Medicinal Uses of CranberriesJuice Cranberry is a strong diuretic, and the juice is often prescribed as dietary treatment for urinary tract infection, kidney disorders and other conditions where passing of fluids is desirable. Many women suffer from cystitis, an inflammation and injection of the bladder, at some time in their lives, with as many as one in five women estimated to have urinary tract discomfort at least once a year.
Cranberry can be used both as a preventive and as an adjunct treatment for urinary tract infection. Cranberry juice therapy may require drinking a liter of straight cranberry juice daily, which few are willing to do. Fortunately, cranberry capsules are easily swallowed. There are several theories to explain why cranberry is effective for maintaining urinary tract health: cranberry juice may make the urine more acidic, and the bacteria that cause infection are not likely to flourish in an acid environment; cranberries may cause relatively large amounts of the bacteriostatic hippuric acid to be excreted in the urine; component of the cranberry juice may interfere with the ability of bacteria to stick to the lining of the bladder and urethra, and so they are washed away in the urinary stream.
The last interpretation is generally favored today. It appears that the most common bacterium responsible for urinary tract infection, Escherichia coli, produces constituents known as adhesins to anchor to tissues, and that there are anti-adhesins factors in cranberry juice.
Medicinal Uses of Cranberries Juice
