The Medicinal Uses of Cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon, V. oxycoccos, V. erythrocarpum)

‘Tis that most wonderful time of the year when fresh cranberries start appearing in the produce section of the grocery store.  Seeing them, and thinking on how cranberry juice is often touted for treating urinary tract infections, got me to wondering whether there were any other medicinal uses for this little wonder fruit. Come to find out, there are a few.

HARVEST

When it comes to the medicinal uses of cranberries, it’s all about the fruit.  Not the leaves, roots, or anything else.  They’re harvested when ripe, from about mid-September to mid-November. 

PREPARATIONS

Most studies show equivalent results whether using the whole berries, juice, or capsules.

Whole cranberries, 1.5 ounces per day[1]

Juice, unsweetened, 3-8 ounces per day[2]

Capsules/powder, 1000-3000 mg, 2-3 times per day[3]

EFFECTIVE AGAINST

• Bacteria
• Gram-positive
• Streptococcus mutans
• Fruit[4]
• Gram-negative
• Escherichia coli[5]
• Helicobacter pylori[6] [7]
• Viruses
• Dengue fever[8]
• Enterovirus-71[9]
• Rotavirus[10]

USAGE

• Cardiovascular
• Cardiac damage
• Alcohol extract of fruit[11]
• Gastrointestinal[12] [13]
• Escherichia coli infections[14]
• Helicobacter pylori ulcers[15] [16]
• Indigestion[17]
• Inflammatory bowel disease[18]
• Nausea[19]
• Hepatic
• Cholesterol[20]
• Gallbladder[21]
• Liver disorders[22]
• Musculoskeletal
• Cramps[23]
• Neurological
• Convulsions[24]
• Hysteria[25]
• Respiratory
• Fever[26]
• Skin
• Abrasions
• Poultice[27]
• Cuts
• Poultice[28]
• Erysipelas
• Crush raw cranberries and add buttermilk to make a plaster[29]
• Wounds
• Poultice, crushed cranberries, including for poison arrow wounds[30] [31]
• Urogenital
• Childbirth[32]
• Cystitis[33] [34]
• Cranberry juice[35] [36]
• Cranberry pills or dried cranberries[37]
• Enlarged prostate[38] [39]
• Incontinence[40]
• Kidney stones[41]
• Urethritis[42]
• Urinary tract infections[43] [44]

Cranberries do decrease the frequency of bladder infections in women.  They are not as effective in the elderly, male or female, nor in those using a catheter.[45]  If cranberry juice has been effective in the past, studies show that bearberry undoubtedly will also work.[46]

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[1] Thomas Easley, et al., The Modern Herbal Dispensatory, 2016, 220.

[2] Thomas Easley, et al., The Modern Herbal Dispensatory, 2016, 220.

[3] Thomas Easley, et al., The Modern Herbal Dispensatory, 2016, 220.

[4] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11273536/

[5] Thomas Easley, et al., The Modern Herbal Dispensatory, 2016, 220.

[6] Thomas Easley, et al., The Modern Herbal Dispensatory, 2016, 220.

[7] Rebecca L. Johnson, et al., Guide to Medicinal Herbs, 2010, 291.

[8] Stephen Harrod Buhner, Herbal Antivirals, 2013, 106.

[9] Stephen Harrod Buhner, Herbal Antivirals, 2013, 106.

[10] Stephen Harrod Buhner, Herbal Antivirals, 2013, 106.

[11] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/fsn3.3616

[12] Andrew Chevallier, Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine, 4^th Edition, 290.

[13] Rebecca L. Johnson, et al., Guide to Medicinal Herbs, 2010, 291.

[14] Thomas Easley, et al., The Modern Herbal Dispensatory, 2016, 220.

[15] Thomas Easley, et al., The Modern Herbal Dispensatory, 2016, 220.

[16] Rebecca L. Johnson, et al., Guide to Medicinal Herbs, 2010, 291.

[17] Rebecca L. Johnson, et al., Guide to Medicinal Herbs, 2010, 291.

[18] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39161885/

[19] Linda Kershaw, Edible & Medicinal Plants of the Rockies, 2000, 98.

[20] Rebecca L. Johnson, et al., Guide to Medicinal Herbs, 2010, 291.

[21] Rebecca L. Johnson, et al., Guide to Medicinal Herbs, 2010, 291.

[22] Andrew Chevallier, Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine, 4^th Edition, 290.

[23] Linda Kershaw, Edible & Medicinal Plants of the Rockies, 2000, 98.

[24] Linda Kershaw, Edible & Medicinal Plants of the Rockies, 2000, 98.

[25] Linda Kershaw, Edible & Medicinal Plants of the Rockies, 2000, 98.

[26] Andrew Chevallier, Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine, 4^th Edition, 290.

[27] Rebecca L. Johnson, et al., Guide to Medicinal Herbs, 2010, 291.

[28] Rebecca L. Johnson, et al., Guide to Medicinal Herbs, 2010, 291.

[29]John Lust, The Herb Book, 2009, 456.

[30] Linda Kershaw, Edible & Medicinal Plants of the Rockies, 2000, 98.

[31] Rebecca L. Johnson, et al., Guide to Medicinal Herbs, 2010, 291.

[32] Linda Kershaw, Edible & Medicinal Plants of the Rockies, 2000, 98.

[33] Charles W. Kane, Medicinal Plants of the Western Mountain States, 2017, 74.

[34] Andrew Chevallier, Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine, 4^th Edition, 290.

[35] Cynthia Koelker, Armageddon Medicine, 2012, 183.

[36] Linda Kershaw, Edible & Medicinal Plants of the Rockies, 2000, 98.

[37] Cynthia Koelker, Armageddon Medicine, 2012, 199.

[38] Andrew Chevallier, Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine, 4^th Edition, 290.

[39] Rebecca L. Johnson, et al., Guide to Medicinal Herbs, 2010, 291.

[40] Rebecca L. Johnson, et al., Guide to Medicinal Herbs, 2010, 291.

[41] Rebecca L. Johnson, et al., Guide to Medicinal Herbs, 2010, 291.

[42] Andrew Chevallier, Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine, 4^th Edition, 290.

[43] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39492618/

[44] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0094014324000843?via%3Dihub

[45] Cynthia Koelker, Armageddon Medicine, 2012, 450.

[46] Charles W. Kane, Medicinal Plants of the Western Mountain States, 2017, 299.