Oxycoccus palustris var. macrocarpos (Aiton) Pers.
Schollera macrocarpa (Aiton) Steud.
Vaccinium propinquum Salisb.
Vaccinium macrocarpon, also called large cranberry, American cranberry and bearberry, is a North American
species of
cranberry in the
subgenusOxycoccus.[3]
The name cranberry, comes from shape of the flower
stamen, which looks like a
crane's beak.
Description
Vaccinium macrocarpon is a perennial
shrub, often ascending (trailing along the surface of the ground for some distance but then curving upwards). The leaf blades are abaxially
glaucous and green adaxially. The leaf blades are narrowly elliptic to elliptic, and in rare cases oblong. The pedicels are nodding and slender, measuring 2-3 cm. It produces white or pink flowers followed by
sour-tasting red or pink
berries 9–14 mm (0.35–0.55 in) across.[4][5][6]
The species is grown commercially as a
cash crop for its edible berries.[8] Many cranberries are grown in wetland soils consisting of alternating layers of organic matter and sand; modern harvesting techniques include temporarily flooding fields, shaking berries loose, and gathering the floating berries.[9][10] Common uses of the berries includes sauce, jelly, juice, and dried fruit.[11][12] There is some evidence suggesting that the berries or their
juice could be useful in treating or preventing certain
urinary tract infections, but this is not certain yet and thus is not substitute for medical management.[13] Some research suggests cranberries may suppress asymptomatic
Helicobacter pylori colonization, but they seem to be an inferior treatment compared to antibiotic therapy in symptomatic patients.[14][15][16]
^Armstrong, Heather; Armstrong, Charles.
"Ways to Use Cranberries". University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
^Wang C, Fang C, Chen N, et al. Cranberry-Containing Products for Prevention of Urinary Tract Infections in Susceptible Populations: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Arch Intern Med. 2012;172(13):988–996. doi:
https://doi.org/10.1001/archinternmed.2012.3004
^Zhang, L. , Ma, J. , Pan, K. , Go, V. L., Chen, J. and You, W. (2005), Efficacy of Cranberry Juice on Helicobacter pylori Infection: a Double‐Blind, Randomized Placebo‐Controlled Trial. Helicobacter, 10: 139-145. doi:10.1111/j.1523-5378.2005.00301.x
^Ora Burger, Itzhak Ofek, Mina Tabak, Ervin I. Weiss, Nathan Sharon, Ishak Neeman, A high molecular mass constituent of cranberry juice inhibits Helicobacter pylori adhesion to human gastric mucus, FEMS Immunology & Medical Microbiology, Volume 29, Issue 4, December 2000, Pages 295–301,
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-695X.2000.tb01537.x
^Martin Gotteland, Monica Andrews, Marcela Toledo, Loreto Muñoz, Paola Caceres, Alyerina Anziani, Emma Wittig, Hernan Speisky, Gabriela Salazar,Modulation of Helicobacter pylori colonization with cranberry juice and Lactobacillus johnsonii La1 in children, Nutrition, Volume 24, Issue 5, 2008,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2008.01.007.