Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon)

Cranberry is a member of the same family as bilberry and is native to North America. The medicinal part of cranberry is the juice obtained from ripe berries. Cranberry has been used to  prevent kidney stones as well as to remove toxins from the blood. The plant has long been recommended for people with recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs).

ROLE FOR ANTI-AGING:

The pro-anthocyanidins present in cranberry prevent E. coli, the most common cause of UTIs and recurrent UTIs, from adhering to the cells lining the wall of the bladder and urinary tract. The berries have also been shown to reduce bacteria levels in the urinary bladder, an action which may help to prevent future infections. A study carried out in 2000 by Wang and Jiao revealed that cranberry Cranberry juice is an effective scavenger of free radicals; therefore, the plant has antioxidant properties. Cranberry is also rich in flavonoids, citric and other acids and vitamin C; exactly which compounds are most active in promoting good urinary tract health (and delivering cranberry’s other health benefits) is still being determined. Patients taking the protein pump inhibitors Lansoprazole and Omeprazole may benefit from cranberry extracts as the plant has been shown to increase the absorption of vitamin B12.

Most tablets and capsules contain dried, unsweetened juice powder or concentrated extract. An average dose is 500 to 1,000mg per day. Unsweetened cranberry juice (available in some health foods stores) is the most potent cranberry drink, but many people find it difficult to get down; sweetened drinks are more palatable. "Cranberry juice drinks" typically contain 10  to 20% juice; "cranberry juice cocktails" typically have 25 to 35% real juice. Some observers have wondered whether these products were too diluted or sugar-laden to have any  therapeutic effects but a number of recent studies have found that they can be quite beneficial. For instance, a 1994 study found that 10 ounces per day of commercially available cranberry juice cocktail was almost twice as effective as a placebo in reducing bacteria in urine. When buying the "juice drinks," one will have to drink roughly twice the amount, 20 ounces a day.

Ingestion of large amounts (more than 3-4 liters per day) often results in diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms. Therefore, large doses of cranberry should be avoided if one is  aking drugs for urinary or kidney problems, or are pregnant or breast-feeding. People taking drugs that affect the kidneys or the urinary tract should consult their doctor before taking supplementary cranberry.