Cranberry
HerbalAlso called · 7 names▾▴
American cranberry, bearberry, Vaccinium macrocarpon, Oxycoccus macrocarpos, Vaccinium oxycoccos, cranberry juice, cranberry capsules
Herbal supplement (urinary tract health)
Herbs and supplements are not FDA-approved before sale. About these sources
- Food / spice
- Capsule/tablet
- Other
Research strength: 3 / 5
According to NCCIH, studies suggest that usual food amounts may be of little concern during pregnancy, but evidence for larger amounts is not conclusive. In the Norwegian cohort, 121 women reported cranberry use in the first trimester; adjusted analyses did not find a statistically significant increase in overall or major birth defects, but the estimates were imprecise. The study did not record the cranberry product or dose. EMA's herbal monograph does not recommend medicinal cranberry use during pregnancy because reproductive data are insufficient. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-16
Research strength: 3 / 5
According to NCCIH, studies suggest that usual food amounts may be of little concern during pregnancy, while evidence for larger amounts is not conclusive. In the Norwegian cohort, cranberry use was not associated with increased stillbirth or newborn death, preterm birth, low birth weight, small-for-gestational-age birth, low Apgar scores, neonatal infection, or bleeding before week 17. The study did not record cranberry product or dose, and later-pregnancy exposure combined the second and third trimesters. EMA's herbal monograph does not recommend medicinal cranberry use during pregnancy because data are insufficient. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-16
Research strength: 3 / 5
According to NCCIH, studies suggest that usual food amounts may be of little concern, but evidence for larger amounts during pregnancy is not conclusive. In the Norwegian cohort, reports of vaginal bleeding after week 17 were more common before adjustment among cranberry users in later pregnancy, but the association was not statistically significant after adjustment; analyses did not find a significant association with heavier bleeding or hospitalization. The study did not record cranberry product or dose, and it combined second- and third-trimester use. EMA's herbal monograph does not recommend medicinal cranberry use during pregnancy because data are insufficient. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-16
Cranberry — Breastfeeding
Research strength: 2 / 5
LactMed reports no published cranberry levels in maternal or infant blood and no published effects in breastfed infants. A study of 60 nursing mothers found higher milk antioxidant capacity after 20 g of cranberries daily for 21 days; milk polyphenols increased significantly only in the mastitis group, and the study did not measure infant outcomes. NCCIH says food amounts may be of little concern, but evidence for larger amounts is not conclusive. EMA's herbal monograph does not recommend medicinal cranberry use during lactation because data are insufficient. LactMed reports cases of raised INR with warfarin; EMA lists concomitant cranberry and warfarin use as a contraindication, while NCCIH says interaction evidence is conflicting. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-16
Sources
- LactMed: CranberryUS government
- NCCIH: CranberryUS government
- Valls-Bellés et al., human milk antioxidant studyUS government
- EMA: European Union herbal monograph on cranberry fruitEU agencyEuropean guidance
- MHRA: 2025 warfarin and food interaction informationUK government
Pregnancy
Heitmann et al. (2013) analyzed 68,522 pregnancies in the Norwegian cohort; 919 women reported cranberry use, including 121 with first-trimester-only exposure. In that first-trimester subgroup, adjusted analyses did not find a statistically significant increase in overall or major malformations, but the confidence intervals were wide. The cohort found no increase in stillbirth or neonatal death, preterm birth, low birth weight, small-for-gestational-age birth, low Apgar scores, or neonatal infection. It observed more reports of vaginal bleeding after week 17 before adjustment among later-pregnancy users, but the association was not significant after adjustment and more severe bleeding outcomes were not significantly associated. The study did not capture cranberry product form or dose, and the authors noted there were few malformation cases. A 2015 randomized capsule pilot enrolled 49 pregnant women, but it was designed mainly to measure compliance and tolerability, not rare fetal outcomes; Ocean Spray funded the study and Theralogix donated the capsules. EMA advises against medicinal use during pregnancy because reproductive and developmental data are insufficient. NCCIH distinguishes food amounts, which it says may be of little concern, from larger amounts for which evidence is not conclusive.
Breastfeeding
LactMed reports that published maternal and infant blood levels and published effects in breastfed infants were not found as of its April 2022 revision. Valls-Bellés et al. (2022) studied 60 mothers who had delivered at term; 30 received cranberry and 30 served as controls, with 15 in each mastitis subgroup. The cranberry groups received 20 g daily for 21 days. The study measured breast-milk antioxidant capacity, polyphenols and other laboratory markers, not infant blood levels, growth, symptoms or clinical outcomes. Cranberry intake increased total antioxidant capacity in both control and mastitis milk; the increase in total polyphenols was statistically significant only in the mastitis group. The authors reported no conflict of interest and listed university grants. EMA says lactation data are insufficient and does not recommend medicinal use during lactation.
Cranberry is the fruit of Vaccinium macrocarpon. Products include berries, juice, dried fruit, powders, capsules and tablets. LactMed describes phenolics, flavonoids, anthocyanidins and ellagitannins in the fruit. Cranberries also contain proanthocyanidins (PACs); NCCIH and Cochrane describe PACs as a proposed reason cranberry products may affect bacteria sticking to the bladder lining. Processing can reduce PAC levels, and the amount and composition can vary between products.
What was tested
The 2013 Norwegian cohort included 68,522 pregnancies and 919 cranberry users; 121 reported first-trimester-only use, but product type and dose were not recorded. The 2015 pregnancy pilot randomized 49 participants at under 16 weeks to cranberry capsules or placebo; it evaluated compliance and tolerability, had 38 participants evaluable for compliance, and was not designed as an efficacy or rare-outcome trial. The 2022 lactation study measured milk markers in 60 mothers, including 30 who received 20 g cranberries daily for 21 days; it did not assess infant outcomes. The 2023 Cochrane review included three pregnancy studies with 765 participants and found little or no preventive effect on UTIs in pregnant women. A 2026 trial enrolled 84 patients with preterm prelabor rupture of membranes and tested a blend of lactobacillus, vitamin C, cranberry and hibiscus; its results cannot be attributed to cranberry alone and its abstract did not report cranberry-specific safety outcomes. A 2025 Catalonia survey reported cranberry use by 4% of respondents but studied use patterns, not pregnancy or infant outcomes.
Food amounts versus medicinal or concentrated products during pregnancy and lactation
- Source A says
- NCCIH says some studies suggest amounts commonly found in food may be of little concern during pregnancy or breastfeeding, while evidence for larger amounts is not conclusive. (NCCIH: Cranberry)
- Source B says
- EMA's herbal monograph says pregnancy and lactation data are insufficient and does not recommend use of cranberry medicinal products in those periods. (EMA: European Union herbal monograph on Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton, fructus)
- Why they differ
- NCCIH separates ordinary food amounts from larger amounts. EMA's monograph covers herbal medicinal products and sets a higher evidence threshold for recommending use in pregnancy and lactation. The different statements concern exposure type and missing data, not an established finding of harm.
- Other sources
- The Norwegian cohort found no statistically significant increase in measured malformations or neonatal outcomes, but product dose and form were not recorded. EMA's assessment report discusses these cohort findings and the lack of dose-specific data. (Heitmann et al., Pregnancy outcome after use of cranberry in pregnancy, EMA: Final assessment report on Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton, fructus)
- What the evidence shows overall
- The cohort gives limited information about the products used in that population. It cannot establish effects for a specific dose or concentrated preparation. NCCIH's food-amount statement and EMA's medicinal-product precaution can both be represented without treating the precaution as evidence that harm occurred.
Cranberry and warfarin interaction
- Source A says
- EMA lists concomitant use with warfarin as a contraindication and says cranberry products may increase warfarin's effect. MHRA's 2025 public information page says cranberry products may increase bruising or bleeding in people taking warfarin. (EMA: European Union herbal monograph on Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton, fructus, MHRA: 2025 warfarin and food interaction information)
- Source B says
- NCCIH says evidence about a cranberry-warfarin interaction is conflicting. A 2025 review says available evidence suggests juice consumption up to 240 mL daily, and probably more, does not show a clinically important interaction. (NCCIH: Cranberry, Talasaz et al., review of food and herbal interactions with oral anticoagulants)
- Why they differ
- Case reports and some controlled studies point in different directions. A small crossover study in 12 healthy men found a 30% increase in the INR-time area after cranberry concentrate and a single high warfarin dose; other small studies in people on stable warfarin doses found no significant difference at ordinary juice amounts. EMA applies a precaution to concomitant use, while the 2025 review emphasizes the limited and mixed clinical data.
- Other sources
- A case report described two large INR increases after daily intake of about 1.4 to 1.9 liters of cranberry juice cocktail. The EMA assessment report also describes small studies at 240 to 250 mL daily with mixed findings. (Hamann et al., cranberry juice and warfarin case report, EMA: Final assessment report on Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton, fructus)
- What the evidence shows overall
- The evidence remains mixed and does not establish a single dose-response rule. The public entry should preserve the EMA contraindication and MHRA warning, while also stating that NCCIH describes the evidence as conflicting and the 2025 review found no clear interaction signal at usual juice amounts.
- NCCIH says cranberry products are not a treatment for an existing urinary tract infection and says people who think they have one should see a health care provider for diagnosis and treatment. (NCCIH)
- EMA's monograph describes traditional cranberry herbal products for prevention of recurrent uncomplicated lower urinary tract infections in women after serious conditions have been excluded by a doctor. It does not recommend medicinal cranberry use in pregnancy or lactation because data are insufficient. (European Medicines Agency)
- The 2023 Cochrane review found little or no preventive effect for cranberry products in pregnant women across three studies with 765 participants. (Cochrane)
General research, not specific to pregnancy.
Outside pregnancy and breastfeeding, NCCIH says cranberry may reduce recurrent symptomatic urinary tract infections in some women, but it is not a treatment for an active infection. Sources disagree about warfarin: EMA lists combined use as a contraindication, while NCCIH describes the evidence as conflicting and a 2025 review finds no clear interaction signal at usual juice amounts.
- Cochrane found that cranberry products probably reduced symptomatic, culture-verified urinary tract infections in women with recurrent infections in eight studies with 1,555 participants (RR 0.74, 95% CI 0.55 to 0.99). NCCIH says cranberry is not a treatment for an existing infection. (Williams et al., Cochrane review of cranberries for preventing urinary tract infections, NCCIH: Cranberry)
- LactMed and NCCIH report that very large amounts can cause stomach upset and diarrhea. In its review of trials, Cochrane found that gastrointestinal side effects probably did not differ between cranberry users and placebo or no-treatment groups (10 studies, 2,166 participants; RR 1.33, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.77). (LactMed: Cranberry, NCCIH: Cranberry, Williams et al., Cochrane review of cranberries for preventing urinary tract infections)
- EMA lists concomitant cranberry and warfarin use as a contraindication and says cranberry products may potentiate warfarin. MHRA's December 2025 public information page warns that cranberry products may increase bruising or bleeding with warfarin. NCCIH says the evidence is conflicting; a 2025 review reports no clear interaction signal for usual juice amounts, while a published case report described INR elevations with very large daily juice intake. (EMA: European Union herbal monograph on Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton, fructus, MHRA: 2025 warfarin and food interaction information, NCCIH: Cranberry, Talasaz et al., review of food and herbal interactions with oral anticoagulants, Hamann et al., cranberry juice and warfarin case report)
- LactMed: CranberryUS governmentSecondaryPage dated 2022-04-18
- NCCIH: CranberryUS governmentSecondary
- EMA: European Union herbal monograph on Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton, fructusEU agencySecondaryPage dated 2022-11-23Independent checkEuropean guidance
- EMA: Final assessment report on Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton, fructusEU agencySecondaryPage dated 2022-11-23Independent checkEuropean guidance
- Heitmann et al., Pregnancy outcome after use of cranberry in pregnancyUS governmentPrimaryIndependent check
- Wing et al., Pilot study of cranberry capsules in pregnancyUS governmentPrimary
- Valls-Bellés et al., Human milk antioxidative modifications in mastitisUS governmentPrimaryIndependent check
- Williams et al., Cochrane review of cranberries for preventing urinary tract infectionsUS governmentPrimaryPage dated 2023-11-10Independent check
- Portillo Gonzales et al., multi-ingredient PPROM trialUS governmentPrimary
- Romero et al., herbal product use during pregnancy and postpartum in CataloniaUS governmentPrimary
- Hamann et al., cranberry juice and warfarin case reportUS governmentPrimaryIndependent check
- Abdul et al., pharmacodynamic interaction of warfarin with cranberryUS governmentPrimaryIndependent check
- Talasaz et al., review of food and herbal interactions with oral anticoagulantsUS governmentPrimaryIndependent check
- MHRA: 2025 warfarin and food interaction informationUK governmentSecondaryPage dated 2025-12-01Independent check
Last reviewed 2026-10-16
Independent check 2026-10-16
Not yet clinician-reviewed
Ask your provider about your situation.
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