Long before Ocean Spray commercially produced the gelatinous cylinder familiar to many Thanksgiving tables, the cranberry already had a rich history. Legend has it that cranberries were served at the first Thanksgiving in Massachusetts. Before the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock, Native Americans were already using the berries to dye fabric and for their medicinal benefits.

Cranberries (Vaccinium Macrocarpon) are native to the swampy areas of the northern states from New England to the Midwest. The North American variety belongs to the Ericacae family which has approximately 1,350 species, including rhododendrons and blueberries. Native Americans used the bright red berry as a dyeing agent and also in ceremonies. Because of its stringent effects, they used it to stop bleeding and as a poultice for wounds. When mixed with cornmeal, it was used to counteract blood poisoning, most likely from arrow wounds. Their most common use was for pemmican, which is a combination of ground deer meat and melted fat. Cranberries contain benzoic acid, a natural food preservative which extended the shelf life of pemmican.

The Pilgrims named the tart berry "craneberry." It was named thus due to the resemblance of its small, pink blossoms to the head of the sand hill crane. Cranberries grow on vines, not in water, as is commonly suggested. In 1816 Captain Henry Hall began the first commercial cranberry beds in Cape Cod. When he noted that wind and tides blew in sand which stifled weed growth, he transplanted his cranberry vines to beds layered with sand, peat, gravel and clay. Soon other growers copied his methods and cranberry growing began to spread. The United States currently produced 154 thousand metric tons, with the bulk of it still from Massachusetts. The growing season lasts from April to November.

Cranberries are low in calories, with 53 calories in a cup of chopped berries. They are an excellent source of both insoluble and soluble fiber as well as manganese, copper and antioxidants. Even back in the 1800s it was known cranberries are a good source of Vitamin C. American mariners carried barrels of them on voyages to prevent scurvy.

Long before Mom told us to drink cranberry juice to treat urinary tract infections, Native Americans were already using it for the same benefit. In two separate studiesone in 1994 by JAMA and 1998 by Rutgersshowed that drinking cranberry juice prevented urinary tract infections. Cranberries contain proanthocyanidins which inhibit E. Coli bacteria from adhering to the urinary tract. The studies recommend drinking between 1 and to 2 cups per day. In other studies, cranberries have been proven to prevent kidney stones. Most kidney stones are made of calcium salts. Quinic acid of cranberries cannot be metabolized by the body, so it leaves the body unaltered. Thus, it increases the acidity in urine. This prevents the formation of stones.

A study by the Cranberry Institute showed that cranberries have five times the antioxidant content of broccoli. Antioxidants inhibit the development of degenerative diseases including cancer and atherosclerosis. So if you don't like your broccoli, drink a glass of cranberry juice.

Learn more about this author, R.M. Ziegler.
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