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urinary tract health icon Urinary Tract Health

American Cranberry

Vaccinium macrocarpon

Cranberry or Vaccinium macrocarpon, has long been known for its beneficial effect in urinary tract health.

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The SFI Health Difference

Cranberry vs. Ellura with 36 mg PACs

Products with naturally sourced active ingredients can vary considerably depending on how they are produced. Ellura follows a meticulous production process with careful consideration to ensure a consistent form and quantity of PACs in every batch.

Ellura is made from the pure juice concentrate of the American cranberry. Based on years of research, a proprietary production process has been developed that removes the seeds, stems and skins of cranberry. This ensures consistently high levels of the active ingredient PACs. 36 mg of PACs is the recommended dose demonstrated to help to flush away bacteria.

The SFI Health Source to Patient philosophy helps to ensure that Ellura is:

  • High quality with the optimal amount of bioactive PACs
  • Consistently reliable, batch after batch
  • Researched in clinical studies

Ellura with 36 mg PACs: A Summary

36mg of PACs per capsule

Which is the amount of bioactive PACs that has been researched and recommended worldwide. 2-5

Clinically researched

To support urinary tract and bladder health by helping flushing the urinary.2-5

Consistent Quality

Rigorous processes, quality controls and extensive testing help ensure that the concentrated cranberry extract is the same as that tested in clinical research.

Well tolerated and recommended worldwide

To support urinary tract health and reduce the frequency of medically diagnosed cystitis.

The Ingredient

Vaccinium macrocarpon was first recognised for its health benefits in the 1800s.1 Today, cranberry supplements are commonly used to help reduce the occurrence of medically diagnosed cystitis.

Ellura contains a scientifically formulated extract of cranberry with a standardised dose of 36 mg of PACs in every capsule. In clinical studies, Ellura has been shown to support urinary tract health and to help reduce the frequency of medically diagnosed cystitis in both adults and children over 12. 3-5

Discover more about Ellura’s scientifically formulated active ingredient and key studies that support its benefits.

Always read the label, follow the directions for use. If symptoms persist, worsen, or change unexpectedly, talk to your health professional.

Vaccinium macrocarpon in history

Vaccinium macrocarpon in history

Vaccinium macrocarpon, commonly known as American cranberry is native to North America and grown across tens of thousands of acres throughout the United States and Canada.6

More about Vaccinium macrocarpon in history

Cranberry is  most known for its role in promoting urinary tract and bladder health.6

Cranberries are sometimes referred to as a “super food” because of their nutritional content, particularly because they naturally contain antioxidants. PACs are one of the antioxidant compounds found in cranberries that assists flushing the urinary tract when taken at the correct standardised dose. In order for PACs to have this therapeutic effect it is recommended to consume 36 mg of PACs. 2,7

Specific cranberry extract used in Ellura

Cranberry supplements are not necessarily created equally. Different products can contain varying amounts of an active ingredient known as proanthocyanidins (PACs). In Ellura a specialised process is used to ensure 36 mg of PACs is in every capsule. This is the dose of PACs that has been researched and recommended worldwide to support urinary tract health.

More about proanthocyanidins (PACs)

The PACs contained in cranberry can be fragile, meaning they can be easily degraded by heat or oxidation. That’s why the production process is essential in preserving the concentration of PACs in the finished product.8 That’s why in SFI Health Ellura a specialised process is used to ensure the recommended dose of 36 mg of PACs is in every capsule of Ellura.

In addition, it is suggested that before the DMAC* method was established as a PACs analysis method, the level of strength of any product could possibly be over- or under-estimated depending on how PAC content was measured.8,9

DMAC is a scientifically validated method that was created to standardise the cranberry industry worldwide to know just how much PACs is in each product. 8

In 2013, a study was conducted to test the PACs content of 11 different cranberry supplements using the DMAC method. The results in the chart below suggest that available cranberry supplements at the time had varying levels of PACs when tested using the DMAC method. While Ellura was found to meet the 36 mg recommended dose of PACs.10

Laboratory test showing PAC content of 11 Australian cranberry supplements

Clinical research has shown that the daily consumption of 36 mg of PACs from cranberry can help reduce the frequency of medically diagnosed cystitis.3-6 Therefore it is important to ensure the product you take has 36 mg of PACs in the dose so you can more feel more confident it will have the same results as in the research.

Ellura is a concentrated cranberry extract that is standardised to provide the recommended 36 mg of PACs in each one-a-day capsule.

*4-dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde (DMAC)

Research on how our specific cranberry extract works

Research on how Ellura specific concentrated extract may work

The most common culprit of recurrent cystitis is a harmful bacteria called E. coli which can multiply and attach to the urinary tract wall.11 There is evidence to suggest that PACs in cranberry work by helping to prevent bacteria from sticking to the urinary tract wall.2

More about PACs, E. coli and the urinary tract wall

Researchers propose a number of ways that PACs could prevent this bacterial adhesion.  One possible way is by the PACs binding to the tips of E.coli bacteria, preventing adhesion to the urinary tract wall which then allows the bacteria to be flushed out in the urine. 12

Clinical studies on cranberry extracts with 36 mg PACs

The benefits of cranberry for urinary tract health is supported by clinical evidence. A number of research studies including those featured in the table below have been conducted on cranberry concentrated extracts with the standardised recommended dose of 36mg PACs.2-5

BIANCO ET AL., 2012 4

80 elderly females living in a nursing home studied over 1 month*
DOSE DEPENDENT TREND TOWARD DECREASE
  • of bacteria usually responsible
    for recurrent cystitis

*Cranberry capsules; 3x (108 mg PACs), 2x (72 mg PACs) or 1x (36 mg PACs) daily; or placebo daily,

Pilot, randomised, double-blind placebo-controlled study.

BOTTO ET AL., 2010 5

15 elderly patients studied over 33 month*
SIGNIFICANT DECREASE
  • urine samples with bacteria
  • rate of recurrent medically
    diagnosed cystitis symptoms

*the median time of treatment with Ellura (36 mg PACs)

Pilot open study.

HOWELL ET AL., 2010 2

32 adult female patients studied for 24 hours*
SIGNIFICANT RESULTS

vs. placebo for:

  • bacterial anti-adhesion activity in
    urine samples collected from
    participants^

*Cranberry capsules; 18 mg or 36 mg of PACs; or placebo

Double-blind multicentric, placebo-controlled, randomised study.

Always read the label, follow the directions for use. If symptoms persist, worsen, or change unexpectedly, talk to your health professional.

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Our Source To Patient Philosophy

We make sure our natural medicines are consistent.

Not only do the clinical studies on our products demonstrate real health outcomes, they demonstrate the results you can expect from the same products you see on shelf. It’s all part of our Source to Patient philosophy.

See the steps taken to make our products

References

  1. Braun, L & Cohen, M (eds). Herbs and Natural Supplements: An evidence-based guide. 2014; 138.
  2. Howell AB et al., BMC Infectious Diseases 2010:94:1-11.
  3. Uberos J et al., Open Access J of Clinical Trials 2012;4:31-38.  Funded by the Carlos III Institute of Health for Clinical Research, Madrid, Spain
  4. Bianco L et al., J Am Geriatr Soc 2012; 60:1180-1.
  5. Botto H & Neuzillet Y., Scand J of Urol and Nephrol 2010; 44: 165-8.
  6. World Health Organization. WHO monographs on selected medicinal plants Volume 4. World Health Organization. Geneva, 2009.
  7. Jepson RG et al., Cochrane Collaboration 2012; 10.  Funding for the 2012 update provided by the UK NHS NIHR.
  8. Prior RL et al., J Sci Food Agric 2010; 49:1270-1276.
  9. Standardized Testing Method for Cranberry Products.  Available: here. Accessed October 2018.
  10. Agrobio Laboratories, Report on proanthocyanidins of cranberry products in Australia, 2013.
  11. Mayo Clinic. Cystitis Overview available: here. Accessed October 2018.
  12. Foo et al., J Nat Prod 2000, 63:1225-1228.