In the autumn, a small miracle can be seen in the swamp: bright cranberry berries burn on a green carpet of moss. You will enjoy not only admiring this wonderful berry, but also applying it to food. After all, cranberries are not only tasty, but also very healthy.
The benefits of cranberries are in its rich composition:
- vitamins C, PP and group B;
- organic acids (benzoic, ursolic, quinic, benzoic, citric);
- a large amount of pectin;
- tannins ;
- flavonoids.
Now more about the benefits that cranberries can bring.
Everyone knows that vitamin C helps to strengthen the immune system, has a healing effect on the body with various viral and colds, helping it to resist diseases more actively.
Ursolic acid contained in cranberries can stop the inflammatory process, affect the metabolism of carbohydrates, prevent sclerotic plaques from forming, and have an effect similar to the hormones of the adrenal glands.
The organic acids that make up cranberries have anti-inflammatory, disinfecting and antipyretic effects. Due to their large content, berries are stored for a long time. For example, ursolic and oleanolic are involved in metabolic processes, regulate cholesterol.
With hypertension, you can and should eat cranberries, since the amount of cholesterol in the blood decreases and the walls of the vessels become stronger. Despite the pronounced diuretic effect of cranberries, when it is consumed, potassium is not washed out of the body responsible for the state of the vessels.
Thanks to B vitamins, these berries can be used to influence the nervous system, calming and normalizing its work. Cranberries have a very good effect on the condition of hair and nails. Even for the prevention of cancer, it can be used.
The benefits of cranberries in establishing a digestive process are also obvious. After all, polysaccharides - pectin and cellulose, which are part of it, improve intestinal motility and contribute to the removal of toxins and salts of heavy metals.
The sour taste of these berries perfectly stimulates the appetite, causes salivation and secretion of gastric juice. Therefore, patients with low acidity are recommended to include cranberries in the diet.
The benefits of cranberries and with anemia, although the amount of iron in it is not as great as, say, in the rosehip, but in combination with other useful substances it is absorbed much better.
Cranberry fruit drink benefit
Cranberries can be consumed not only in the form of berries, but also for the preparation of various drinks and desserts. The most famous and useful fruit drink, which has antimicrobial and diuretic properties. The benzoic acid sodium contained in the berries is converted into hippuric acid, which, excreted in the urine, affects microorganisms located in the urinary tract. In addition, this acid is able to enhance the effect of antibiotics used to treat kidneys.
Even in the treatment of urolithiasis, cranberries are used, only under the supervision of a doctor and constant monitoring of changes in urine acidity. After all, even a small number of berries can change the balance in an undesirable direction and cause the loss of salts. Sometimes fruit drinks are used in conjunction with alkaline mineral waters.
Very good fruit juice quenches thirst and is useful at high temperatures.
The benefits of cranberries are also invaluable for replenishing vitamins, for skin diseases and thrombophlebitis. You can make masks and compresses from these berries. Their use will help get rid of ulcers and pimples, will contribute to wound healing.
Cranberries: benefits and harms? A lot has been said about the merits of these berries, but one should also be aware of the cases in which it can be harmful. This is a stomach ulcer, gastritis with high acidity, a duodenal ulcer, gout.