Tart Cherry (Montmorency)
Naturally rich in melatonin and anti-inflammatory anthocyanins. Useful for sleep, exercise recovery, and joint pain. Drink it as juice or take an extract.
Strong for sleep (longer total sleep time), exercise recovery (reduced soreness, faster strength recovery), and gout prevention. Effects: days to weeks.
Montmorency tart cherry is one of the few foods with measurable melatonin content alongside potent anti-inflammatory anthocyanins. Multiple RCTs support improved sleep duration and quality, reduced muscle soreness after eccentric exercise, lower uric acid (gout), and modest joint pain reduction. Best evidence at therapeutic doses requires either concentrated juice or extracts — handfuls of fresh cherries don't deliver enough.
- Form
- Tart cherry juice concentrate or standardised extract (CherryPure, CherryStar).
- Dose
- Juice: 30 mL concentrate (diluted) 2x daily, or 8–16 oz daily. Extract: 480–500 mg/day.
- Timing
- Evening for sleep effect. With food. Pre/post workout for recovery.
- Schedule
- Daily.
- Side effects
- Generally very well-tolerated. GI upset at high doses. Sugar content in juice — choose unsweetened.
- Interactions
- Anticoagulants — mild additive. Diabetes medications — watch sugar content of juice forms.
- Contraindications
- Diabetes (juice form). Generally clean.
- Lab markers
- Uric acid if used for gout.
- Food sources
- Fresh or frozen tart cherries (smaller dose). Concentrate is more practical for therapeutic use.
Pairs with
Magnesium, glycine, L-theanine, apigenin (sleep stack). Curcumin, omega-3 for recovery.
within Herbs & botanicals