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The benefits of tart cherry juice are diverse. It is common to experience an increase in energy and an improvement in mood after drinking it.
Tart cherry juice also helps to reduce inflammation, which can help people who have arthritis or ulcerative colitis. Tart cherries are also a natural source of melatonin, which helps to regulate the body’s sleep cycle.
Many people drink tart cherry juice because they want to improve their health, not just for the taste. The downside is that it can be difficult to drink enough juice each day. Some people have found that they can solve this issue by taking tart cherry capsules instead of drinking the juice itself.
*If you’re interested in a sleep supplement containing melatonin, check out Viit Complete Sleep Aid here.
What is Montmorency Tart Cherry?
In the US, Montmorency Tart Cherries are grown in Michigan and Wisconsin states and is a type of sour cherry.
The Montmorency tree (named after the area close to Paris in France with the same name) bears smaller fruit than other varieties of cherries and has a dark red color that turns into a deep cherry-red when ripe. The Montmorency tree is hardy and resistant to pests and diseases that affect other varieties of cherries making it ideal for commercial farming.
In terms of why Montmorency Tart Cherry has become increasingly popular, it stands out from other types of cherries because it contains more phenolic compounds such as anthocyanins
Tart Cherry Benefits
The antioxidants in tart cherries help to reduce inflammation and relieve pain through a variety of ways. Tart cherries contain more than three times the amount of anthocyanins than other fresh fruits and vegetables.
If you’re looking for a quick answer, Tart cherry benefits include:
- reducing muscle aches
- improving sleep
- reducing weight gain
- protecting against heart disease.
High level of Antioxidants
As we just mentioned, Tart Cherry juice and powder in capsules contain high levels of the antioxidant, anthocyanins.
To put that into perspective, Montmorency Tart Cherries contain more antioxidant power than blueberries and strawberries! In terms of comparing to other cherry types, Montmorency Tart Cherries also have a higher content of anthocyanins than any other type of tart cherry too.
So what do these anthocyanins do? They help to:
- reduce inflammation
- fight bacteria
- reduce blood sugar levels
- provide protection against heart disease.
An interesting bit of backstory is that the Montmorency tart cherry has been used by many cultures since the 16th century. It is native to Eurasia and North America and is now grown throughout the world in temperate climates like Canada, New Zealand,
Tart Cherry Juice & Capsules can improve your sleep
Tart cherry is a fruit that has been used by the Aztecs and Native Americans for centuries and has been proven to enhance sleep quality.
There are many ways to take tart cherries.
You can drink them as juice or blend them into smoothies. You can eat them on their own or you can mix them with other types of food.
One of the most effective ways to consume them is as tablets.
Tart Cherry Juice (and in capsules) is often used as a natural sleep aid.
Tart cherry juice is often marketed as a natural sleep aid. This is because tart cherry is a natural source of melatonin, which is proven to help with sleep.
Some people find that drinking tart cherry juice helps them fall asleep faster or stay asleep longer. Of course, you do get people saying it doesn’t help, so you should always make your own decisions.
Whether or not it works for you may depend on your individual physiology and lifestyle.
Tart cherry juice is a healthier alternative to sleeping pills, especially for people with sleep issues.
Studies have shown that it helps with insomnia, sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, and migraines. And it can be a great alternative to sleeping pills that contain tons of chemicals.
Since tart cherry juice (or in powder form in capsules) is all natural, it’s often known to not cause morning drowsiness.
If you’re interested in tart cherry juice, it is recommended to drink about 16 ounces of tart cherry juice before bedtime. The dosage can be administered several times during the week or just on weekends in order to achieve desired results.
*If you’re interested in a sleep supplement containing melatonin, check out Viit Complete Sleep Aid here.
Tart Cherry Juice & Capsules can help with joint pain too
The anti-inflammatory properties of tart cherries can also be a blessing for people who struggle with joint pain, as is the case with inflammatory conditions like osteoarthritis.
Tart cherries have been used as a folk remedy for various ailments for centuries. Now, research is proving that these little red fruits could be a miracle drug for those who suffer from joint pain.Tart cherries are also rich in anti-inflammatory properties. If you have joint pain, this could be because you suffer from inflammatory conditions like osteoarthritis.
Tart cherry juice or capsules are shown to lower inflammation by reducing inflammatory markers, such as C-reactive protein. It reduced inflammation with people who had inactive Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or ileitis in a variety of studies available to read on PubMed.
Tart Cherry Juice vs Tart Cherry Capsules
*A bottle of our chosen tart cherry capsule supplement, Performance Lab Sleep.
So, you now know the benefits of tart cherry in general. And that it works to deliver a range of benefits in both juice and powder form in capsules.
But which is better?
Well, sour cherries contain high levels of an antioxidant called cyanidin, roughly 33 mg per 100g; the sour cherry powder has a slightly lower amount at around 32 mg per 100g.
So, the difference in capsules could be around 1 gm less cyanidin than in juice form (although, we haven’t tested this). Worst case scenario, you may get slightly less antioxidants in capsule form.
That doesn’t really matter to us though. For the trade off, taking tart cherry capsules is easier for us than drinking tart cherry juice; we like to take capsules just before going to bed and after brushing our teeth. Of course, tart cherry juice contains sugar, which isn’t great for after you’ve brushed your teeth.
Call us lazy, but for us, it’s much easier to pop some pills just before bedtime than drink a sugary juice.
Tart Cherry Juice vs Capsules Summary
We never thought that we’ve be sat in a hostel in Thailand during lockdown writing an article about tart cherry juice and capsules, but here we are. We hope you’ve enjoyed reading this wild ride of an article…
In summary, tart cherry (Montmorency tart cherry) supplements are something we take with us while traveling around the world. It really helps us adjust to new time zones and reset our body clock (since tart cherry contains high amounts of melanin naturally, and melatonin is known to impact your circadian rhythm).
We’ve often had to choose between tart cherry juice vs capsules. And for us, taking supplements in capsule form onto planes is much easier (since there’s no limitation on powder form supplements on a plane, while there are limitations in taking liquid form supplements onto planes).
Not only that, popping some pills is much easier for us than drinking a sugary drink before bedtime. My dentist also approves of this, since he always tells me my teeth are like new every time I get around to seeing him – I’m guessing adding a sugary tart cherry juice in my bedtime routine wouldn’t really keep me in the good books.
So, there you have it. For me, tart cherry capsules beat tart cherry juice every time due to capsules having the same benefits and more (eg. easier taking capsule supplements onto planes, no sugar risking teeth cavities before bed…)
If you’re interested in which natural sleep aid (in capsule form that contains Montmorency tart cherry) I always take with me, read my Performance Lab Sleep Review.
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