“Hawthorn”
Traditionally valued for its astringent properties, hawthorn was used for treating diarrhoea, heavy menstrual bleeding and in first aid to draw splinters.
More recently, Hawthorn is seen as a useful heart tonic herb. It strengthens the veins, capillaries and the heart. It tightens connective tissue.
Botanical Name: Crataegeus monogyna / oxycantha
Common name: Hawthorn
Family: Rosaceae
Parts Used: Leaf and berry; harvest flowering twigs in early Summer, leaves in Summer, and berries in Autumn
Active Constituents:
- Flavonoids (oligomeric proanthocyanidins [OPCs])
- Tannins
- Essential oil
- Saponins
- Glycosides
- Amines
“Crataegus has quickly become one of the most widely used heart remedies” – Rudolf Weiss, 1985
Qualities:
Flowers are cool, astringent to taste; berries are sour, slightly sweet and warm
Berries can be drying (astringent) and should be combined with a demulcent in those individuals who are constitutionally dry.
Hawthorn is calming and gives courage. Regular consumption of the leaves is said to help one endure heat due to its cooling properties and action on the vasculature.
Actions:
- Cardioprotective
- Cardiotonic
- Strengthens veins and capillaries
- Strengthens heart muscle and helps it get and use oxygen more efficiently
- Strengthens the pulse (more blood in each beat), slows it (fewer beats per minute), and is a positive inotrope (strengthens heart muscle contractions)
- Acts as a negative bathmotrope (lessens heart excitability)
- Hypotensive
- Peripheral vasodilator
- Antiarrythmic
- Antioxidant
- Mild astringent (berries)
- Collagen stabilising
- Diuretic
Hawthorn relaxes and soothes the nervous system, lifts mood and slows down and deepens breathing; it is a good herb for grief (Henriette Kress).
Indications:
- Cardiac insufficiency (best in early stages 1 and 2 of NYHA scale)
- Minor angina pectoris
- Low heart rate variability
- Hypertension
- Recovery from myocardial infarction ; helps healing and improves oxygen supply to the heart muscle
- Cardiac arrhythmias
- Atherosclerosis
- Buerger’s disease
- Insomnia
- Poor circulation
- ‘Calms’ the heart – palpitations, tachycardia, chest pain and anxiety, if other causes have been eliminated; could be due to other infectious causes or nervous system dysfunction. Hawthorn will still help calm the heart.
Additionally, said to help with congestion and has been used for problems in the inner ear e.g. tinnitus and Meniere’s disease (combine with Ginger, Ginkgo, Turkey Tail).
Contraindications: None known
Cautions:
May act synergistically with digitalis glycosides, beta blockers and other hypotensive drugs
Side effects may include gastrointestinal disturbances, palpitations, headache, dizziness, circulatory disturbances, sleeplessness.
Henriette Kress notes that, although Hawthorn will strengthen the heart in almost anybody, it might not be appropriate for those who cannot take a slower pulse; she says that if this is a problem, it will show as palpitation symptoms etc. in a few days after taking and these will cease once Hawthorn is stopped.
Dosage:
1:2 FE 3-7ml per day or 20-50ml per week
- Higher doses may be needed for hypertension
- Extracts should have no less than 10mg/ml of OPCs
Combinations:
- Combine with Yarrow in infusion for hypertension
- Hypertension – also can combine with Linden flowers
- Combine with Motherwort – tonic for women to connect the heart and the kidneys; calms, supports and tones.
- Grief and anxiety – combine with Oats
- Tinnitus and Meniere’s disease – combine with Ginger, Ginkgo, Turkey Tail
- Arthritis and connective tissue disorders – combine with Rosehip, Horsetail
OTHER USES:
- FLOWER INFUSION: To improve circulation & as tonic for heart ailments.
- FLOWER TINCTURE: Prescribed with other cardiac herbs for Angina, Hypertension and related problems
- BERRY DECOCTION: Use 30g berries to 500ml water and decoct for 15 minutes ONLY. Take for diarrhoea. Combine with ju hua (Chrysanthemum Flower) & gou qi zi (Goji) for hypertension
- BERRY JUICE: Use juice from fresh berries as a cardiac tonic, also for diarrhoea, poor digestion or as a general digestive tonic
HAWTHORN BERRY SYRUP RECIPE LINK:
http://articles.herballegacy.com/herbs-for-the-heart/
Hawthorn Berry Liqueur :
Recipe taken from Herbal Manufacturing by Jenny Adams & Eleanor Tan
Dose: 1 teaspoon 3 times daily to strengthen the cardiovascular system
- Fill a saucepan with Hawthorn Berries up to 5cm below the brim. Cover with distilled or purified water and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes. DO NOT BOIL!
- Remove from heat and steep for 20 minutes
- Strain out the liquid and put aside in a clean glass container
- Mash the berries and again fill the container with more purified water to cover the berries. Repeat the process and add the resulting liquid to the first batch.
- Measure how much liquid you have. Stirring frequently (as liquid will burn), simmer the liquid down to 1/4 its original amount
- Measure 1/4 of this final amount of glycerine and 1/4 of brandy and add to the hawthorn decoction. Makes 4 parts concentrate: 1 part glycerine: 1 part brandy
- Bottle in amber glass bottles
References & Article Links:
Adams, J. & Tan, E. (2006). Herbal Manufacturing: How to make Medicine from Plants. Preston: Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE Printers
Ody, Penelope (1998). The Herb Society’s Complete Medicinal Herbal. Milan: Dorling Kindersley
Materia Medica 