Cranberries are a small, creeping shrub with tiny leaves and thin brown stems. It can be found on a peat bog. It belongs to the heather family, and there are as many as 6 species of cranberries. The taste of berries is sour with a small bitterness. Cranberries have long been known for their healing properties.
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The foliage of the shrub is very unusual, its underside is silver, as it has a wax coating. Ripe fruits have a dark red color and shiny skin. There are berries in shape: in the form of a ball, oblong and resembling a pear. Large specimens are also found, reaching 12 mm.
The benefits of cranberries have been known for a long time. While this wonderful berry ripens, it manages to accumulate useful substances in itself. Cranberry fruits contain fructose, fiber, proteins, vitamins and many other useful substances. Berries differ in taste by acidity due to the content of 3% acids in them: benzoic, oxalic, and malic. Cranberries have one useful property, to synthesize a useful compound - ursolic acid. It has the ability to dilate venous vessels, as well as retain sodium ions.
The amount of vitamin C in the berry is small - only 15 mg per 100 g of fruit. The mineral composition in the berries is diverse, they will include 24 elements: phosphorus, potassium, iron, iodine and others.
Sugar found in cranberries is 5%. Pectin is also present in the berry, which removes toxins from the body.
Another advantage of these wonderful berries is that they are healing. Beneficial substances have an antimicrobial effect. They even kill E. coli.
These berries feed on animals and birds. Cranberries are not only food for them, but also a medicine.
The beneficial properties of berries are used not only in traditional medicine. On the basis of cranberries, many preparations have been made. The beneficial substances of this berry help the brain, positively affect the functioning of the musculoskeletal system. The antimicrobial properties of cranberries help in the fight against diseases of the oral cavity. They have antipyretic properties, increase efficiency and help the body fight many diseases.
Fresh cranberries can be frozen and eaten in the winter, when our body is so lacking in vitamins and nutrients.