Cranberry (5-7% Anthocyanin)

History and Uses:
Cranberry is native to North America, and for hundreds of years, Cranberries have been used to promote urinary tract health. Two species of Cranberry, Vaccinium macrocarpon and Vaccinium oxycoccus, may be used interchangeably in herbal medicine. They contain substances which alter the bacteria population in urine, and these substances seem to make harmful bacteria less likely to cling to the surface of cells in the urinary tract. Cranberry appears to inhibit the adhesion of bacteria (often E. coli) to the urinary tract, perhaps due to a polymer contained in the plant, and this action allows the harmful bacteria to be eliminated. The benzoic acid content in the berries works as a natural preservative. Cranberry is believed to be effective in inhibiting the formation of kidney stones and "bladder gravel," as well as to removing toxins from the blood. Cranberry has long been recommended for persons with recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs), and is thought to not only prevent urinary tract infections, but also to eliminate odors associated with incontinence. Other suggested benefits for the use of Cranberry are to reduce inflammation and pain and to help improve digestion. A daily dose of Cranberry typically contains as much anthocyanidins as 100 mg of Grape Seed extract, with 50 mgs. of magnesium (12% of the U.S. RDA for magnesium) and 12.8 mgs. of potassium. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 153 elderly women (mean age, 78.5 years) investigated the effectiveness of consuming 300 ml. per day of a standard Cranberry beverage on bacteriuria and pyuria. It found that in one month, among women who had the infection and were on Cranberry beverage, their odds of having the infection in the next month were only 27% of the odds in the control group. The experimental group's odds of having bacteruria with pyuria at all were only 42% of the odds in the control group.