Tart Cherry

What is tart cherry?

Tart cherry, also called sour or Montmorency cherry (Prunus cerasus), is a cherry variety used for juice, concentrate and powdered extracts. It contains small amounts of melatonin along with polyphenols such as anthocyanins, which gives it a place in many sleep formulas.

What the research says

Most sleep research on tart cherry has used juice or juice concentrate rather than capsules or extracts. In a pilot crossover trial of 15 older adults with chronic insomnia, a tart cherry juice blend reduced time awake after falling asleep compared with placebo, but did not improve time to fall asleep, total sleep time or sleep efficiency. The authors described the effects as modest (Pigeon et al., J Med Food).

In a small study of 20 healthy adults, seven days of tart cherry juice concentrate raised urinary melatonin and was linked to increases in total sleep time and sleep efficiency measured by wrist actigraphy (Howatson et al., Eur J Nutr).

A 2025 systematic review identified seven intervention studies. Three reported improvements in sleep measures and three reported higher melatonin levels, but doses, durations and study groups varied widely, and the authors called the evidence limited and heterogeneous (Food Sci Nutr).

Researchers have offered two explanations for these findings. Tart cherries contain some melatonin, and the 2012 study found higher melatonin metabolites in urine after the concentrate. Tart cherries also supply polyphenols such as anthocyanins that may affect inflammation and the body’s processing of tryptophan. Neither explanation has been confirmed, and the amount of melatonin in a serving of juice is far smaller than a typical melatonin supplement. Studies were also short, usually one to two weeks, so longer-term effects are unknown.

How it’s used in supplements

Tart cherry is sold as juice, concentrate, powder and capsules, and it appears in blended sleep and recovery products. The juice studies used about two servings a day of juice or concentrate, so the results do not automatically apply to a small amount of extract in a blend with no listed dose.

Tart cherry is generally well tolerated as a food. Juice adds sugar and calories, which matters for people managing blood sugar. Large amounts can cause stomach upset or loose stools. It contains natural salicylates, which may matter for people sensitive to aspirin. Little is known about concentrated extracts in pregnancy, so talk to your doctor before using supplements if you are pregnant, take blood thinners or have a chronic health condition.