IngredientsCherries are divided into two broad groups: sweet (Prunus avium) and sour (Prunus cerasus). In the context of dietary supplementation and nutraceutical research, the tart (sour) cherry, Prunus cerasus L., is the species of primary pharmacological interest. Prunus cerasus L., commonly referred to as tart cherry, belongs to the Rosaceae family and is recognized as a functional fruit of notable nutritional and phytochemical interest. P. cerasus is a hybrid between P. avium and another species, P. fruticosa (dwarf cherry); this hybridization most likely occurred on the Iranian Plateau or in Eastern Europe where the two species' natural habitats overlap.
Varieties of the cherry are widely distributed throughout temperate regions of the world and have been cultivated for thousands of years; today, there are literally hundreds of varieties due to their long record of cultivation and crossbreeding. Among the commercially important tart cherry cultivars used in supplement production, Montmorency is particularly prominent: Montmorency is the major tart cherry commercially grown in the United States. To challenge the Montmorency monoculture, a new cultivar, Balaton tart cherry (Ujferbertoi furtos), was introduced into the United States in 1984; Balaton produces fruits darker than Montmorency.
Tart or sour cherry is a variety of cherry grown worldwide that is often used in cooking and in making fruit syrups and other concentrates, and is especially high in anthocyanins, a type of flavonoid with strong antioxidant activity. Tart cherries are most popular as a food in Europe and Russia.
The common English word "cherry" itself derives from the fruit's classical name. Our word "cherry" comes from cerasus, the Latinized form of the Greek kerasos for the cherry. Kerasous, an ancient Greek colony in Pontus (the southern Black Sea area), now Giresun in modern-day Turkey, was apparently known for its cultivation of cherries.
Cherry is available and studied in several distinct dietary supplement and food-based forms:
Tart cherry is available in many different forms, including the whole fruit, juice, juice concentrate, powder, and extract. The freeze-dried powder form of Montmorency tart cherry (MTC) supplements is naturally low in sugar (less than 1 g), while the juice (variable, depending on formulation) and concentrate (15+ g) are considerably higher. Furthermore, the addition of the skins in freeze-dried cherry powder supplements increases fiber content and provides polysaccharides.
Bronze Age sites across Europe have yielded up tiny cherry stones, indicating that European populations were eating cherries at least two thousand years before Pliny the Elder wrote his Natural History. In his Natural History, Pliny reports that the cherry was first introduced to Italy by Roman general Lucullus, who brought it from Pontus after defeating Mithridates in 73 BC, and the tree may well have been displayed in his triumphal procession back in Rome. As Roman legions moved north carrying the Pax Romana, administrators who followed carried along cherry trees to plant in the conquered lands; citing Pliny, "in 120 years they have crossed the ocean and got as far as Britain."
In Roman medical tradition, the physician Galen advocated cherry use for the intestine and against gallstones, and the kernel was considered useful for arthritic pain, acne, and verrucas.
In medieval Europe, monasteries in France cultivated cherry orchards for cordials and syrups. Cherry preparations were used in folk contexts across the continent for their perceived cooling, anti-inflammatory, and diuretic properties.
Cherry stems represent a by-product intensively used in Eastern European countries as a traditional remedy for urinary tract disorders; ethnopharmacological evidence supports their use as aqueous preparations, specifically infusion and decoction. Traditional Romanian and Polish healers employed cherry preparations for gout and as mild diuretics, and this traditional practice has been a basis for modern phytochemical investigations.
Ayurvedic texts mostly reference generic Prunus, but 18th-century Persian manuscripts specifically mention the cold properties of sour cherry pulp used to balance Pitta dosha in fevers; during the Mughal era, sour cherry was imported to northern India, where herbalists blended it with licorice and saffron to alleviate digestive complaints.
Tart cherries constitute a rich source of polyphenolic compounds, with anthocyanins representing the predominant subclass of flavonoids. The principal anthocyanins identified in P. cerasus cultivars include cyanidin 3-glucosylrutinoside as the major component, followed by cyanidin 3-rutinoside, cyanidin sophoroside, and peonidin 3-glucoside.
In addition to anthocyanins, P. cerasus contains other flavonoid classes, such as flavan-3-ols β particularly procyanidin B2 (a dimer of epicatechins) β and various flavonols, including rutin, isoquercitrin, kaempferol glycosides, and isorhamnetin glycosides.
The predominant phenolic acids in tart cherry are neochlorogenic acid and chlorogenic acid. Purification of ethyl acetate extracts of tart cherries has also yielded chlorogenic acid methyl ester and several novel hydroxycinnamoyl compounds.
Tart cherry (Prunus cerasus) is a fruit rich in various bioactive compounds, including melatonin, a hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle; tart cherries are also rich in tryptophan, serotonin, and proanthocyanidins.
Kaempferol, quercetin, isorhamnetin 3-rutinoside, cyanidin 3-rutinoside, and melatonin have all shown significant antioxidant capacities; of these, kaempferol proved to be the most active in antioxidant capacity assays. Purification of ethyl acetate fractions of tart cherry extract has afforded eight polyphenolic compounds, including naringenin derivatives, genistein glycosides, chlorogenic acid, rutinosides, and methoxyflavonol glycosides.
A wide range of analytic issues make it difficult to assess the quality, and thus the potential efficacy, of tart cherry supplements; studies that have used reliable methods to assess anthocyanin and polyphenol content of tart cherry supplements have found the levels to vary greatly.
Fruits and vegetables, as rich sources of natural antioxidants, play a pivotal role in counteracting oxidative stress. Bioactive natural compounds with antioxidant properties have therefore attracted significant interest across the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and nutraceutical industries. The anthocyanins and phenolic acids in tart cherry directly scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species. Pairs of compounds with the highest antioxidant capacity β such as kaempferol and melatonin, and cyanidin 3-rutinoside with isorhamnetin 3-rutinoside β showed strong synergistic types of interactions in antioxidant assays. The biological effectiveness of tart cherries may therefore be due in part to phytochemical interactions that accomplish synergistic effects; whole tart cherry products, or mixtures of tart cherry secondary metabolites, may be biologically more active than individual compounds.
Recent studies have shown that flavonoids and especially anthocyanins present in high concentrations in cherry extract inhibit both COX-1 and COX-2 at levels similar to that of conventional NSAIDs. This mechanism is proposed to underlie observed anti-inflammatory effects across multiple organ systems. Notably, this same mechanism also carries clinically significant safety implications in certain patient populations (see Safety section below).
The primary mechanism of action proposed for tart cherry's sleep-promoting properties is related to the high melatonin content of tart cherries, which helps regulate the sleep-wake cycle. Melatonin is a substance that strongly affects the human sleep-wake cycle and nocturnal core temperature to induce sleep, and its secretion in the human body is physiologically controlled according to the light-dark cycle.
Tart cherry compounds have been proposed to reduce serum uric acid through inhibition of xanthine oxidase activity and through enhancement of renal urate excretion, although the precise mechanism in humans remains under investigation.
This is the most thoroughly studied application of tart cherry supplementation in humans, supported by multiple randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and systematic reviews with meta-analyses.
The aim of a 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine the efficacy of tart cherry supplementation on recovery following strenuous exercise, using studies investigating tart cherry supplementation on measures of muscle soreness, muscular strength, muscular power, creatine kinase, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha. Data from 14 studies were extracted and pooled; tart cherry supplementation had a small beneficial effect in reducing muscle soreness (effect size [ES] = β0.44, 95% CI [β0.87, β0.02]); a moderate beneficial effect was observed for recovery of muscular strength (ES = β0.78, 95% CI [β1.11, β0.46]); and a moderate effect was observed for muscular power (ES = β0.53, 95% CI [β0.77, β0.29]).
A more recent meta-analysis focusing specifically on athletes published in Sports Medicine β Open (2026) confirmed and extended these findings. Nineteen trials were included; tart cherry juice supplementation significantly improved maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) recovery in the main analysis across all time points (post: ES = 0.63; 24 h: ES = 1.12; 48 h: ES = 1.29; 72 h: ES = 2.14).
A separate systematic review and meta-analysis published through early 2024 corroborated beneficial effects on muscular function and specific inflammatory markers. Across 10 clinical trials, a significant improvement was seen in MVIC (9.13% from baseline); MVIC is a concise indicator of muscle strength, and the analysis indicated that tart cherry juice supplementation can significantly improve MVIC in the intervention group compared to the placebo group; additionally, significant but partial reductions were observed in the inflammatory cytokines IL-6 (β0.4 pg/mL) and IL-8 (β0.3 pg/mL) following supplementation.
Regarding timing of supplementation, to enhance exercise recovery or endurance performance, tart cherry juice should be taken daily for 3β7 days before the exercise session of interest and 1β2 hours before exercise on the day of the event; to enhance recovery, tart cherry juice should also be consumed 2β4 days following the event.
Limitations: Tart cherry juice has been proposed as a strategy to support recovery in athletes; however, findings across studies remain inconsistent. Inconsistencies in study outcomes, variations in dosage, and heterogeneous populations limit broad conclusions.
Several human interventional studies have examined tart cherry's influence on sleep, with a biologically plausible mechanism anchored in its melatonin and tryptophan content.
A foundational pilot RCT (PMC3133468) examined older adults with insomnia. The tart cherry juice beverage was associated with statistically significant pre- to post-treatment improvements on all sleep variables; when compared to placebo, the study beverage produced significant reductions in insomnia severity (minutes awake after sleep onset); no such improvements were observed for sleep latency, total sleep time, or sleep efficiency compared to placebo; and effect sizes were moderate and in some cases negligible. The results suggested that a tart cherry juice blend has modest beneficial effects on sleep in older adults with insomnia, with effect sizes equal to or exceeding those observed in studies of valerian and in some studies of melatonin, but these effects were considerably less than those for evidence-based treatments of insomnia, including hypnotic agents and cognitive-behavioral therapies.
A 2025 systematic review identified the scope and consistency of the available evidence. In total, seven interventional studies were included; three studies reported significant improvements in sleep indicators such as sleep duration, sleep efficiency, or sleep onset time; three studies also reported an increase in melatonin levels after tart cherry consumption; and two studies reported a decrease in inflammatory markers such as CRP and MDA. However, there were large differences in dose, duration of intervention, and characteristics of the participating populations; although tart cherry consumption may be effective in improving sleep quality, reducing inflammation, and increasing antioxidant capacity, the available evidence is still limited and heterogeneous.
Strength of evidence: Preliminary to moderate, based on a small number of heterogeneous trials; further high-quality RCTs are needed. Further research is needed to establish the optimal dose, duration, and formulation of tart cherry products for insomnia treatment.
Tart cherry has long been associated anecdotally with gout management, and this has motivated clinical investigation.
A human RCT published in Current Developments in Nutrition (2019) enrolled overweight and obese adults. Tart cherry juice significantly reduced serum uric acid (sUA) concentration by 19.2% (P < 0.05) and reduced pro-inflammatory high-sensitivity C-reactive protein by 19.4% (P = 0.09) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 by 6.3% (P = 0.08). Collectively, these data suggest that 100% tart cherry juice reduces sUA concentrations, potentially mitigating hyperuricemia associated with gouty arthritis.
However, more recent controlled work has introduced important caveats about prior uncontrolled studies. Studies examining the acute effects of cherries on urate have mostly failed to include a control group, despite urate being known to exhibit diurnal fluctuations, typically falling throughout the day. A 2026 open-label randomized crossover trial in 12 healthy adults consumed 250 mL tart cherry juice (containing 30 mL of concentrate) and 250 mL water (control) on separate occasions at least 7 days apart. There were no statistically significant main effects of drink type or drink-by-time interactions for any outcome; however, independent of drink type, serum uric acid, urinary uric acid, C-reactive protein, and measures of blood pressure changed with different temporal patterns throughout the day; the results indicate that diurnal fluctuations may partly explain the beneficial acute effects of cherry consumption on uric acid metabolism previously reported in studies without a comparator control group.
A 12-month double-blind RCT protocol has been designed to test gout flare frequency as a primary endpoint. This 12-month, parallel, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial planned to recruit 120 individuals (aged 18β80 years) with a clinical diagnosis of gout who had self-reported a flare in the previous year; participants were to be randomly assigned to Montmorency tart cherry juice daily or a cherry-flavored placebo drink; the primary study outcome was change in frequency of self-reported gout attacks; secondary outcome measures included attack intensity, serum urate concentration, fractional excretion of uric acid, biomarkers of inflammation, blood lipids, and other markers of cardiovascular risk.
Strength of evidence: Promising but mixed; earlier uncontrolled studies may have overestimated acute urate-lowering effects due to diurnal confounding. More evidence is needed to determine whether tart cherry is helpful for gout management.
Several RCTs have examined the effect of tart cherry on blood pressure, lipids, and inflammation in the context of cardiovascular risk.
Inflammation and oxidative stress are important factors in the development of cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis; findings from a randomized controlled trial suggested that 12 weeks of tart cherry juice consumption lowered levels of systolic blood pressure and LDL cholesterol in older adults. In a subsequent RCT, a total of 37 men and women between the ages of 65β80 were randomly assigned to consume 480 mL of tart cherry juice or control drink daily for 12 weeks. The study showed that older adults who consumed tart cherry concentrate for 14 days had lower urinary levels of oxidative stress biomarkers 8-OHdG and 8-OHG; a separate human study showed that 480 mL tart cherry juice consumption for 6 weeks significantly decreased CRP in adults with mild to moderate osteoarthritis.
Conversely, a small RCT in healthy normotensive young adults found no benefit on vascular function: in a small double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study conducted in 23 healthy normotensive young adults (mean age 24 years), consumption of Montmorency tart cherry concentrate (30 mL per 100 mL water) twice daily for 4 weeks had no significant effect on vascular indices (systolic or diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, mean arterial pressure, pulse wave velocity, pulse stiffness, or reflection index) compared with placebo.
A GRADE-assessed systematic review and meta-analysis (2023) summarized the totality of evidence. Tart cherry can control inflammation by administering the proper dose; even though tart cherry generally does not affect blood pressure and heart rate, further high-quality studies are needed to determine its effect.
Strength of evidence: Mixed; some positive signals for inflammation and LDL in older adults, but null results in younger, healthier populations. Population characteristics appear to be an important moderating variable.
A randomized double-blind crossover study (Schumacher et al., Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, 2013) evaluated the effects of tart cherry juice blend in treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. This human study showed that 480 mL tart cherry juice consumption for 6 weeks significantly decreased CRP in adults with mild to moderate osteoarthritis. This finding is broadly consistent with the anti-inflammatory mechanisms ascribed to cherry polyphenols, but the effect on pain scores was less consistent across studies in this indication.
Strength of evidence: Preliminary; the number of adequately powered RCTs in OA specifically is limited, and the benefit appears to be primarily biochemical (CRP reduction) rather than consistently symptomatic.
A small number of clinical trials have examined the relationship between cherry juice supplementation and cognitive outcomes. Kent et al. (2017) reported that consumption of anthocyanin-rich cherry juice for 12 weeks improved memory and cognition in older adults with mild-to-moderate dementia (European Journal of Nutrition, 2017). A 12-week randomized, placebo-controlled trial assessed the effects of daily sour cherry fruit juice in elderly patients (older than 70 years) with mild to moderate dementia (N=49).
However, not all cognitive trials have been positive. Montmorency tart cherries were found to modulate vascular function acutely, in the absence of improvement in cognitive performance in one controlled trial (British Journal of Nutrition, 2016).
Strength of evidence: Very preliminary; results are inconsistent across trials, and the population of individuals with established cognitive impairment may respond differently than healthy individuals. Larger, well-powered studies are needed.
Tart cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) is a substantial source of polyphenolic compounds, including anthocyanins, flavonoids, and phenolic acids, which contribute to a range of biological effects; a 2025 review synthesizing peer-reviewed studies from 2018 to 2025 identified health benefits encompassing antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive, cardioprotective, anticancer, neuroprotective, antimicrobial, sleep-enhancing, anti-aging, uric acid reduction, and a role in bone loss. However, the review authors noted that inconsistencies in study outcomes, variations in dosage, and heterogeneous populations limit broad conclusions. The anticancer, antimicrobial, and bone-related findings noted in that review are based predominantly on preclinical (in vitro and animal) data and have not been established in adequately powered human trials.
Overall findings indicate that cherry stem preparations could be used as promising mild diuretic agents. LC-DAD-ESI/MS analysis revealed the presence of flavonoid-type compounds as main constituents for both aqueous and hydroalcoholic preparations of cherry stems, especially flavanones (naringenin glycosides); antioxidant activity was superior for the hydroalcoholic extract, probably due to the presence of phenolic compounds in higher amounts. These findings are based on in vivo animal and in vitro models, with limited human evidence for this specific application.
Dosages in the clinical literature vary substantially by form, population, and indication. The following are dosages as specifically reported in identified studies and sources:
No universally agreed-upon standardized dose has been established, reflecting the heterogeneity of the evidence base.
In general, tart cherry is well tolerated, and the most common side effect is gastrointestinal discomfort; however, safety reporting in many randomized trials tends to be incomplete, absent, or of poor quality. Tart cherry fruit extract or powder is possibly safe when taken short-term; some people might have diarrhea after taking tart cherry products.
This is the most clinically significant documented safety concern. A patient with chronic kidney disease experienced hemodynamically mediated acute kidney injury and hyperkalemia after daily consumption of cherry concentrate; the method of injury was most likely cyclooxygenase inhibition by the compounds in cherries that mimic the mechanism of action of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications; ceasing cherry concentrate consumption led to improvements in both the patient's hyperkalemia and kidney injury. A separate case report described a patient with CKD secondary to type 2 diabetes mellitus who developed acute kidney injury and metabolic disturbances after consuming black cherry concentrate to self-manage a gout flare; the most likely mechanism of injury was cyclooxygenase inhibition by anthocyanins, molecular compounds found in cherries that have a similar mechanism of action to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications. Physicians should approach the use of cherry extract or concentrate with caution in patients with underlying kidney disease.
Tart cherry juice blends and concentrates can raise blood sugar; people with glycemic control issues are advised to avoid these dosage forms.
While tart cherries are likely safe to consume as a whole food during pregnancy and lactation, there is little evidence concerning the safety of supplemental forms during these life stages; avoidance of tart cherry supplements during pregnancy and lactation is warranted pending further evidence.
Tart cherry juice may interact with warfarin, potentially increasing bleeding risk, and should be used with caution when taking anticoagulants or antiplatelet medications; botanical products such as tart cherry juice can alter the cytochrome P450 system, potentially affecting warfarin metabolism.
Tart cherries contain melatonin, which may interact with other medications such as antidepressants, benzodiazepines, birth control pills, blood thinners, and steroids, among others.
Tart cherries contain a high concentration of potassium; individuals taking medications that may alter potassium levels β such as high blood pressure medications, NSAIDs, certain anti-infectives, and some immunosuppressants β should be aware of this.
A wide range of analytic issues make it difficult to assess the quality, and thus the potential efficacy, of tart cherry supplements; studies that have used reliable methods to assess anthocyanin and polyphenol content of tart cherry supplements have found the levels to vary greatly. This variability means that the dose of active compounds in commercially available products may differ substantially from those used in clinical trials.
Health conditions that Cherry may help support.
Tart cherries are a concentrated source of anthocyanins that upregulate endogenous antioxidant pathways, including Nrf2/ARE. Human RCTs show increased DNA repair enzyme (OGG1) activity and reduced oxidative stress markers such as MDA and oxidized LDL following supplementation.
Several RCTs have tested tart cherry juice in knee osteoarthritis. A double-blind crossover RCT (n=58) found that tart cherry juice significantly reduced hsCRP but did not surpass placebo on pain symptom scores. Smaller trials and observational studies report improvements in mobility and pain markers. Evidence for gout-type inflammatory arthritis is stronger.
A meta-analysis of 10 RCTs (Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2020) found that tart cherry concentrate significantly improved endurance exercise performance in trained athletes. Benefits are attributed to anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and blood-flow-enhancing mechanisms, with effects most pronounced in trained individuals.
A 12-week RCT in older adults found that 480 mL/day of tart cherry juice significantly reduced systolic blood pressure versus placebo. Meta-analytic pooled data show mixed results, with low certainty evidence for SBP reduction and no significant effect in most pooled analyses. Effects may be stronger in older or hypertensive populations.
Clinical trials show tart cherry juice can reduce LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol in some populations, particularly older adults and those with dyslipidemia. A meta-analysis found significant lipid improvements in unhealthy individuals via dose-response analysis, though pooled effects across all populations are not consistently significant.
Tart cherry's anthocyanins inhibit COX-1/2 enzymes and suppress NF-ΞΊB signaling, reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines. Multiple RCTs document reductions in circulating CRP. A 2023 meta-analysis of 21 RCTs confirmed moderate-certainty evidence for CRP reduction with a dose-response relationship, though effect sizes remain modest.
RCTs in older and middle-aged adults show tart cherry polyphenols improve memory, attention, and mental fatigue over 12 weeks. Mechanisms include blood-pressure lowering, antioxidant protection, anti-neuroinflammation, and direct crossing of the blood-brain barrier. Epidemiological data link anthocyanin intake to reduced Alzheimer's risk.
Cherry, particularly tart (sour) cherry, has the strongest food-based evidence for gout management. A systematic review of six studies found cherry/cherry juice consistently reduced gout incidence and severity. A large case-crossover study (n=633 gout patients) found cherry intake over 2 days was associated with a 35% lower risk of gout attack, and cherry extract use lowered risk by 45%.
Tart cherries demonstrate effects on multiple aging-related biomarkers: reducing systemic inflammation (CRP), oxidative stress (MDA, OGG1 DNA repair enhancement), LDL cholesterol, and systolic blood pressure in older adult RCTs. These combined effects support a role in healthy aging.
Tart cherry has been studied for several cardiovascular risk factors in human RCTs, with evidence for modest reductions in systolic blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, and CRP in older adults. Meta-analyses show inconsistent pooled effects, and no large trials have used hard cardiovascular endpoints.
Multiple RCTs and pilot studies demonstrate that tart cherry juice improves insomnia-related outcomes in older adults, reducing sleep onset latency, increasing total sleep time, and improving sleep efficiency. A 2025 systematic review identified six clinical studies showing improvements in sleep quality and melatonin-related indices.
Two RCTs show improvements in memory and cognitive performance in older adults consuming Montmorency tart cherry juice over 12 weeks. Proposed mechanisms include polyphenol-mediated reduction in blood pressure and oxidative stress, improving cerebral blood flow. Evidence is promising but based on small studies requiring replication.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of multiple RCTs found that tart cherry supplementation produced a small but significant reduction in muscle soreness (ES = β0.44) and a moderate beneficial effect on recovery of muscular strength after intense exercise. Seven of 14 RCTs reported significantly greater maximum voluntary contraction force recovery versus placebo.
Multiple RCTs demonstrate that tart cherry reduces delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) following intense exercise. Studies in runners and resistance-trained individuals show significantly lower pain scores versus placebo. A 2021 meta-analysis confirmed a small but significant effect size for soreness reduction.
The 2020 Gao and Chilibeck meta-analysis of 10 RCTs found tart cherry concentrate significantly improved endurance exercise performance, with proposed mechanisms including anti-inflammatory effects, reduced oxidative stress, and enhanced blood flow. Effects were strongest in trained endurance athletes.
Human RCTs consistently show that tart cherry juice improves objective and subjective sleep quality, increases urinary melatonin metabolites, and enhances sleep efficiency. Evidence spans healthy adults, older insomniacs, and athletes. Effects are attributed to melatonin content, tryptophan availability, and anti-inflammatory anthocyanins.
Body systems that Cherry may help support.
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