Cranberry: the journey through nature and science
Cranberries, the beautiful red fruits of Vaccinium macrocarpon have been valued for many centuries for both their food and medicinal qualities. Indigenous to N.America, cranberries were widely used by Native Americans. They quickly became popular with settlers from Europe, and in 1672, in one of the earliest records of medicinal use, John Josselyn described Cranberries as being an excellent protection against scurvy [1]. By 1789 the fruit was so in demand that the New Jersey legislature restricted the harvesting of berries.