WHO monographs on selected medicinal plants - travolekar.ru

Fructus Macrocarponii
In an uncontrolled study, 28 patients in a nursing home were treated
with 4–6 ounces of cranberry juice (30% juice) daily for 7 weeks (9).
Twice-weekly urine samples were examined for leukocytes and/or nitrates
as a measure of UTI. At the end of 7 weeks, 10 patients had no
leukocytes or nitrates in the urine; nine patients had from a trace to 2+
leukocytes and no nitrates; nine had a trace or greater number of leukocytes.
However, this study did not include a non-exposure cohort (control)
(9).
A number of uncontrolled observational studies have assessed the effects
of cranberry juice (33% juice) on urinary pH (12, 13). In the study
by Kinney & Blount (13), 59 patients (40 of whom completed the study)
were treated with 450–720 ml of a preparation containing 80% cranberry
juice per day for 6 days, followed by 6 days of no juice, and the pH of
their urine was measured. A decrease in urine pH was observed, but it
was not dose-related. The second study involved four healthy volunteers
who were administered from 1.5 to 4.0 l per day of a 33% cranberry juice
product (12). Three of the four subjects showed transient changes in urine
pH, from 6.6 to 6.33 (p = 0.01) and titratable acidity (12).
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted
on 48 patients with neurogenic bladder secondary to spinal cord injury
(39). Twenty-six of the patients received 2 g of cranberry juice concentrate
and 22 received placebo. After 6 months of treatment, bacteriuria
and pyuria were not reduced (39).
Paediatric populations
An uncontrolled study assessed the efficacy of cranberry (30% pure juice)
in 17 children with spina bifida who were using either an indwelling catheter
or intermittent self-catheterization (21). The children received one,
two or three glasses of cranberry juice over a 2-week period. The results
of this study showed a reduction of white and red blood cell counts in
nearly all urine samples; however the urine from most of the children
remained positive for E. coli (21).
At least two controlled clinical trials have assessed the effects of cranberry
in children with neurogenic bladder. A randomized single-blind,
cross-over study assessed the efficacy of 15 ml/kg body weight/day of
cranberry cocktail juice (30% concentrate) as prophylaxis for bacterial
UTIs in 40 children with neuropathic bladder, managed by intermittent
catheterization (8). The subjects were treated for 6 months with either
cranberry juice or water as a control. Outcomes measured were a positive
or negative urine culture with symptomatic UTI. The results of this study
did not support the use of cranberry juice as prophylaxis against UTIs in
children with neuropathic bladder. However, 19 subjects dropped out of
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