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At a Glance
- What it may do Lower CRP, a blood marker of inflammation. In the largest knee osteoarthritis trial, pain scores improved, but not significantly more than with a placebo drink.
- Dose used in studies 8–10.5 oz (240–310 mL) of tart cherry juice twice a day for 3–6 weeks.
- Who it was tested in Adults with mild to moderate osteoarthritis, mostly of the knee. There are no published trials in rheumatoid arthritis.
- What it can’t do Replace pain medicine, physical therapy or gout treatment.
- Best capsule for most people Zazzee USDA Organic Tart Cherry – 300 mg of organic 10:1 extract in one capsule.
The Short Answer: Tart cherry may modestly ease joint pain from osteoarthritis, but the evidence is weaker than many articles suggest. In a 6-week trial of 58 people with knee osteoarthritis, pain and function scores improved while drinking tart cherry juice, yet the improvement wasn’t significantly greater than with placebo1. CRP, a marker of inflammation, did fall1.
On this page
All joint trials so far used juice, not capsules. If you want to try tart cherry, give it at least 6 weeks and keep the treatments your doctor recommends.
Looking for a product? Our comparison of the best tart cherry supplements checks 8 capsules and powders for extract dose, Montmorency sourcing and additives.
Every Tart Cherry Joint Trial at a Glance
These are the human studies of tart cherry in people with joint pain. All were small and short, and at least two of the three were funded by the cherry industry14.
| Study | Who took part | What they took | How long | Pain result | Inflammation result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schumacher 20131 | 58 adults with knee osteoarthritis | Two 8 oz bottles of tart cherry juice blend a day | 6 weeks (crossover) | WOMAC improved, but not significantly more than placebo | hsCRP fell vs. placebo |
| Kuehl 20122 | 20 women aged 40–70 with inflammatory osteoarthritis | 10.5 oz tart cherry juice twice a day | 21 days | Not reported in the abstract | CRP lower; IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-α unchanged3 |
| Conference abstract, 20194 | 66 adults with self-reported knee osteoarthritis | 16 oz tart cherry juice a day | 4 months | Pain improved at the midpoint, but the gain wasn’t sustained to the end | A cartilage breakdown marker (YKL-40) decreased |
The 2019 study has only been published as a short conference abstract, so its methods can’t be fully checked4.
Pain vs. Inflammation: Why the Results Differ
Tart cherry is often described as “anti-inflammatory,” and the CRP results support that in a narrow sense. But a lower blood marker doesn’t always mean less pain.
In the 6-week knee trial, people improved on both drinks. WOMAC scores dropped significantly on tart cherry and didn’t change significantly on placebo, but the gap between the two wasn’t large enough to rule out chance1. Walking time and the amount of acetaminophen people used didn’t change with either drink1.
So the honest summary is this: tart cherry may help some people a little, and the people whose inflammation falls the most may notice it most1. It hasn’t been shown to work like a pain reliever.
How Much Tart Cherry Was Used for Joints
The joint trials used more tart cherry than most people take as a supplement:
- Schumacher 2013: two 8 oz bottles of a tart cherry and apple juice blend a day, one in the morning and one in the evening, for 6 weeks1.
- Kuehl 2012: a 10.5 oz bottle of tart cherry juice twice a day for 21 days2.
- 2019 abstract: 16 oz of tart cherry juice a day for 4 months4.
None of these studies tested capsules, so it isn’t known whether a 300–1,000 mg extract matches the juice doses. Our guide to how much tart cherry extract to take daily compares common capsule doses with research doses, and tart cherry juice vs. capsules explains the trade-offs.
For timing, take it at the same time every day. The knee trial split it between morning and evening1, and our guide to the best time to take tart cherry covers this in more detail.
Our Top Tart Cherry Pick
Zazzee USDA Organic Tart Cherry
300 mg per capsule1 capsule a dayUSDA Organic
If you’d rather not drink two cups of juice a day, this is the simplest option. Each capsule gives 300 mg of organic 10:1 extract with no sweeteners, and it ranked #1 (BFN Score 9.6) in our guide to the best tart cherry supplements. Keep in mind that the joint trials used juice, and no capsule has been tested for osteoarthritis.
Juice or Capsules for Joint Pain?
Juice matches the studies but adds sugar. One cup of tart cherry juice from concentrate has about 25 g of natural sugar5, and the trials used about two cups a day. That matters if you’re managing blood sugar or your weight, both of which affect joint pain.
Capsules have little or no sugar and are easier to take every day, but they haven’t been tested in osteoarthritis. If you choose a capsule, pick one with a clear extract dose and give it at least 6 weeks, the length of the longest controlled trial1.
What About Gout and Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Gout is a different condition, caused by uric acid crystals in the joints. In people with gout, tart cherry concentrate taken twice a day for 28 days didn’t lower uric acid at any dose6. Read tart cherry and uric acid for the full evidence, or compare options in our guide to uric acid supplements.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease. We didn’t find any published randomized trial of tart cherry in people with rheumatoid arthritis, so there’s no evidence it helps. If you have rheumatoid arthritis, ask your rheumatologist before adding any supplement.
Where Tart Cherry Fits in an Osteoarthritis Plan
The 2019 guideline from the American College of Rheumatology and the Arthritis Foundation strongly recommends exercise and self-management programs for osteoarthritis of the hand, hip and knee7. For hip and knee osteoarthritis, it also strongly recommends weight loss when needed and tai chi, and for knee osteoarthritis, NSAID gels and creams applied to the skin7.
The same guideline strongly recommends against fish oil, vitamin D and glucosamine for osteoarthritis7. It doesn’t make a recommendation on tart cherry.
If you want to try tart cherry, treat it as an add-on to these approaches, not a replacement.
Safety
Tart cherry juice was generally well tolerated in the joint trials. In the 6-week knee trial, about as many people stopped because of side effects on tart cherry as on placebo (4 vs. 3)1.
Keep these points in mind:
- Sugar: about 25 g per cup of juice5, which matters if you have diabetes.
- Medicines: check with your doctor if you take blood thinners, blood pressure medicine or gout medicine.
- Stomach upset: if juice doesn’t agree with you, taking it with food or switching to a capsule are simple things to try.
Our guide to tart cherry extract side effects covers who should be careful and why.
Final Verdict
Tart cherry may modestly help osteoarthritis joint pain, but the evidence is limited. The largest trial found lower CRP and better pain scores while drinking tart cherry juice, yet the pain improvement wasn’t significantly greater than with placebo. All studies were small, short and used juice, not capsules.
If you want to try it, use it for at least 6 weeks alongside exercise and the treatments your doctor recommends. If you’d rather take a capsule than drink two cups of juice a day, Zazzee USDA Organic Tart Cherry gives 300 mg of organic extract in one capsule. Compare all 8 picks in the best tart cherry supplements.
Important: This guide is for general information and isn’t medical advice. Talk to your doctor before using tart cherry for joint pain, especially if you have diagnosed arthritis, gout or diabetes, or take prescription medicines.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does tart cherry juice really help with joint pain?
How much tart cherry juice should I drink for joint pain?
Do tart cherry capsules work for arthritis?
Can tart cherry replace NSAIDs for arthritis?
No. Tart cherry hasn’t been shown to work like a pain reliever, and in the knee trial people used about the same amount of acetaminophen on tart cherry as on placebo1. Don’t stop prescribed treatment without talking to your doctor.
How long does tart cherry take to work for joints?
Is tart cherry good for rheumatoid arthritis?
There’s no evidence it is. We didn’t find any published randomized trial in rheumatoid arthritis. Ask your rheumatologist before adding any supplement.
Is tart cherry safe to take every day for joint pain?
Sources & History
References
- Randomized Double-Blind Crossover Study of the Efficacy of a Tart Cherry Juice Blend in Treatment of Osteoarthritis of the Knee — Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, 2013
- Efficacy of Tart Cherry Juice to Reduce Inflammation Biomarkers among Women with Inflammatory Osteoarthritis — Journal of Food Studies, 2012
- Tart Cherry in Amelioration of Pain in the Elderly — Nutrition and Aging, 2016
- Impact of Tart Cherry Juice on Joint Flexibility and Pain in Individuals with Self-Reported Knee Osteoarthritis (conference abstract) — Current Developments in Nutrition, 2019
- Juice, Tart Cherry, from Concentrate, Shelf-Stable (FDC ID 2727589) — USDA FoodData Central
- Lack of Effect of Tart Cherry Concentrate Dose on Serum Urate in People with Gout — Rheumatology, 2020
- 2019 American College of Rheumatology/Arthritis Foundation Guideline for the Management of Osteoarthritis of the Hand, Hip, and Knee — Arthritis Care & Research, 2020
Update history
- Rewrote with the full results of each tart cherry joint trial, including that the main knee trial’s pain improvement wasn’t significantly better than placebo; added a trial table, dose details, the 2019 ACR/Arthritis Foundation guideline and a note on rheumatoid arthritis; removed a bone study that didn’t measure joints and found no change in inflammation, and other claims we couldn’t verify. September 10, 2026 – Previous version.
