- Chemical composition of berry culture
- Use of fresh and dried berries for children and adults
- Contraindications
- Indications for use
Proponents of a healthy lifestyle do not represent their diet without juicy scarlet cranberries. Adding berries to sauerkraut or pickled cabbage gives it a special crunch, and small children like sweet and sour taste of fruit drinks and compotes. Folk and official medicine actively use cranberries for the treatment of diseases of the genitourinary and cardiovascular system. With the help of freshly squeezed juice, parents strengthen the immunity of children, and older people remove harmful mineral compounds from the joints. Useful properties and contraindications of cranberries directly depend on its chemical composition. Use berries in the treatment of various diseases should be only after consultation with your doctor.
The chemical composition of the berry culture
In 100 grams of cranberries contains about 25 calories. In the berry there is an insignificant amount of proteins, carbohydrates and lipids, but the concentration of biologically active substances is very high. What vitamins in cranberries provide its therapeutic effectiveness:
- nicotinic and ascorbic acid;
- thiamin, riboflavin, pyridoxine, cyanocobalamin;
- vitamin K.
This combination of nutrients allows the use of any form of cranberry to increase the body's resistance to infectious and allergic agents. In addition to vitamins, berries are valued for the high content of micro- and macroelements necessary for the functioning of all human life systems. Regular use of cranberry replenishes reserves in the tissues of the following mineral compounds:
- potassium;
- phosphorus;
- of zinc;
- silver;
- copper;
- of magnesium;
- iron.
Potassium and magnesium are necessary for the proper functioning of the brain, heart and blood vessels. And silver has antiseptic and disinfecting effects, preventing the growth and reproduction of pathogenic fungi, microbes and viruses.
In the treatment of numerous diseases, other useful substances from the composition of the acid curative berries are of no small importance. The healing properties of cranberries are determined by organic compounds that exhibit antioxidant activity - vitamins, trace elements, phytoncides, organic acids. They destroy free radicals, which provoke premature aging of cells and tissues.
Pectins
Polysaccharides, like a small whisk, cleanse their gastrointestinal tract of accumulated slags and toxins. This useful property is especially important in the therapy of poisoning with poisons of plant and animal origin, spoiled food products, household chemicals.
Flavonoids
Vegetable polyphenols purify large and small blood vessels from cholesterol blocks, improve the permeability of the walls of the veins and capillaries. Normalization of blood flow facilitates delivery to cells of molecular oxygen, nutrients and biologically active substances. And this, in turn, accelerates the regeneration of damaged tissues.
Organic acids
There are a lot of such useful compounds in berries, which determines the useful properties of cranberries for people with cardiovascular pathologies and diseases of the musculoskeletal system. High concentration of oxalic, quinic, benzoic, succinic, ursolic acids makes it possible to use juices, teas and morses to eliminate metabolic disturbances.
Benefits of fresh and dry berries for children and adults
The chemical composition of a useful berry determines its diverse actions on the body of an adult and a child:
- is an anti-inflammatory;
- antibacterial;
- is antimicrobial;
- healing;
- immunostimulating;
- antiviral;
- anticholesterol;
- toning;
- is antipyretic;
- is antispasmodic.
In the course of clinical trials, the ability of cranberries to prevent the formation of malignant and benign neoplasms was confirmed. Berry compotes and fruit drinks help a person recover quickly after chemotherapy and surgical interventions as a result of accelerated elimination of toxic compounds from tissues. Than the cranberry for the human body is useful:
- eliminates diarrheal disorders - nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, flatulence;
- promotes normalization of intestinal microflora;
- dilutes and discharges the sputum of their respiratory tract;
- increases the functional activity of liver cells - hepatocytes;
- improves hematopoiesis.
On the question of whether the cranberry is a diuretic berry or not, the answer is unambiguous - freshly squeezed juice shows a pronounced diuretic activity. In combination with antimicrobial action, this property is widely used for the treatment of chronic cystitis, glomerulonephritis, pyelonephritis.
Recommendation: Cranberries are used as an aid in the treatment of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Biologically active berries increase the production of pancreatic beta cells, responsible for the production of their own insulin.
For women
The benefits of cranberries for women's health are based on the constituent berries of silicon, iron, nicotinic acid, phytoestrogens. Microelements improve the condition of blood vessels, increase their elasticity. Women who regularly consume cranberries, practically do not suffer from venous insufficiency, the main symptoms of which are ugly "mesh" and "stars" on the legs. Nicotinic acid has a positive effect on the work of the endocrine glands, normalizes the production of sex hormones:
- progesterone;
- phytoestrogens.
Gynecologists recommend that women drink freshly squeezed cranberry juice during menopause and during menstruation. It quickly restores the optimal hormonal background, eliminates the negative symptoms of menopause:
- emotional instability;
- tides;
- headaches and dizziness.
Useful berry reduces the severity of clinical manifestations of PMS.The menstrual cycle is normalized, the woman does not suffer from aching pains in the lower abdomen. And folk healers recommend future parents to drink cranberry juice for successful conception.
For men
For men, it is important to have fat-soluble vitamin K in the berry. If the spermogram is poor, doctors advise to enrich your diet with cranberry juice. Biologically active substances from its composition, especially vitamin K, increase the motility of spermatozoa. Traditional healers include berries in their recipes for the treatment of male infertility.
Useful properties of cranberries for men and provides a high concentration of zinc. This trace element affects the production of testosterone glands. The more male sex hormone is contained in the body, the more active the sex life of the stronger sex:
- libido increases;
- prolongs the duration of sexual intercourse;
- improves potency.
Cranberry juice should be drunk to men who are prone to frequent alcohol use and / or tobacco smoking. A useful drink will excrete acetaldehyde, poisonous resins and other toxic compounds. Cranberry with prostatitis is used to normalize urination. The more often a man empties the bladder, the faster it is released from the pathogenic bacteria - staphylococci, streptococci, E. coli.
For children
Useful properties of cranberries for children are based on a high content of berries in vitamins, especially ascorbic acid. Pediatricians advise mothers and fathers to give babies a berry juice or fruit drink in off-season periods when the probability of infection with a viral or bacterial infection increases:
- angina;
- bronchitis;
- by tracheitis;
- influenza;
- is a sinusitis.
Cranberries are used not only for prevention, but also for the treatment of respiratory pathologies. It promotes the excretion of infectious agents and products of their vital activity from inflammatory foci. And the acceleration of metabolic processes helps rapid regeneration of the mucous membranes of the upper and lower respiratory tract.
Tip: Sour berry is useful for hyperactive kids due to the presence of magnesium in the chemical composition. This microelement restores the functional activity of the central and autonomic nervous systems. Even the use of dried cranberries in sugar makes the baby more calm. The memorization of the material is increased, the sleep is normalized.
Contraindications
Like all berries with a high concentration of biologically active substances, cranberries are not suitable for treating people with individual sensitivity to it. Negative symptoms of the reaction of sensitization develop with the use of fresh and dry berries, jams, fruit drinks and compotes. Allergies to cranberries are manifested in redness and puffiness of the skin, and in some cases, anaphylactic shock and Quincke's edema may occur. Also, the contraindications for the therapy of berry culture include the following pathological conditions:
- thinned or destroyed tooth enamel, caries;
- ulcerative lesions of the gastrointestinal tract;
- third trimester of pregnancy.
Cranberries with gastritis with high acidity of any form and etiology are not used, since there is a risk of relapse. In the treatment of diabetes mellitus juice or mors should improve their taste only artificial sweeteners - xylitol, fructose, sorbitol. And in the therapy of abnormalities of the musculoskeletal system, breaks should be taken, since cranberry, when used frequently, removes from the body not only harmful but also useful compounds.
will help. Indications for use
The unique vitamin composition of berries allows to apply it in the therapy of diseases accompanied by a strong inflammatory process. Infectious foci are formed in the human body with the activation of herpes viruses, when penetrating into the gastrointestinal tract or respiratory tract pathogens. It is impossible to list all the pathologies, from which the cranberry helps with its regular use. Here are just some of them:
- atherosclerosis;
- hepatitis, fatty liver, cirrhosis;
- depressive states, neuroses;
- intestinal dysbiosis;
- thyroid dysfunction.
Cranberries are used in folk medicine for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia, including in pregnant women. Regular use of cranberry juice has a positive effect on the appearance of a person - the nail plates cease to separate and hair fall out, the skin condition improves.
Gout
Cranberries are a diuretic, so freshly squeezed juice is used in gout therapy. This disease is characterized by the accumulation of harmful mineral compounds in the joints. Increasing urination promotes the washing out of salts and the cessation of the inflammatory process. Due to the presence in the berries of a microelement of boron, cranberries are used as a means to strengthen bone tissue with gout. To treat this pathology, 3-4 times a day to drink 3 tablespoons of juice after eating.
Warning: Fresh cranberry juice does not mix well with pharmacological preparations of sulfanilamide series. During the application of Dermazin or Silvecum, this drink should not be consumed because of a decrease in the therapeutic activity of antimicrobial agents.
Pancreatitis
Inflammation in the pancreas causes digestion and peristalsis. Cranberry in pancreatitis shows multifaceted therapeutic activity. Even a single use of cranberry juice stimulates the production of enzymes, reduces the severity of inflammation. Cranberry juice also has a similar effect, which can be prepared according to the following recipe:
- Mix a glass of fresh berries with 0.5 cups of sugar and leave for an hour.
- Add a liter of water and bring to a boil.
- Boil 5-7 minutes and cool.
For treatment of pancreatitis should take a glass of tasty morsy 2-3 times a day after meals.
It's interesting: Cranberries contain a lot of benzoic acid, which has the properties of a preservative. Adding berries provides a long shelf life of compotes, jams, fruit drinks, jam, pastille.
Cranberries have similar cranberry properties. It is often possible to meet recipes of traditional healers, which include both berries. On the question of what is more useful than cranberries or cranberries, it is not difficult to answer. Berry crops have a similar composition and are used in the treatment of the same diseases. But there are differences. In cranberries, more iron, it is advisable to use a berry to improve blood formation. A high concentration of ascorbic acid in cranberries helps to strengthen immunity in adults and toddlers.