Cranberry Phytosome
How it supports your body
Cranberries have been used by indigineous populations in North America to treat urinary, kidney and bladder symptoms for hundreds of years. Cranberry juice is composed of a complex mixture of different active molecules including flavonols, pentacyclic triterpenoids, anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins.
Cranberry contains a unique type and structure of compounds that appears to be extra efficient at sticking bacteria. When these polyphenols from cranberry are stuck to bacteria, the bacteria can't attach themselves to the bladder. This means that instead of hanging around in the bladder and potentially causing UTIs, the bacteria get washed out when you go to the bathroom.
The details
Commonly found in: Cranberry
Our source: Vaccinium macrocarpon, fruit
Amount (The Daily): 120mg of cranberry phytosome (Anthocran Phytosome)
Supplier: Indena S.p.A (Italy)
What makes it special: Our Cranberry Phytosome is a patented extract that mimics the natural complexity of cranberry juice, while also enhancing absorption into your body by micro-encapsulating the cranberry extract in a phytosome. The phytosome is a special structure of sunflower lecithin that ensures your body can absorb the plant extracts as they pass through your body. Many cranberry extracts are ineffective because: 1) they contain too few of the active cranberry polyphenols to be effective and 2) what they do contain never makes it into your bladder.
The Research
There are 400+ papers looking in to how cranberry works in the bladder to help with protect the urinary tract from bacteria that could cause UTIs. Take a dive into the research to see what the science says. Below are three papers to get you started.