Cranberry

The cranberry is very valuable food and medical berry. This berry possesses in bright red color and very acid taste. The cranberry – wild berry, loves a moorland, dampness and moisture, often meets on peat bogs and in wet softwood forests. The cranberry begins to blossom in June, and pick the ripened berries since September to the frosts.

Useful properties of a cranberry and caloric content

The advantage of a cranberry is presented by contents in it extremely large amount of vitamins. Among all types of wild-growing berries known to the person the cranberry wins first place on a ratio in it mineral substances, organic acids and minerals.

Unique chemical composition provides unique medicinal properties of a cranberry.

So, we will consider structure of berry of a cranberry:

• Saccharites (glucose and fructose);
• Cellulose;
• Organic acids;
• Pectins;
• Tannins;
• Macrocells;
• Microelements;
• Bioflavonoids.

Caloric content at a cranberry of very low, only 28 kcal on 100 grams of berries. About 2% as a part of a cranberry are occupied by cellulose and 1,4% - pectins. The notable advantage of a cranberry is caused by the content in it of potassium, iodine, phosphorus and magnesium. Useful properties of a cranberry, thanks to the maintenance of these components in it, use for strengthening of an organism.

The amount of organic acids in a cranberry makes her the leader among all fresh berries, fruit and vegetables which are a source of vitamins in the winter. The cranberry is perfectly stored all winter, pleasing us with fresh taste and aroma. Such unique property of a cranberry as long storage without addition of any preservatives, is caused by contents in it the benzoic acid. This substance also serves as the natural preservative providing long storage of berry, almost all the year round.

In berries of a cranberry the content of vitamin C is very high. Besides, the advantage of a cranberry consists in the presence of a set of other vitamins:

• Vitamins of group B (B1, B2, B5, B6);
• RR vitamin;
• Vitamin E;
• K1 vitamin (phylloquinone).

Besides, the cranberry contains niacin, important for health. Therefore, it serves as fine means for fight against avitaminosis and at decrease in immunity.

Advantage of a cranberry – in variety of natural organic acids in its structure:

• Lemon;
• Apple;
• The benzoic;
• Cinchonic;
• Chlorogenic;
• Ursolovy;
• Oleanolovy;
• γ-oksi-α-ketomaslyany;
• alpha and keto-glutaric.

There is no such amount of natural acids in one other natural product. The prevailing acid providing strong sourness as the main property of a cranberry is lemon.

The insignificant quantity in a cranberry contains still rare amber and oxalic acids. The considerable share of glucose and fructose provide special advantage of a cranberry, it is not enough sucrose as a part of a cranberry. Most polysaccharide the pectin which is contained in a cranberry is important for an organism.

To bioflavonoids, being a part of this wonderful berry, the following substances belong:

• Leykoantotsiana;
• Flavanols anthocyans;
• Catechins;
• Phenolic acids;
• Betaine;
• Proantotsianida.

Curative property of a cranberry consists in an opportunity to remove exacerbations of such serious disease as cystitis. This effect becomes possible thanks to contents in it the benzoic acid and proantotsianid.

From micro and macrocells most of all contains in a cranberry potassium, calcium, phosphorus, manganese, copper and iron. Content of potassium and vitamin C in a cranberry does it by fine means during cold and in the period of viral infections.

Besides, useful properties of a cranberry are caused by contents in it other elements which are seldom found in other natural products:

• Magnesium;
• Molybdenum;
• Iodine;
• Barium;
• Boron;
• Nickel;
• Cobalt;
• Aluminum;
• Lead;
• Silver;
• Tin;
• Zinc;
• Chrome;
• Titanium.

And at such rich structure the caloric content of a cranberry it is insignificant it is small.

Use of a cranberry

Numerous useful properties of a cranberry are used by the person for treatment and prevention of a set of the known diseases.

Advantage of a cranberry – that it is natural antioxidant. For this reason at a low level physicians carry a cranberry with its caloric content to the most useful component of healthy food. The substances which are contained in a cranberry preserve cells of a human body against harmful effects of those free radicals (simply it is possible to call them pollutants), which surround us daily in air which we breathe. Thus, the cranberry helps an organism to cope with pressure upon it of negative factors of the environment.

Thanks to such low caloric content of a cranberry and its advantage at the expense of the content of natural sugars, it perfectly is suitable for diabetics. It is especially necessary to use this berry to pregnant women and people in the weakened state.

Undoubted advantage of a cranberry in its antibacterial and antiinflammatory properties. Thanks to it, berry is considered a natural antibiotic. Getting to an organism, it does not allow disease-producing bacteria to develop in it.

Besides, there is such property at a cranberry as an opportunity to stop formation of blood clots and plaques in blood vessels. For this reason the cranberry is recommended to accept in food at a varicosity as it improves durability and elasticity of walls of vessels and capillaries.

Researches of scientists established that some properties of a cranberry provide destruction of the microbes causing cancer and stomach ulcer. Besides, even at gastritises the acid cranberry can be accepted in food, only after thermal treatment. Physicians consider that the boiled cranberry well affects health of patients with such typical diseases which are not accepting acid products:

• Gastritis with the lowered acidity of a stomach;
• Pancreas inflammation;
• Colitis.

In any kind, fresh or boiled, the cranberry helps allocation by an organism of a gastric juice. Therefore, it is recommended for improvement of appetite and normalization of digestion. Thanks to advantage of a cranberry, food is better acquired by an organism. The metabolism improves, thanks to advantage of the cranberry and its caloric content which is not differing in high rates. Therefore, people can use berry without restrictions at weight loss.

Some patients claim that stones in kidneys begin to disappear under the influence of wonderful properties of a cranberry.

The cranberry keeps the useful properties best of all in the raw. So, the berry frozen, wetted in water or ground with sugar represents an irreplaceable source of vitamins for all winter.

Contraindications to the use of a cranberry

Physicians do not recommend to use a cranberry at stomach ulcer or a duodenum. They connect it with the main property of a cranberry, its strong acidity. In spite of the fact that at the lowered acidity the advantage of a cranberry is essential, gastritis with a hyperoxemia is a contraindication to the use of this berry. Small caloric content of a cranberry causes its careful use by people with dystrophy and insufficient weight. It is connected with the fact that as caloric content at a low level and combustion of fats can lead such properties of a cranberry to exhaustion.