Melatonin
Not a sleeping pill — a clock signal. Used correctly it shifts your circadian timing; used like a sedative it mostly disappoints.
0.5-5 mg; 0.5-1 mg is often as effective as more
B Good human evidenceSleep
Performance · Sleep
Tart Cherry
Also known as: montmorency cherry, tart cherry juice, sour cherry
A recovery aid with a real anti-inflammatory effect — which is exactly why you should not take it every day.
Grade CMixed or limited evidence
Studied dose30 ml concentrate twice daily, or the equivalent juice serving used by the product or trial
TimingStart 4-5 days before a competition or …
EvidenceGrade C
CategoryPerformance
Repeated small RCTs show reduced muscle soreness and faster strength recovery after damaging exercise, plus modest sleep improvements. Trials are small and often industry-supported.
Tart cherry occupies an unusual place in sports nutrition: the evidence is decent, and the correct advice is still to use it sparingly. Both halves of that sentence matter.
The evidence first. Across a series of small controlled trials — marathoners, cyclists, resistance-trained lifters — montmorency cherry concentrate consistently reduced muscle soreness and sped the return of strength after genuinely damaging exercise. Inflammatory and oxidative markers moved in the same direction. The trials are small and a fair share were supported by the cherry industry, which argues for caution rather than dismissal, since the direction of effect has been reproduced by independent groups.
The sleep finding is a separate, smaller literature. Tart cherries contain melatonin and tryptophan in modest amounts, and trials have reported longer sleep time and better efficiency — improvements measured in tens of minutes, not transformation.
Now the reason to be sparing. The post-exercise inflammatory and oxidative signal is not damage to be suppressed; it is the message that triggers adaptation. Blunt it every day and you risk blunting the training response along with the soreness — a pattern demonstrated most clearly with high-dose antioxidant vitamins, where chronic supplementation measurably reduced training adaptations. The same logic almost certainly applies here.
So the sensible protocol is tactical. Use it around competitions, tournaments, and congested fixture periods, where recovering fast matters more than adapting maximally: start four or five days out, continue for two or three days after. During a normal training block, when the entire point is to adapt to the stress, skip it and let the inflammation do its job.
Practically, concentrate is far more economical than juice — 30 ml twice daily replaces half a litre of drinking. Watch the sugar load if you are using juice in volume, and note that whole tart cherries deliver the same anthocyanins with fibre attached.
How it works
Tart cherries are dense in anthocyanins, polyphenols that dampen inflammatory signalling and oxidative stress after muscle-damaging exercise. They also contain small quantities of melatonin and tryptophan, the likely basis for the sleep findings.
What the evidence supports
- Reduces muscle soreness after damaging exercise repeated small RCTs, several industry-supportedC
- Speeds strength recovery after hard efforts clearest after marathons and eccentric-heavy sessionsC
- Improves sleep duration and efficiency gains measured in tens of minutesC
- Lowers uric acid and gout flare frequency observational and small trial evidenceC
Safety
Food, and safe as such. The realistic issue is sugar volume if you drink juice rather than concentrate. Because it suppresses exercise-induced inflammation, daily year-round use may interfere with training adaptation — a theoretical harm with good mechanistic support.
Reported side effects
- GI upset from juice volume
- Meaningful sugar intake if using juice rather than concentrate
Interactions
- May add to the effect of melatonin supplements taken at the same time.
- Chronic daily use may blunt exercise adaptations, by the same mechanism as high-dose antioxidant vitamins.
This guide is educational, not medical advice. Talk to a physician or pharmacist before starting any supplement, especially alongside prescription medication or a medical condition.
Common questions
- What does Tart Cherry do?
- A recovery aid with a real anti-inflammatory effect — which is exactly why you should not take it every day.
- Does Tart Cherry actually work?
- Mixed or limited evidence (grade C). Repeated small RCTs show reduced muscle soreness and faster strength recovery after damaging exercise, plus modest sleep improvements. Trials are small and often industry-supported.
- How much Tart Cherry should I take?
- The studied range is 30 ml concentrate twice daily, or the equivalent juice serving used by the product or trial, twice daily during the event window, typically starting 4-5 days before and ending 2-3 days after. Start at the low end — more is not better once the effective range is covered.
- When should I take Tart Cherry?
- Start 4-5 days before a competition or hard block and continue 2-3 days after, typically 7-8 days total. For sleep, take the evening dose 1-2 hours before bed; do not assume the sports-recovery protocol applies.
- Is Tart Cherry safe?
- Food, and safe as such. The realistic issue is sugar volume if you drink juice rather than concentrate. Because it suppresses exercise-induced inflammation, daily year-round use may interfere with training adaptation — a theoretical harm with good mechanistic support. The most reported side effects are gI upset from juice volume, meaningful sugar intake if using juice rather than concentrate.
- What should you not mix Tart Cherry with?
- May add to the effect of melatonin supplements taken at the same time. Chronic daily use may blunt exercise adaptations, by the same mechanism as high-dose antioxidant vitamins. Ask a pharmacist or physician before combining it with prescription medication.
References
Evidence review last updated
- Bell, P. G., et al. (2014). "Montmorency cherries reduce the oxidative stress and inflammatory responses to repeated days high-intensity stochastic cycling." Nutrients. Source
- Howatson, G., et al. (2012). "Effect of tart cherry juice (Prunus cerasus) on melatonin levels and enhanced sleep quality." European Journal of Nutrition. Source