Tart Cherry for Insomnia
Verdict: Published with Warning
Across 3 PubMed studies, the evidence for Tart Cherry in Insomnia grades Tier C — weak evidence. Effective, but with safety or population caveats.
C 🟠 C Weak Evidence Published with Warning
Why this grade7-layer evidence engine
⚖️
Scoring transparency
All scores computed by a 7-layer evidence engine — fully auditableRaw score 0.60
D
C
B
A
S
← counter-evidence / ineffectiveeffective / strong evidence →
Final grade
C · Published with Warning
Confidence
80%
Highly consistent evidence
Evidence level
E3
Single high-quality meta-analysis
▸View the full decision path (audit trail)
- compute_raw_score — 加權公式: L2×0.30 + L3×0.25 + L5×0.25 + L11×0.10 + L1×0.10 = 0.602
- tier_from_score — 依分數區間映射至 tier letter
- apply_hec_rules — 高品質 SR/MA 顯示 positive (1 篇 > 0 negative)
- tier_strict_requirement_check — Tier 條件達標，未降階
- detect_disputes — 偵測到 0 個 hard + 0 個 soft dispute
- decide_status — 依 tier + dispute 結果決定 status
PubMed studies (3)L2 · primary research & systematic reviews
Effects of a tart cherry juice beverage on the sleep of older adults with insomnia: a pilot study
Finding: Tart cherry juice produced significant reductions in insomnia severity and in minutes awake after sleep onset versus placebo; no significant improvement versus placebo for sleep latency, total sleep time, or sleep efficiency. Effect sizes were moderate-to-negligible, comparable to valerian and some melatonin studies but considerably smaller than hypnotics or CBT-I.
View on PubMed Pilot Study of the Tart Cherry Juice for the Treatment of Insomnia and Investigation of Mechanisms
Finding: In 8 insomniac completers older than 50, tart cherry juice increased polysomnographic sleep time by 84 minutes (p=0.0182) and improved sleep efficiency on PSQI (p=0.03). Serum kynurenine-to-tryptophan ratio and prostaglandin E2 both decreased (p<0.05). In vitro, cherry procyanidin B-2 inhibited IDO, proposed to raise tryptophan availability and lower inflammation.
View on PubMed The Effect of Tart Cherry on Sleep Quality and Sleep Disorders: A Systematic Review
Finding: Six clinical studies were reviewed (Cochrane RoB 2: 5 fair, 1 good quality). Five of six reported improvements, including increased total sleep time (22-84 minutes), improved sleep efficiency, reduced sleep onset latency, and significant reductions in Insomnia Severity Index. Three studies showed elevated urinary melatonin metabolites; one found no change. Authors conclude the available evidence is still limited and heterogeneous.
View on PubMed Regulatory & authoritative positionsL4/L5 · FDA / EMA / NIH ODS / Cochrane / Mayo …
L4a US FDA
Cautious
articles intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in man... are drugs source↗
L4b EU EFSA
Against
L4d TW TFDA / 衛福部
Neutral
L5a NIH Office of Dietary Supplements
Cautious
L5c Cleveland Clinic
Neutral
L5d Harvard Health
Supportive
L5e Specialty Society (condition-mapped)
Not addressed