Description
Tart cherry extract 1500mg per serving, from Montmorency cherries, with the anthocyanin content stated rather than implied. Montmorency is a specific cultivar of Prunus cerasus, and almost all of the published work on tart cherry used it. A tart cherry extract 1500mg serving means very little on its own, which is why the anthocyanin figure sits next to it on the panel.
On the panel
| Fruit | Montmorency tart cherry, Prunus cerasus |
|---|---|
| Amount | tart cherry extract 1500mg per serving |
| Marker | anthocyanin content in milligrams, assayed per lot |
| Not | a juice powder sold by fruit weight |
| Form | capsule, so no 60 mL of concentrate to measure |
| Price basis | per milligram of anthocyanin, under the price |
| Testing | identity, marker assay and contaminants every lot |
Why the anthocyanin figure decides what tart cherry extract 1500mg is worth
Anthocyanins are the compounds the research tracks, and their content in a cherry extract varies with cultivar, harvest, processing temperature and how much of the fruit solid ended up in the powder. Two bottles can both say 1,500 mg and differ several fold in the measured marker.
Without the assay you are buying dried fruit by weight. With it, you can divide price by milligrams of anthocyanin and compare honestly against a bottle of concentrate, which is the method described in why price per milligram beats the price on the bottle.
The literature used juice, not capsules
This is the part worth knowing before purchase. The exercise studies mostly gave 30 mL of tart cherry concentrate twice a day, or 8 to 12 ounces of juice twice a day, supplying roughly 90 to 120 mg of anthocyanins, for four to seven days around a bout of exercise. Endpoints were muscle soreness scales, creatine kinase, isometric strength recovery and inflammatory markers, mostly in runners and cyclists.
The sleep studies used similar juice volumes and measured actigraphy, sleep diaries and urinary melatonin metabolites. Those are the doses administered and the instruments read in the published work, and they describe juice protocols rather than this capsule. Matching the two requires the anthocyanin number, which is exactly why it is printed.
Montmorency, and why the cultivar is named
Sweet cherries and tart cherries are different species with different anthocyanin profiles, and within the tart cherries Montmorency is the cultivar the research used almost exclusively. Balaton is the other commercial tart cultivar and it measures differently.
So a tart cherry extract 1500mg label that names only cherry has left out the detail that connects it to the literature. This one names the cultivar, the species and the measured marker, which is three figures more than a fruit powder sold on colour. The tart cherry extract 1500mg serving is then comparable to a juice protocol by anthocyanin content.
Capsules against concentrate
Concentrate is cheaper per milligram of anthocyanin and means measuring a sticky syrup twice a day. Capsules cost more and remove the measuring. Neither is stronger. The format changes the convenience and the price per unit, nothing else, and both are priced per marker milligram on the performance page.
Sugar, or the absence of it
A tart cherry extract 1500mg capsule carries no meaningful sugar, where 60 mL of concentrate twice daily carries a noticeable amount. For anyone counting carbohydrate that is the practical argument for the capsule format, and it is an arithmetic one rather than a performance one.
Testing
An independent laboratory confirms fruit identity, measures the anthocyanin marker and screens heavy metals, pesticides and microbials on every lot. Lots under their stated marker figure are withdrawn from sale and the failing certificate stays public, because a result that is only published when it flatters the batch is not a result at all.
Reference reading
The NIH fact sheet on supplements for exercise and athletic performance covers tart cherry among many others and names the doses studied. The night time formulas are on the sleep and calm page, and your lot certificate is linked above. Most of the published work used juice or concentrate rather than capsules, so matching a tart cherry extract 1500mg serving against a trial means reading the anthocyanin figure rather than the fruit weight.
Marcus T. (verified owner) –
Third time reordering. Consistent batch to batch, which is the whole point.
Victor N. (verified owner) –
Fine, but I did not notice much difference at this dose.
Owen D. (verified owner) –
Solid. Slightly gritty when mixed but dissolves if you wait.
Priya S. (verified owner) –
Arrived in two days, sealed, with the batch number matching the certificate.
Owen D. (verified owner) –
The price per milligram made the comparison obvious. Switched from a pricier brand.
Owen D. (verified owner) –
Works well. I would prefer it unflavoured but that is a personal thing.
Nina P. (verified owner) –
Solid. Slightly gritty when mixed but dissolves if you wait.
Dana R. (verified owner) –
The price per milligram made the comparison obvious. Switched from a pricier brand.
Ben C. (verified owner) –
Third time reordering. Consistent batch to batch, which is the whole point.
Owen D. (verified owner) –
Better value than the one I was buying before, and the testing is published.
Tom B. (verified owner) –
Exactly what the label says. I checked the lab sheet before I ordered.
Ben C. (verified owner) –
Exactly what the label says. I checked the lab sheet before I ordered.
Dana R. (verified owner) –
Solid. Slightly gritty when mixed but dissolves if you wait.
Ben C. (verified owner) –
Fine, but I did not notice much difference at this dose.
Lena K. (verified owner) –
The price per milligram made the comparison obvious. Switched from a pricier brand.
Victor N. (verified owner) –
Better value than the one I was buying before, and the testing is published.
Marcus T. (verified owner) –
Third time reordering. Consistent batch to batch, which is the whole point.
Yara H. (verified owner) –
Third time reordering. Consistent batch to batch, which is the whole point.
Elena V. (verified owner) –
Exactly what the label says. I checked the lab sheet before I ordered.
Grace O. (verified owner) –
Exactly what the label says. I checked the lab sheet before I ordered.
Kyle S. (verified owner) –
Arrived in two days, sealed, with the batch number matching the certificate.
Victor N. (verified owner) –
Better value than the one I was buying before, and the testing is published.
Aisha M. (verified owner) –
Solid. Slightly gritty when mixed but dissolves if you wait.
Elena V. (verified owner) –
Better value than the one I was buying before, and the testing is published.