine can make common painkillers work better for acute pain. A Cochrane review found that adding about one cup of coffee worth of caffeine to acetaminophen or ibuprofen improved pain relief by 5 to 10 percent versus the pill alone. This is a small but real boost, and it shows up across pain types.

How to use it: If you already take acetaminophen or ibuprofen for a headache or minor injury, one cup of coffee with it may help. Do not exceed safe medicine doses. Avoid this late in the day if caffeine affects your sleep.

Watch outs: For some people with migraine, caffeine can trigger headaches or rebound if used daily. If you are pregnant, have anxiety, reflux, or heart rhythm issues, ask your clinician first.

3) Post-workout soreness and muscle recovery: tart cherry juice

Montmorency tart cherries are rich in anthocyanins. Studies and reviews suggest tart cherry juice, taken for several days around hard exercise, can reduce muscle soreness and speed recovery. Benefits are modest, but consistent in many trials.

How to use it: Many studies used 8 to 12 ounces of tart cherry juice or 1 ounce of concentrate twice daily for 4 to 7 days around the event. Choose a no-added-sugar version.

Watch outs: It contains natural sugar. People with diabetes should count the carbs. If you have gout, talk to your clinician about total fruit sugar and uric acid.

4) Ongoing knee osteoarthritis pain: turmeric drinks

Curcumin, the main turmeric compound, has been studied for knee osteoarthritis. Meta-analyses suggest turmeric extracts can reduce pain scores compared with placebo. Effects are usually small to moderate, and quality varies by study. If you prefer food first, a warm “golden milk” using turmeric may be worth trying. Extracts are stronger, but they are supplements, not drinks.

How to use it: For a drink, simmer 1 teaspoon turmeric with milk or a dairy-free milk, add a pinch of black pepper and a little fat, such as coconut oil. Pepper and fat can help curcumin absorption. Use daily for several weeks to judge benefit.

Watch outs: High dose turmeric supplements can interact with medicines and are linked, rarely, to liver injury. Use food forms first unless your clinician advises supplements.

Quick picks table

Drinks to be careful with

Alcohol. Any short-term numbing is temporary. Alcohol can worsen sleep, mood, and long-term pain control. Reviews link alcohol to complex changes in the pain system, and risks rise with more use.

Sugar-sweetened drinks. Soda and other sugary drinks are linked with higher inflammation markers in several studies. Inflammation can worsen joint and body pain over time. Choose water, unsweetened tea, or diluted juice.

Electrolyte drinks. These are helpful when you sweat a lot or are ill. For routine sitting-day aches, they are not a cure, and cramps are not always from electrolytes. Save them for heavy sweat, heat, or long workouts.

How much and when to drink

• Sip through the day. Thirst, urine color, weather, and activity should guide you. Most adults hit fluid needs by drinking when thirsty and with meals.
  
• Before and after hard training, add fluids. Use tart cherry juice in the few days around the event if soreness is a problem.
  
• For short-term aches, try one cup of coffee with your usual safe dose of acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Do not use this combo daily.
  
• For chronic knee osteoarthritis, try a daily turmeric drink for 4 to 8 weeks, then assess. If you consider a supplement, speak with a clinician first.
  

Simple routine you can try this week

Morning: Water with breakfast. If you wake with a headache, hydrate first.
Midday: If you take an OTC painkiller for a tension headache, pair it with one cup of coffee. Do not exceed safe doses.
Afternoon: If training, take tart cherry juice before and after the session. Keep water nearby.
Evening: Make a turmeric latte. Keep it low sugar. Track how your joints feel over a month.