This Cranberry Super-Shot May Finally Stop Your UTIs

I get UTIs…a lot. I’ve canceled on friends more than I can remember because of them. There are few more hellish experiences than sitting on the toilet at 4 a.m., the urination pain relief meds aren’t kicking in, and you know it’ll be a while before you can see a doctor.

Over the last few years, I’ve become increasingly UTI-prone and haven’t really been able to figure out why. It disrupts my enjoyment of sex sometimes because I dread the thought of having that painful burning in the middle of the night. This is all to paint a picture for you: I’m a prime candidate to try CRANEL, a super-charged vitamin shot of 3,000 cranberries that treats and prevents UTIs, balances your pH, and, reviewers say, gives you glowing skin in the meantime.

Below, I tried my first weekly shot — and the pH strips thrown in to check on my pH levels. Would I look and feel like the influencers raving about CRANEL on TikTok? I put it to the test.

What Is CRANEL?

Let’s break this super-shot down further. Within a single capsule, you’re getting 500 milligrams of proanthocyanidins (PACs), the active ingredient in cranberries that inhibits the growth of UTI-causing bacteria. For reference, studies show that for a supplement to be effective it needs at least 36 milligrams of PACs, so CRANEL is well above that baseline. Drinking a CRANEL shot is the equivalent of drinking 60 liters of cranberry juice but with less sugar. There’s no added sugar in the shot (in fact, the natural sugars are also removed), making it healthier (and, in my opinion, better tasting) than sugary cranberry juices and the syrupy supplement I was taking before.

The cool thing about this cranberry shot is that it benefits your body beyond UTI prevention. Cranberries have antioxidants that repair your cells, boosting your heart and vision health, as well as collagen production for your skin. The fruit is also bioactive, which means that a CRANEL shot can help to maintain your digestive health. They even use the whole cranberry, seeds and all, to extract the fullest benefits from the fruit.

How Does It Taste?

My box of CRANEL shots — the Feel Fresh Bunch — could not have come at a better time. During the last day or two of my period, my pH levels get more acidic and I become more UTI-prone. My body was very ready to try this out.

The cylindrical shot capsule looks very futuristic; I felt like I was drinking a cool alien beverage. The shot was not nearly as bitter as I expected, not like the unsweetened cranberry juice I usually buy with good intentions but never drink. It also wasn’t sweet or chemical-tasting like other supplements on the market. The CRANEL shot is definitely unsweetened, but it tasted refreshing — kind of like a juice or herbal tea.

Does It Work?

In the days after my first shot, CRANEL seemed to be doing its job. Even after sex and a warm June weekend spent running around, my vagina still felt balanced and irritation-free. There were a few moments post-sex when I began to feel that familiar twinge of bladder irritation, but it disappeared quickly. Obviously, I can’t say for sure, but I feel fairly certain that was the CRANEL working its magic.

Aside from my experience, other users had high praise:

“I’ve been using the cranel drink for a while now. It’s by far the best preventative product I have ever used. I haven’t had an UTI since I have been drinking Cranel!” — Karen S.

“Medication I take for post chemo can cause bladder issues/UTI etc which I experienced and started researching what I could do naturally to help. I have only had 2 Cranels so far and I feel ‘normal’. Fantastic!!!” — Anonymous

“I’ve been suffering from UTIs regularly for 40 odd years… couldn’t tell you how many courses of antibiotics taken, then tummy upsets, etc etc. I’ve just had my third weekly shot and, so far, no UTIs.” — Suzanne D.

Taking The Test

Three days after my first weekly CRANEL shot, I tried one of the pH test strips. The test strips are FDA-approved and come with “jargon-free” instructions. Admittedly, this part was a little confusing for me. I hadn’t used a pH test strip before, and the instructions were indeed very simple, if not a little vague. I swabbed inside my vagina and waited the required 30 seconds for my results. It was hard to say exactly, but it looked like my pH was somewhere between 5.0 and 6.0 which is below the pH level that would indicate being at risk of infection but not quite in the 3.8 to 4.5 sweet spot. I wasn’t surprised — I expected a slightly higher pH due to being in the last few days of my period which can result in a higher pH reading since period blood has a pH of 7.4.

Final Thoughts:

I’ll be honest: I get nervous continually adding subscriptions to the many others I have already. But CRANEL seems like it may actually be worth it. For $48 a month, the Feel Fresh Bunch — four weekly shots plus pH test strips — will be delivered to your door on whichever day you choose. This month, you can use the code "HOT22" for a 15% discount on your first month. Or you can order packs individually, like the Four Pack Attack or the Happy Health Haul that come with pH test strips and UTI test strips. It might be one extra thing to factor into my budget each month, but if it keeps me UTI-free, it’s an expense I’m more than happy to add.