Content
In folk medicine, cranberries from pressure were not used due to the fact that at that time it was impossible to understand whether a person was suffering from hypertension or hypotension. But the pickled berry was on the tables both on its own and along with sauerkraut. Due to the high content of vitamin C, it protected the population of Ancient Russia from scurvy.
In the 19th century, the berry was domesticated and began to be grown on an industrial scale on special plantations. Large-fruited cranberries were first cultivated and their cultivation became a family business in the USA and Canada. Russian marsh cranberries have remained in the wild for a long time. Only in the second half of the last century in the USSR, work began on the cultivation of this type of berry. Today there are 7 varieties of marsh cranberries.
Cranberries do not have miraculous properties and it is not a panacea for all diseases. Moreover, with a high degree of probability, imported berries from the USA are on sale. For a northern country, this is an analogue of southern oranges and lemons or dogwood. But, in addition to enhancing immunity with the help of vitamin C, the berry has one more property: it is able to adjust blood pressure.
How cranberries affect blood pressure
Anyone who has tried fresh cranberries knows very well that the berries, even when ripe, are very sour. Any acid promotes blood thinning.
Instead of aspirin, you can drink a glass of cranberry compote. The berry contains a large amount of citric acid, so cranberries will relieve headaches as well as aspirin.
Other acids are often mentioned when advertising berries:
- cinchona;
- benzoic;
- chlorogenic;
- ursolic;
- oleic;
- apple;
- oxalic;
- amber.
But the content of these acids in the berry is insignificant and one cannot count on any therapeutic effect of these substances.
Thanks to citric acid, cranberries really lower blood pressure. Due to the diuretic effect, the berry cannot reduce blood pressure for two reasons:
- when fluid is removed from the body, the blood thickens, it becomes difficult for the heart to push it through the vessels and the pressure rises;
- the berry does not have a diuretic effect.
This "effect" has a couple of glasses of cranberry juice or broth, drunk in addition to the usual daily dose of water. You could just as well have drunk plain water. If the CVS and kidneys are working normally, then the excess fluid will be excreted from the body. Otherwise, swelling will appear.
When eating fresh berries, there will be no diuretic effect. There will be heartburn from a lot of acid and indigestion. Cranberries would increase blood pressure if they had a similar effect.
Useful properties and contraindications of cranberries under pressure
For hypertensive patients, in fact, the beneficial properties of the berry lie in the ability of cranberries to reduce blood pressure, albeit by thinning the blood. Eating a few berries twice a day is enough to maintain adequate acid levels.
But the berry has more contraindications. There are advice to drink daily, either a glass of cranberry juice a day, or even 300 g. If you drink a store drink, you can consume at least a liter. The amount of substances contained is indicated on the packaging.If we are talking about real freshly squeezed juice, such an overdose can lead to serious problems.
How to achieve hypovitaminosis and get health problems
If you are going to consume healthy vitamin C, you need to consider some introductory notes:
- the human body does not produce this vitamin on its own and receives it only from the outside;
- vitamin C does not accumulate in the human body;
- with a regular overdose of vitamin C, it is excreted from the body in the urine and hypervitaminosis does not occur.
It seems that everything is good and the consumption of the same cranberries can not be limited. In fact, with a constant excess intake of vitamin C, the body gets used to constantly excrete excess. When the course is interrupted, vitamin C continues to be excreted in the urine in the same quantities. As a result, hypovitaminosis occurs. Therefore, you should not consider foods containing a lot of vitamin C completely harmless.
Cranberries for hypertension
Due to the high amount of acid, cranberries are recommended for high blood pressure. During the experiments, the pressure decreased both in people taking medications and in those who consumed this berry. With severe hypertension, it is better not to tempt fate by using traditional medicine recipes. If the increase in pressure is not critical, it is best to start with cranberries and other similar foods. Then, when the situation worsens, there will still be a supply of drugs that can be used.
If you start right away with powerful drugs for hypertension, then there will be no room for maneuver. Cranberries with high blood pressure are good to use as an initial preparation.
How to take cranberries with pressure
Theoretically, the berry can be eaten fresh "straight from the bush." But the sensation will be the same as if you chew a piece of lemon. To prevent high blood pressure, it is enough to consume a few berries twice a day. With a slight increased pressure, cranberries are mixed with sweet foods:
- honey;
- sugar.
Prepare fruit drink and a drink from a mixture of beetroot and cranberry juices. Below are some similar recipes for cranberry pressure.
Cranberry juice from high pressure
0.4 kg of fresh berries are kneaded to break the skin. You can knead anything. Grinding in a blender is not recommended, as further it is required to strain the finished product. After the blender, you can only dilute it with water and drink it right away.
The mashed berry mass is poured with a glass of very hot water and insisted a little.
Vitamin C is destroyed by boiling. Filter the present liquid and squeeze the pulp. Sugar or honey is added to the infusion. You can take half a cup systematically twice a day if you use the composition as a prophylactic.
For a drink that quenches thirst, the concentration will have to be reduced by topping up with water.
Beet juice with cranberries under pressure
Interesting juice cocktail:
- a glass of vodka;
- 2 glasses of beetroot juice;
- 1.5 cups freshly squeezed cranberry;
- 1 lemon;
- honey to taste.
The juices are mixed. Add honey. Squeeze a lemon. Stir and pour in vodka. Insist 3 days. That rare case when cranberries raise blood pressure. But the berry here plays the role of innocently slandered.
The course of "treatment" with such a cocktail is no more than 2 months. Take 1 tbsp. spoon 3 times a day after meals. If there are no cranberries in the house, you can raise the pressure with pure vodka. To reduce the pressure from the cocktail, it is better to remove vodka.
Cranberries with honey for pressure
The berries are sorted out, washed and dried. Grind in a blender or meat grinder and mix the resulting puree with honey. The ingredients are taken in equal proportions.
Honey it is recommended to take not sugared, but even in the honey year, honey is pumped for the last time in August, and cranberries begin to ripen only in mid-September. Real honey from the apiary is normally candied within 1-2 months. Therefore, it is almost impossible to combine natural liquid honey and cranberries. But candied honey will melt in cranberry juice, so it is more important to buy high-quality honey than liquid honey.
Take the prepared mixture in 1 tbsp. spoon after eating.
Infusion of cranberries from pressure
Plain cranberry infusion also helps relieve pressure when consumed regularly. It is not difficult to make an infusion: a glass of berries is kneaded, transferred to a thermos and poured with half a liter of hot water. The thermos is closed and insisted during the day. Can be drunk like a regular soft drink.
Contraindications
Contrary to common recommendations, it is undesirable to consume cranberries on an empty stomach. With regular use of doses of acid, sooner or later an acid imbalance will appear in the stomach and heartburn will become a faithful companion in life. You can also not use the berry for certain diseases:
- gastritis;
- increased acidity of the stomach;
- peptic ulcer;
- immediately after diarrhea;
- kidney stones;
- liver diseases;
- low blood pressure;
- deposition of salts in the joints;
- taking some medications incompatible with the berry.
For diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (the first 4 of those listed), fresh berries cannot be categorically, but if necessary, you can gradually use dried and processed ones.
Conclusion
Pressure cranberries are rarely used and are not a real remedy. It is a dietary supplement that helps correct incipient problems, but requires medication in more severe cases. The berry cannot be considered as a full-fledged substitute for medicines that regulate blood pressure.
