What tart cherry does in your body and how much to take
Updated · 12 studies cited · 5 products compared
Short answer
Tart cherry is a sour red fruit. It can make your muscles less sore and help you get your strength back after hard exercise. It might help you sleep a little. It did not lower blood pressure, and we aren't sure about gout.
- What it helps
- Less soreness and a faster return of strength after hard exercise.
- How much
- No set amount. Most studies used juice or juice concentrate, starting 5 to 7 days before a hard event.
- How long
- 5 to 7 days for sore muscles. 1 to 2 weeks for sleep.
- How sure are we
- Some proof
- Skip it or ask first
- Ask first if you have gout or take prescription medicine. The juice has sugar, which matters if you have diabetes.
See details
Tart cherry's clearest effect is on recovery after hard exercise, with less soreness and a faster return of strength.1 Small studies suggest it raises melatonin and lengthens sleep.5 It did not lower blood pressure,11 and the evidence for gout remains weak.8
No set dose. Trials mostly used juice or concentrate, often for 5 to 7 days before a hard event23
Ask first if you have gout or take prescription medication. Juice and concentrate contain sugar, which matters in diabetes.
How does tart cherry work in your body?
Tart cherries are full of natural plant compounds. Germs in your gut break many of them down, and we don't yet know how much that matters. After hard exercise, people who drank the juice had fewer signs of swelling in their blood. That may be why their muscles felt better, but it isn't proven. The juice also raised melatonin, a body chemical that helps you sleep.
See details
Tart cherries are rich in polyphenols, including anthocyanins. Gut bacteria convert many of these compounds, and how that shapes the effects is still poorly understood.4
After the marathon, the cherry group had lower IL-6, CRP, and uric acid, along with about 10% higher total antioxidant capacity.2 The pooled data also show lower CRP and IL-6, while creatine kinase and TNF-alpha did not change.1 These measurements come mainly from people recovering from heavy exercise, and we can't assume the same in someone resting.
What does tart cherry do, and how much does it help?
Most of this comes from people who exercise hard.
Sore muscles
Helps someMuscles hurt less after hard exercise. In one study of runners, pain went up about a third as much with cherry juice.
How long: Runners drank it for 7 days before and during the race.
See details
Getting your strength back
Helps someMuscles got their strength back faster after a marathon.
How long: 5 days before a race, on race day, and for 2 days after.
See details
Some proof
Recovery of strength showed a moderate benefit in pooled data (effect size 0.78).1 Twenty recreational marathon runners also recovered isometric strength faster on cherry juice, although creatine kinase and other markers of muscle damage were no different.2 This suggests the benefit may come from less inflammation rather than less damage, which is an interpretation and not a proven mechanism.
Juice was taken for 5 days before a marathon, on race day, and for 48 hours after.
Sleep
Helps a littleIn two small studies, people slept a bit longer. For people with trouble sleeping, it helped far less than sleep medicine or sleep therapy.
How long: 1 to 2 weeks.
See details
Little proof
Twenty volunteers took juice concentrate for 7 days, and their urinary melatonin, time in bed, total sleep time, and sleep efficiency all rose.5 A pilot in 15 older adults with insomnia found modest benefits, considerably smaller than those of sleep medication or cognitive behavioral therapy.6
One to two weeks in these small trials.
Gout
Not sure yetPeople with gout who ate cherries had fewer attacks in one study, but that study can't prove the cherries did it. A newer study found no quick change in uric acid, the stuff behind gout. Stay on your gout medicine.
See details
Little proof
People with gout who ate cherries had 35% lower odds of an attack over the next two days, and cherry extract was linked with 45% lower odds.7 That study was observational, so other factors could explain it. A systematic review couldn't pool the available data.8 A 2026 controlled trial found no acute effect on uric acid and suggested that normal daily fluctuation may explain some earlier results.9
How do you read a tart cherry label?
Big numbers on the front can fool you. One product says 1,200 mg, but each capsule really holds 120 mg of extract. Look for the real weight of the extract. Skip mixes with celery seed or turmeric, since these studies didn't test them.
See details
Capsule labels often show an equivalent amount. One product here says 1,200 mg on the front, but that figure refers to the fresh-fruit equivalent of 120 mg of a 10:1 extract. The claim is technically accurate and still makes comparison hard.
Look at the actual extract weight. Anthocyanin content is useful when it is listed, though few labels list it. We would also skip combinations with celery seed or turmeric, since the trials above didn't test them.
Tart cherry juice or capsules?
Most of the good results came from juice or concentrate. Capsules have no juice sugar, but they have far fewer studies behind them.
See details
Most of the positive recovery and sleep data come from juice or concentrate. Capsules avoid the sugar, and one small study reported that a powdered capsule lowered uric acid,10 but we have far less data on them overall.
Best tart cherry supplements by study dose and cost a day
Juice concentrate comes first because it is closest to the studies. For capsules, look at the real extract weight.
Studies set no amount for capsules, so cost a day is for one label serving. These are not the same strength, so a lower cost does not mean a better deal.
| Product | Cost a day | Lasts |
|---|---|---|
| Dynamic Health, Tart Cherry Concentrate, 16 fl oz2 tablespoons a day | $1.20 | 16 days |
| Life Extension, Tart Cherry with CherryPURE, 480 mg, 60 Vegetarian Capsules1 capsule a day | $0.35 | 60 days |
| NOW Foods, Tart Cherry, 500 mg, 90 Veg Capsules1 capsule a day | $0.18 | 90 days |
| Nutricost, Tart Cherry, 300 mg, 240 Capsules1 capsule a day | $0.06 | 240 days |
| Nature's Truth, Ultra Tart Cherry Extract, 1,200 mg, 90 Quick Release Capsules1 capsule a day | $0.13 | 90 days |
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1
Dynamic Health, Tart Cherry Concentrate, 16 fl oz
2 tablespoons concentrate: 9 g sugars
The form closest to the studies.
View on iHerb$1.20 a day
2 tablespoons a day
$19.24 on iHerb for 16 days -
2
Life Extension, Tart Cherry with CherryPURE, 480 mg, 60 Vegetarian Capsules
1 capsule: 480 mg CherryPURE powder
A cherry powder with no added herbs. Capsules have fewer studies than juice.
View on iHerb$0.35 a day
1 capsule a day
$21.00 on iHerb for 60 days -
3
NOW Foods, Tart Cherry, 500 mg, 90 Veg Capsules
1 capsule: 500 mg tart cherry concentrate
A simple label with just tart cherry. Capsules have fewer studies than juice.
View on iHerb$0.18 a day
1 capsule a day
$16.52 on iHerb for 90 days -
4
Nutricost, Tart Cherry, 300 mg, 240 Capsules
1 capsule: 300 mg of 10:1 extract
The label shows the real extract weight, 300 mg, next to the bigger fruit number.
View on iHerb$0.06 a day
1 capsule a day
$14.95 on iHerb for 240 days -
5
Nature's Truth, Ultra Tart Cherry Extract, 1,200 mg, 90 Quick Release Capsules
1 capsule: 120 mg of 10:1 extract
The 1,200 mg on the front is not the real weight. The extract weighs 120 mg.
View on iHerb$0.13 a day
1 capsule a day
$11.58 on iHerb for 90 days
Amounts and US prices come from each product's iHerb page on November 6, 2026. Prices change often and differ by country, so check the current price on iHerb. Shipping and tax are not included. How we rank products
Common questions
How long does tart cherry take to work?
For sore muscles, runners started 5 to 7 days before the race. Sleep studies lasted 1 to 2 weeks.
Does tart cherry reduce inflammation?
Signs of swelling in the blood went down in people getting over hard exercise. We know less about people who don't train hard.
See details
CRP and IL-6 fell in studies of people recovering from hard exercise.1 We have less evidence for people who aren't training hard.
Does tart cherry lower uric acid?
The results disagree. Some studies found a drop. A newer, careful study found no quick change.
Will tart cherry help me sleep?
It might help a little. The proof is two small studies, and it helped far less than normal sleep treatments.
See details
It might help modestly. The data come from two small trials, and the effect in insomnia was well below that of standard treatment.6
Who should not take tart cherry?
- Gout: stay on your medicine and talk to your doctor before adding cherry products.
- Diabetes: the juice concentrate here has 9 g of sugar in 2 tablespoons.
- Prescription medicine: we don't know much about how it mixes, so ask a pharmacist.
- Mixes may add herbs such as celery seed, which these studies did not test.
Studies we used
See all 12 studies
- Meta-analysis or review
14 studies. Small reduction in soreness and a moderate benefit for strength recovery.
Tart Cherry Supplementation and Recovery From Strenuous Exercise: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 2021. PubMed 33440334
- Clinical trial
20 marathon runners. Strength recovered faster; IL-6, CRP, and uric acid were lower.
Influence of tart cherry juice on indices of recovery following marathon running. Scand J Med Sci Sports, 2010. PubMed 19883392
- Clinical trial
Distance runners. Pain rose 12 mm with cherry juice and 37 mm with placebo.
Efficacy of tart cherry juice in reducing muscle pain during running: a randomized controlled trial. J Int Soc Sports Nutr, 2010. PubMed 20459662
- Guideline or expert review
Review of tart cherry polyphenols and the unknown role of gut bacteria.
Tart Cherries and health: Current knowledge and need for a better understanding of the fate of phytochemicals in the human gastrointestinal tract. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2019. PubMed 28956621
- Clinical trial
20 adults, concentrate for 7 days. Melatonin and total sleep time increased.
Effect of tart cherry juice (Prunus cerasus) on melatonin levels and enhanced sleep quality. Eur J Nutr, 2012. PubMed 22038497
- Clinical trial
Pilot, 15 older adults with insomnia. Modest effects, well below standard treatments.
Effects of a tart cherry juice beverage on the sleep of older adults with insomnia: a pilot study. J Med Food, 2010. PubMed 20438325
- Case or lab report
People with gout, observational. Cherry intake linked with lower odds of attacks.
Cherry consumption and decreased risk of recurrent gout attacks. Arthritis Rheum, 2012. PubMed 23023818
- Meta-analysis or review
Systematic review on gout and uric acid. Too few comparable studies to pool.
Effectiveness of Cherries in Reducing Uric Acid and Gout: A Systematic Review. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2019. PubMed 31885677
- Clinical trial
2026 randomized trial. No acute effect of juice on uric acid, vascular function, or inflammation.
Tart cherry juice has no acute effects on uric acid, vascular function and inflammation: A randomised crossover trial. Nutr Health, 2026. PubMed 41604330
- Clinical trial
Acute study of Montmorency products. A powdered capsule lowered uric acid.
Acute Ingestion of Montmorency Tart Cherry Reduces Serum Uric Acid but Has no Impact on High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein or Oxidative Capacity. Plant Foods Hum Nutr, 2021. PubMed 33506357
- Meta-analysis or review
7 trials, 201 people. No significant effect on blood pressure.
Effect of cherry consumption on blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Diabetes Metab Syndr, 2022. PubMed 35108661
- Meta-analysis or review
Dose-response review. Generally no blood pressure effect; CRP fell with dose.
Dose-dependent effect of tart cherry on blood pressure and selected inflammation biomarkers: A GRADE-assessed systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Heliyon, 2023. PubMed 37809623