Tart cherry is the sour Montmorency cherry (Prunus cerasus), sold as juice, concentrate and capsules of dried cherry skin powder. Athletes use it to recover faster from hard exercise because it contains anthocyanins and other plant compounds thought to reduce inflammation.
Also known as: tart cherry juice, Montmorency cherry, sour cherry, Prunus cerasus.
Tart cherry has no intake value or upper limit. Studies ODS describes used 472 mL a day of juice (about 100 to 120 whole cherries) or 480 mg a day of freeze-dried cherry skin powder, usually for about a week before and 2 days after hard exercise. These are study protocols, not a recommendation.
It is sold in the US as a dietary supplement. Under the 1994 dietary supplement law (DSHEA), FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are marketed, and the maker, not FDA, is responsible for safety and labeling. ODS notes that juice and concentrate labels usually do not say they are dietary supplements, while capsules of tart cherry powder do.
ODS says the limited research, mostly short studies in young resistance-trained men, suggests faster strength recovery and less soreness, with varying results, and that there is no expert consensus on using tart cherry to improve performance. A 2021 meta-analysis of 14 studies (Hill) found a small effect on muscle soreness and a moderate effect on recovery of strength and power, with no effect on creatine kinase.
Safety, per ODS: studies have not found side effects from tart cherry juice, concentrate or dried skin powder, but they have not adequately assessed the safety of tart cherry supplements.
We could not find a single published half-life or time to peak for tart cherry that applies to a supplement dose, so we do not list one.
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