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In folk medicine, cranberries were not used for pressure due to the fact that in those days it was impossible to understand whether a person was suffering from hypertension or hypotension. But the soaked berry was on the tables both on its own and together with sauerkraut. Due to the high content of vitamin C, it protected the population of Ancient Our Country from scurvy.
In the 7th century, the berry was cultivated and began to be grown on an industrial scale on special plantations. Large-fruited cranberries were the first to be cultivated and their cultivation became a family business in the USA and Canada. swamp cranberries have long remained in the wild. 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 XNUMX varieties of marsh cranberries.
Cranberries do not have miraculous properties and are 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 boosting immunity with the help of vitamin C, the berry has another property: it is able to correct blood pressure.
How cranberries affect blood pressure
Anyone who has tasted fresh cranberries is well aware that the berry, even when ripe, is very sour. Any acid contributes to 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 a headache no worse than aspirin.
When advertising berries, other acids are often mentioned:
- cinchona;
- benzoic;
- chlorogenic;
- ursolic;
- oleic;
- apple;
- oxalic;
- amber.
But the content of these acids in the berry is insignificant and it is impossible to 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 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 decoction, drunk in addition to the usual daily dose of water. With the same success it would be possible to drink ordinary water. If the CCC and kidneys work normally, then excess fluid will be removed from the body. Otherwise, swelling will appear.
When using fresh berries, there will be no diuretic effect. There will be heartburn from too much acid and indigestion. Cranberries would increase blood pressure if they had a similar effect.
Useful properties and contraindications of cranberries with pressure
For hypertensive patients, in fact, the useful properties of the berry lie in the ability of cranberries to reduce pressure, albeit due to blood thinning. To maintain a sufficient level of acid, it is enough to eat several berries twice a day.
But the berries have more contraindications. There are tips to drink daily either a glass of cranberry juice a day, or even 300 g each. If you drink store-bought, you can drink 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 use useful vitamin C, you need to consider some introductory:
- 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 with urine and hypervitaminosis does not occur.
It seems that everything is fine 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 removing the excess. When the course is interrupted, vitamin C continues to be excreted in the urine in the same amounts. As a result, hypovitaminosis occurs. Therefore, it is not necessary to consider foods containing a lot of vitamin C as completely harmless.
cranberries for hypertension
Due to the high amount of acid, cranberries are recommended for high blood pressure. When conducting experiments, the pressure decreased both in people taking medications and in those who used 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 better to start with cranberries and other similar products. Then, if the situation worsens, there will still be a supply of drugs that can be used.
If you immediately start with potent drugs against hypertension, then there will be no room for maneuver. Cranberries with high blood pressure are good to use as an initial drug.
How to take cranberries with pressure
Theoretically, the berry can be eaten fresh “straight from the bush.” But the sensations 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 increase in pressure, cranberries are mixed with sweet foods:
- honey;
- sugar.
A fruit drink and a drink are prepared from a mixture of beet and cranberry juices. Below are a few similar recipes for cranberry pressure.
Cranberry juice for high blood pressure
0,4 kg of fresh berries are kneaded to break the skin. Anything can be crushed. Grinding in a blender is not recommended, since in the future it is required to strain the finished product. After the blender, it can only be diluted with water and drunk immediately.
The mashed berry mass is poured with a glass of very hot water and insisted a little.
Vitamin C is destroyed by boiling. The infused liquid is filtered and the pulp is squeezed out. Sugar or honey is added to the infusion. You can take systematically half a cup 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 adding water.
Beetroot juice with cranberries under pressure
Interesting juice cocktail:
- a glass of vodka;
- 2 glasses of beetroot juice;
- 1,5 cups freshly squeezed cranberries;
- 1 lemon;
- honey to taste.
Juices are mixed. Add honey. Squeezing a lemon. Stir and add vodka. Insist 3 days. That rare case when cranberries raise the 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 clean vodka. To reduce pressure from a cocktail, it is better to remove vodka.
Cranberries with honey for pressure
The berries are sorted, washed and dried. Grind in a blender or meat grinder and the resulting puree is mixed with honey. The ingredients are taken in equal proportions.
It is recommended to take honey that is not candied, but even in a 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 for 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’s more important to buy high-quality honey than liquid honey.
Take the prepared mixture of 1 tbsp. spoon after eating.
Cranberry infusion for pressure
The usual cranberry infusion also helps with 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 for a day. It can be drunk as a regular soft drink.
Противопоказания
Contrary to the recommendations encountered, cranberries should not be consumed on an empty stomach. With regular use of doses of acid, sooner or later an acid imbalance will occur in the stomach and heartburn will become a faithful companion of life. You can also not use the berry for certain diseases:
- gastritis;
- increased acidity of the stomach;
- peptic ulcer disease;
- immediately after diarrhea;
- stone and kidney disease;
- liver disease;
- low blood pressure;
- deposition of salts in the joints;
- taking some medications that are incompatible with the berry.
In 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
Cranberry for pressure is used infrequently and is not a real remedy. This is a dietary supplement that helps correct incipient problems, but requires medical intervention in more severe cases. The berry cannot be considered as a full-fledged replacement for medications that regulate blood pressure.