Cranberry has long held a respected place in botanical traditions, both for its high nutritional value and its support for the urinary tract. Planetary Formulas Cranberry Bladder Defense combines a highly concentrated cranberry extract with echinacea, one of North America's most respected botanicals for supporting immune defenses, and uva ursi, highly valued for its ability to support the genitourinary system. Additional Chinese botanicals are added to augment this comprehensive blend.
 
Cranberry is widely used to support a healthy genitourinary tract. Until recently, scientists lacked an explanation for cranberry’s beneficial properties, but today, modern pharmacology is beginning to provide answers. Studies have confirmed cranberry’s support for the urinary tract and have begun to identify how it works.

CRANBERRY BLADDER DEFENSE combines the traditional wisdom of herbalists with modern scientific research, offering you cranberry in a highly concentrated form - without the sugar commonly used in juices and with additional herbs renowned for cleansing and tonifying the bladder.

Science and Tradition

Cranberries were esteemed for their high nutritional value by Native Americans, who combined them with dried meat and fats into pemmican cakes. They introduced the berry to the early colonists, who enthusiastically seized on the refreshing New World fruit - but added lots of sugar to their cranberry puddings and tarts to eliminate the sourness and astringent quality. In the 1880’s, cranberry was recognized for its specific benefits to the urinary tract by German physicians who noted its cleansing properties.

Cranberry’s Plant Acids the Key

Modern research has identified several important compounds associated with cranberry. Most important of these are the anthocyanins - a unique class of flavonoids that give certain plants their blue and red colors - and a family of unique plant acids. Anthocyanins are powerful antioxidants which can scavenge free radicals. Cranberry’s plant acids, including quinic, malic, citric, and benzoic acids, along with ascorbic acid (vitamin C), help to reduce the pH of the urinary tract, helping to support a healthy bladder. In addition, the astringency of the plant acids, including vitamin C, helps to add tonicity to the genito-urinary tract, thereby supporting the integrity of healthy tissue. The cranberry extract used in CRANBERRY BLADDER DEFENSE is a highly concentrated plant preparation. Because it is concentrated, it contains more of cranberry’s beneficial constituents than either the actual fruit or the powdered herb. The extract also is readily absorbed into the bloodstream because it does not contain the indigestible components of the plant’s cell walls.

CRANBERRY BLADDER DEFENSE was developed by world renowned herbalist and author Michael Tierra. It combines some of North America’s finest supportive herbs including: echinacea, the Purple Cone Flower used for hundreds of years by Native Americans to support natural defenses; uva ursi, one of nature’s finest urinary tract tonifiers, and marshmallow root, one of North America’s most renowned soothing demulcents. These are then blended with specific Chinese botanicals, creating a comprehensive and dynamic approach to supporting a healthy genito-urinary tract.