|
Cranberry
Cranberry is an evergreen shrub, native to North America that is also known
by its botanical name, Vaccinium macrocarpon. A popular juice drink, cranberry
has been used as an alternative herbal medical treatement since the 17th century.
Whereas in early American medicine where cranberry was crushed and then applied
to tumors and wounds, the most effective contemporary medicinal use of cranberry
is as a treatment for recurring urinary tract infections.
The cranberry is native to North America where it is one of the three North
American native fruits that are commercially grown (the other two are blueberry
and Concord grape). A low-growing shrub of the heath family, the cranberry is
botanically related to blackberry, buckberry, huckleberry, cowberry, and bilberry.
Cranberries grow in bogs and the cranberry bush has upright branches with leathery
leaves that are speckled on its underside by tiny dots. Cranberry produces pink
flowers and red-black fruits that appear during June and July. Although it was
first used by Native Americans, cranberry’s name derives from an early name
the Pilgrims gave the fruit, ‘craneberry.’ It was called craneberry due to the
resemblance of the small, pink flower blossoms of the cranberry to the head
and bill of a Sandhill crane. Currently, cranberry is grown and produced commercially,
mainly in the American states of Massachusetts and Wisconsin. The ripe fruit
of cranberry contains its medicinal properties.
Cranberries were first used by Native Americans as a general healing agent.
Early North American settlers began to incorporate cranberries into their folk
medicine as a treatment to urinary infections. Additionally, cranberries were
crushed and then applied to tumors and poulticed on wounds. However, the antibacterial
properties of cranberries have yet to be confirmed in contemporary medical studies.
Cranberries were also used by early North American settlers as: a treatment
to scurvy and dysentery; a preventative against kidney stones and ‘bladder gravel’;
and as a way to purify the blood by removing toxins. As cranberries contain
a high concentration of Vitamin C, it should be considered effective in the
treatment of scurvy and also a fruit that generally improves one’s overall health.
However, cranberries biggest health benefit is in its use as a preventative
against urinary tract infections. Although early beliefs in the effects of cranberry
as a urinary antiseptic have been inconclusive, recent research has shown that
cranberry prevents the adhesion of E. coli bacteria to the linings of the wall
of the bladder and the gut. As E. coli is the most common cause of urinary tract
infections, this effect that cranberry has within an individual’s body is its
main medicinal action.
Cranberries are available in a number of forms that includes: juice, fresh
berries, frozen berries, concentrate, dried capsules, and tablets. The recommended
dosage of cranberry in pediatric use is 16 ounces of pure cranberry juice per
day for a child of 50 pounds. In adults, the recommended dosage of a cranberry
juice that contains one-third pure juice is at least 3 fluid ounces per day.
If used in a dried capsule, the recommended dosage is 6 capsules per day. If
taken in a fresh or frozen berry form, the recommended dosage is 1½ ounces per
day. Although cranberry is not associated with any significant side effects,
it is important to remember that its use is not meant as a substitute to prescribed
antibiotics or other medications. Additionally, if more than 4 liters of cranberry
is ingested, it may cause mild side effects such as diarrhea.
|
