Rubies of Turtle Island

In 1747 Dr. James Lind solved the riddle of scurvy, a vicious illness that brought the toughest of sailors to debilitating weakness within only a couple of months at sea. After conducting one of the earliest comparative nutritional trials in recorded Western history with several groups of seafarers, Dr. Lind determined that the affliction all came down to a single nutrient deficiency: ascorbic acid, better known as vitamin C.

Sailors from United States found a ready source of this vitamin in Vaccinium macrocarpon, the tart red berry native to North America. Captains of ships would regularly dispense them to all crewmembers aboard. High amounts of organic acids in the berries even acted as preservatives when stored in wooden barrels for extended periods abroad.

Long before colonial settlers knew it by any other name, it was called sassaminesh by Algonquin and Wampanoag First Nations and sasemineash by the Narragansett, who collected the fruit from bogs and swampy areas where it grew in wild abundance. Using maple sugar to balance the tang, First Nations people undoubtedly invented the original harvest classic we know today as call cranberry sauce. The berries were also regularly mixed with meat or fish in sundried cakes called pemmican and eaten raw. In a medicinal context, cranberry mash was used as a topical compress for wounds and mixed with cornmeal for internal use to purify the blood.

Cardiac protection

Cranberries are heart food, too. They decrease LDL (or "bad" cholesterol), raise HDL ("good" cholesterol), and prevent free radical damage associated with heart disease and arterial degradation thanks to the antioxidant chemicals they contain. Cranberries have five times the free radical scavenging power of cauliflower or broccoli. One study compared 20 different fruit juices, and cranberry had the highest antioxidant capacity, which has enormous implications for cardiac health because oxidized LDL is one of the most nefarious actors in heart disease pathology.

Gut function

Cranberries are loaded with fibre and have a prebiotic effect, meaning that they feed and support beneficial bacteria in the gut. But while the fibre feeds the good bacteria, other chemicals in cranberries inhibit the harmful bacteria. Cranberries can even stop H. pylori, the bacteria associated with ulcer formation, from binding to the stomach lining. Supporting the population of bacteria in the intestines, known as the microbiome, helps gut health on every level, from digestion to nutrient absorption to elimination.

Inflammation reduction

As if their list of benefits wasn’t already impressive enough, cranberries also help to fight an overactive inflammatory response. One placebo-controlled study found that people who drank cranberry juice significantly reduced C-Reactive Protein, the medical community’s go-to blood marker for systemic inflammation. Free radical damage and chronic inflammation play a role in virtually all illnesses, so the fact that cranberries help to fend off both makes them a valuable ally in the fight for health and longevity.

Fantastic antioxidants

When picking your cranberries, fresh ones are the most nutritious. Cranberries achieve peak antioxidant value through late fall and early winter. The firmer, the better - they should even bounce! And the colour is also a valuable clue; the plusher red tones indicate more concentrated nutrients. After the fresh ones, dried cranberries are a close second and have their own acne-clearing, immune-boosting health benefits. Wonderfully versatile, dried cranberries can be used as a garnish for everything from salads to granola. If drinking them is more your style, take heart in knowing that organic cranberry juice is loaded with proanthocyanidins.