Cranberries are easily grown in colder climates as they require up to 2500 hours of very cold weather. We are all familiar with cranberries and have heard of the great health benefits but very rarely do we hear that to make cranberries effective they should not have sugar in the juice or be coated with sugar when dried or processed. The cranberry itself is very tart, a bit more edible when dried. It is what we do to them that makes them less effective but palatable. It recommended that if you want a dose of this superfood to use the juice, unsweetened and diluted.

Cranberries are full of many essential vitamins like C,E, K , A ,B1,B2, B3, B6 and folate.

They are high in fiber, calcium and proteins as well as iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and zinc.

Cranberries have anticoagulant properties and people who are taking Coumadin(Warfarin) should be used with Caution. If you are allergic to aspirin you should not use cranberries as they have salicylic acid in them and this could trigger a reaction.

Everyone has heard about Cranberries being good for Urinary Tract Infections and they are as long as you catch it early enough, however they do not clear up the infection they just make the mucus membranes of the intestines and bladder slippery so that the infection cannot take hold.

If you have an ongoing UTI there are more effective herbs to use to clear it up. However you can still eat or drink cranberries as they do have pain relieving properties, and they will help your bladder heal. You can even use it with prescription to boost healing. Regular use of cranberries will help with bladder diseases and prevent an infection from reestablishing. Studies show mixed findings on the best way to take cranberries but the latest in 2019 shows that there is not a high enough concentration in commercially available juices of proanthocyanidins to be effective against UTI’s. They found that a cranberry capsule twice a day will help the recurring problem. The most effective was a cranberry extract combined with caprylic acid found in coconut oil and oregano oil extract led to the eradication of the most common cause of UTI,

Escherichia coli.

Testing showed that a regular supplement of cranberries can help regulate the systolic blood pressure, Improves your HDL cholesterol, and can reduce your body mass index. Testing on 78 obese patients showed that a single dose of unsweetened cranberry juice mixed with high concentration of cranberry plant compounds assisted in regulation of blood sugar, reduced inflammation, and boosted the HDL lipoproteins. All of this will help in the overall protection of your heart and can reduce the chances of cardiovascular diseases.

Cranberries juice inhibits haemophilus influenza which is common in children and is usually the cause of respiratory and ear infections. Just like with the bladder the juice makes the mucus membranes slippery and does not give the infection a place to take hold. This effect also helps prevent peptic ulcers caused by Helicobacter pylori the high flavonoid content of cranberries suppresses the infection of the the mucus membranes of the stomach and suppresses the infection and helps heal the ulcers.

The proanthocyanidins that help stop infections are good for your mouth and gums too. They can help prevent gum disease from a strand of bacteria found in your mouth.

Testing on cancer cells with cranberries is limited but small studies done with cancer cells in tubes show results of cancer cell death, limiting the growth of cancer and tumors, and the reduction of inflammation. This was tested on several different types of cancer cells with positive results to stop the spread of many different types of cancer. More testing needs to be done but it would be beneficial to add cranberries to your diet anyway.