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Common Names
Cranberry, American Cranberry and Large Cranberry.
Latin Name
Vaccinium macrocarpon
Habitat
Cranberry is native to North America.
Traditional Uses
The Pilgrims in America supposedly feasted on cranberry dishes at their first Thanksgiving in 1621 and became tradition thereafter. Native Americans used cranberries as a source of dye.
Medicinal Uses
Cranberries haev been traditionally used in Herbal Medicine to help prevent recurrent urinary tract infections.
Cranberries contain anthocyanidins which have been shown to inhibit the adhesion of bacterial to the urinary tract, thus preventing painful infections. They also ellagic acid and other antioxidant compunds that block the effects of damaging free radicals. They are also high in Vitamin C.
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