Tart Cherry
Prunus cerasus
A sour cherry whose juice and concentrate are popular with athletes. Reviews found it modestly helps exercise recovery and endurance.
Safety at a glance
- PregnancyNothing recorded
- BreastfeedingNothing recorded
- MedicinesNothing recorded
- Who should avoid itNothing recorded
- AllergiesNothing recorded
- ToxicityNothing recorded
Tap a box to read the safety notes below. “Nothing recorded” means our sources don't cover it, not that it's safe.
What is Tart Cherry?
- Plant family
- Rosaceae, the rose family
- Parts used
- The fruit, usually as juice or concentrate
- Genus
- Prunus
- Species
- cerasus
Also called
Sour Cherry
Traditionally used for
- Exercise recovery
- Endurance performance
Traditionally described as
- Juice or powdered concentrate
How it's prepared
Common ways Tart Cherry is prepared or sold. This isn't advice on how to take it; see Safety below.
- Culinary Preparation
In studies, it was taken as tart cherry juice or concentrate.[1]Review or trial
- Powder
Powdered tart cherry concentrate is also used.[1]Review or trial
What does the research say?
Research in people
A 2021 review of 14 studies found tart cherry supplements helped recovery after hard exercise: they slightly reduced muscle soreness and helped muscle strength and power come back faster. They also slightly lowered two markers of inflammation.[2]Review or trial
Technical detail: soreness ES −0.44; strength ES −0.78; power ES −0.53; CRP ES −0.46; IL-6 ES −0.35; no effect on creatine kinase or TNF-α.
A 2020 review of 10 studies in 147 healthy people found tart cherry juice or powder, taken from 7 days to 1.5 hours before exercise, modestly improved endurance performance.[1]Review or trial
Technical detail: SMD 0.36 (95% CI 0.07 to 0.64); I² = 0%.
In short
No safety studies found.
Sources
- [1] Effect of Tart Cherry Concentrate on Endurance Exercise Performance: A Meta-analysis · DOI: 10.1080/07315724.2020.1713246Review or clinical trial
- [2] Tart Cherry Supplementation and Recovery From Strenuous Exercise: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis · DOI: 10.1123/ijsnem.2020-0145Review or clinical trial
This information is educational and traditional in nature, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Unfamiliar word? See what these words mean.