^AIMCranVerry^TMis a concentrated cranberry juice extract in caplet, less the sugar.

• Concentrated cranberry juice without added sugar

• 513 mg of dried cranberry concentrate in every caplet

Features

• Pure juice from cranberries (no fiber included)

• Most economical way to get the benefits of cranberry juice

• Residue-free

• 60-count caplets

• Coated caplets that won’t stick together

 The cranberry and health

Cranberry has long been linked to helping defeat urinary tract infections, and recent research is beginning to bear this out. To see how this can be, we should first look at our kidneys.

The kidneys (one on each side of the spine just above the waist) make urine, which consists of about 95 percent water and 5 percent urea and various salts. This urine exits the kidney via long, thin tubes called ureters. The ureters (one from each kidney) drain into the bladder, a small round organ that acts as a holding tank. When the bladder fills, you get a signal that it is time to urinate. The urine passes out of your body through a canal called the urethra.

Anything that interferes with this flow may cause the urine to back up and stagnate in the bladder. The urinary tract then becomes a sitting duck for disease.

The urinary tract is subject to several diseases. One of the more common is the creation of kidney stones, or calculi. Caused by disease, infections, or mineral excretion problems, the most common types of kidney stones contain various combinations of calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, or oxalate. The mineral deposits range in size from less than one-fourth inch to more than one inch in diameter.

The occurrence of kidney stones has a hereditary link, running in families, and four out of every five patients with kidney stones are males, usually between the ages of 20 and 30. Also, differences in diet and fluid intake appear to have an impact on the likelihood of developing kidney stones.

While kidney stones are more common in males, urinary tract infections are more prevalent in females. More than 60 percent of women experience a urinary tract infection sometime during their lives. For many women, infection is a chronic problem.

These infections are caused by the introduction of bacteria into the urinary tract. Once inside, they thrive in the warm, moist environment. Ultimately, they begin to affect urine production and the function of the bladder, resulting in significant pain.

Any reduction in kidney efficiency can have a drastic and immediate impact on our health. Even a partial reduction in the kidney’s ability to filter the blood will lead to the rapid buildup of deadly toxins in the bloodstream. In severe cases, patients may require a kidney dialysis machine to artificially filter blood. Although this equipment does prevent the deadly buildup of urea and ammonia in the bloodstream, it is not as effective as the kidneys.

Flavonoids in cranberry 

How do cranberries help? When a cranberry is in its juvenile state, it is green and bitter, making it unpalatable to most animals. This is a matter of survival. If the young berry were a good food source, it would be eaten too early in its development, before the seed was mature and able to reproduce a new cranberry plant.

At this early stage, the cranberry produces a certain class of molecules known as flavonoids, substances that have been investigated for their nutritional benefits and antibacterial activity. Studies have shown that the particular flavonoids produced by the cranberry have a strong antibacterial effect.

But this is only part of the story. As the berry matures, it benefits the plant if a bird or other animal eats the cranberry so that its seeds will be spread to new areas where it will propagate and grow. To ensure that this happens, the plant transforms the flavonoids that contribute to the fruit’s bitter taste. The plant removes part of the flavonoid molecule and replaces it with a sugar molecule. This has the effect of sweetening the fruit, making it more palatable as a food—and helping to ensure that the plant continues to produce offspring.

Fighting infection

This sugar molecule makes cranberry effective as a nutrient within the urinary tract. In the human body, different cells have unique receptor sites. These sites can be thought of as a lock in a door requiring a unique key to open the lock. The sugar attached to the cranberry flavonoid seeks out an acceptable receptor site to attach itself. In cranberries, the sugar unlocks a receptor site on the walls of the urinary tract.

This explains cranberries’ unique benefits. Cranberries contain a type of flavonoid that is capable of defeating the bacteria that cause urinary tract infections, and this flavonoid is attached to a sugar that seeks out the cells that line the urinary tract.

Research recommends making cranberries part of your diet if you are prone to recurrent urinary infections. A 1994 article in the Journal of the American Medical Association indicates that cranberry might reduce the levels of bacteria in urine. A report in the Journal of Psychiatric Nursing suggests that anyone troubled by urinary incontinence incorporate cranberries into their diet to reduce the embarrassing odor of this problem.

^AIMCranVerry™

^AIMCranVerry™ provides a way to receive these benefits in convenient caplets. Unlike many other cranberry products that are made from dried and/or ground berries, ^AIMCranVerry™ is made from concentrated juice, minus the fiber, making it easier for your body to absorb the available nutrients.

Unlike cranberry beverages that usually contain large amounts of processed sugar, ^AIMCranVerry™ has no added sugar, so you receive the benefits of cranberry juice without unnecessary and nutritionally harmful calories.

Q & A

 Can I take ^AIMCranVerry™ with ^AIMBarleygreen™ or other AIM products?  We recommend that you do not take cranberry juice with ^AIMBarleygreen™ because the acidity of the juice could affect the alkalizing substances in ^AIMBarleygreen™. Some people do take ^AIMCranVerry™ with ^AIMBarleygreen™ because some of the ^AIMBarleygreen™ will be assimilated before the ^AIMCranVerry™ caplets are completely dissolved. However, ^AIMCranVerry™ caplets dissolve rapidly, so the acidity of ^AIMCranVerry™ may still affect the ^AIMBarleygreen™.

Why doesn't ^AIMCranVerry™ in a powder or liquid form?   This would be a very bitter tasting product. Remember that most of the cranberry drinks on the market contain considerable amounts of sugar or sweeteners. We do not believe we should add this to the product.

Can I take more than the suggested serving?  You may adjust your servings to your needs. ^AIMCranVerry™ is a whole food concentrate, so, like cranberries, it is safe.

Can children take it?  Yes, again because it is a safe whole food concentrate; just like drinking cranberry juice!

How to use ^AIMCranVerry™

• Take 2 caplets daily.

• For best absorption and assimilation, take ^AIMCranVerry™ on an empty stomach.

• Shelf life is 2 to 3 years, unopened. Store in a cool, dry place (70° - 75° F; 20.1° - 23.8° C). Do not refrigerate. Keep away from heat and humidity.

Suggested reading

Avorn, et al. "Reduction of bacteriuria and pyuria after ingestion of cranberry juice." Journal of the American Medical Association. Vol. 271, No. 10. March 9, 1994.