What Are Cranberry Pills Used For?

Cranberry pills are herbal supplements containing cranberry juice extract. They possess a number of health benefits, although they're most often used in treating urinary tract infections.

Function

• Cranberries contain powerful antioxidants called proanthocyandins that prevent bacteria, particularly E. coli, from adhering to the bladder wall. This allows the body to flush out the bacteria before infection takes hold.

Heart

• Aside from treating urinary tract infections, cranberry pills have been shown to inhibit low density lipoprotein oxidation, one of the contributing factors in heart disease.

Kidney Stones

• It's believed the quinic acid in cranberry pills helps prevent kidney stones. Since the body is unable to break down quinic acid, it acidifies the urine and inhibits calcium from collecting into stones.

Anti-viral

• The same properties that prevent E. coli from sticking to the bladder wall also inhibits bacterial growth throughout the body, giving cranberry pills anti-viral abilities.

Cancer

• The antioxidants present in cranberry pills have also been shown to fight certain forms of cancer, including breast, cervical, prostate, liver, lung, and leukemia.