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Herbs: Hawthorn berries - whole

Common Name: Hawthorn berry
Latin Name: Crataegus oxycanthus

Excerpts from Left for Dead

Hawthorn regulates high and low blood pressure, arrhythmic heartbeat and irregular pulse. Hawthorn prevents hardening of the arteries, treats arteriosclerosis and cools inflammation of the heart muscle. Used regularly, hawthorn strengthens the heart muscle and the nerves to the heart.

Controlled medical studies in Europe showed that hawthorn lowered blood pressure and reduced the strain on the heart by dilating the blood vessels away from the heart, strengthened the heart muscle by increasing the metabolism of enzymes in the heart muscle, boosted the utilization of oxygen by the heart and slightly dilated the coronary vessels. Almost all the heart patients given hawthorn showed improvement. Hawthorn normalized and enhanced the function of the heart and circulatory system without side effects.

Hawthorn is a gentle heart tonic that nurtures the entire circulatory system. Hawthorn has proven effective as a treatment for functional heart disease arrhythmia, angina pectoris, age-related circulatory insufficiency, arteriosclerosis and regulation of the circulatory system.

To thwart the damaging effects of a heart attack hawthorn is the ‘ounce of prevention that is worth a pound of cure.’ Hawthorn improves coronary circulation by dilating the coronary arteries to bring more oxygen directly to the heart muscle and reducing the chances of heart attack or angina. Increasing the ability of the heart to function smoothly, hawthorn imparts a gentle but persistent toning action that compensates for age-related degeneration of the heart. Simply put, hawthorn helps keep the heart healthy enough to head off a heart attack.

Used in conjunction with a healthy diet and stress management, hawthorn is the perfect preventative prescription for persons who have a family history of heart disease. Considered a safe and effective long-term treatment for the gradual loss of heart function that comes with age, hawthorn is not habit forming, accumulative or toxic.

For patients who have already suffered a heart attack, studies show hawthorn speeds recovery, lowers blood pressure, strengthens the heart and forestalls any onset of coronary disease. No other herb in the plant kingdom provides the nourishing regeneration of hawthorn both before or after a heart attack.

Although hawthorn berries are used in marmalades, jellies, and as a flour additive, powdered hawthorn should be taken with the meal or shortly after eating to avoid nausea. The recommended dosage of hawthorn, whether in capsules, powder or tincture, is three times a day.

To make the tincture, steep four ounces of the berries in a pint of brandy for two weeks, then filter. Fifteen drops is considered one dose. For hawthorn tea, add one or two teaspoons of berries to hot water.

Excerpts from The How to Herb Book

• Known as the heart herb; strengthens and regulates the heart; used extensively in well-known European heart remedies.
• Can be used for any and all kinds of heart disorders-organic or functional. Arteriosclerosis, heart muscle inflammation, etc.
• Has been combined with cayenne and garlic for heart.
• Especially good for weakened heart muscle caused by age, and for insufficiency of the heart valves (angina pectoris).
• Alleviates hypertrophy (enlargement of the heart) and fibrillation of the heart.
• Relaxes the blood vessels and thus lowers blood pressure.
• Good for executives or anyone under stress.
• Produces natural adrenalin.

Has been used in the following:

Case History:

An X-ray taken by a doctor showed that J’s heart was enlarged and overlapping the lung. It was also very sore. She drank 1 cup Hawthorn tea regularly each day until the problem was corrected.

Excerpts from Practical Herbalism

Due to the enormous increase in the incidence of coronary heart disease in the last century, Hawthorn’s long-standing reputation as a heart tonic gained it much attention in the research community.

Research has validated this herb’s historical uses, and shown it to be especially useful in treating congestive heart failure, preventing heart attack, normalizing blood pressure, regulating heart beat, and protecting the heart from oxidative stress.

In China, Hawthorn is used to treat stomach and ovarian cancer.

Indicated Usages - Internal

Indicated Usages - External:

Excerpts from Nutritional Herbology

Folk medicine holds hawthorn berries in high esteem for its effectiveness in treating both high and low blood pressure, rapid pulse and arythmic heartbeat, as a prophylactic against angina pain and in atherosclerosis.

The Native Americans used hawthorn to treat rheumatism and in Chinese medicine, another species of hawthorn was used as a digestive aid.

Instead, the active principles appear to be the flavonoids which slowly act on circulatory and cardiac problems by causing dilations of the blood vessels, especially the coronary arteries, and by causing some reduction in blood pressure. Hawthorn does not appear to be cardio-toxic and seems to have no cumulative effect. Hawthorn should be taken with or immediately after a meal in order to avoid nausea. Toxicity has been noted only with very high doses.

Contain bitter compounds that increase coronary blood flow and myocardial metabolism allowing the heart to function with less oxygen. These compounds also lower blood pressure by decreasing cardiac output and dilating peripheral blood vessels. It has been used to treat hypertension, coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis, blood clots and insomnia.

From Our Reading and/or Experience...

• Hawthorn berries are THE herb for any issues related to the heart. Only Cayenne, and Garlic come close to the positive effects that Hawthorn berries have on the function and condition of the heart. The combination of those 3 herbs is a powerhouse of a cure.
• Hawthorn berries are best used in tincture combinations. However, the whole berries can be simmered for a long while and used in teas. Just don't use it on an empty stomach, as that can cause nausea.
• It can be used to benefit anyone: men, women (including before, during or after pregnancy, and nursing), children and animals.
• It can be used as often as you would like, and in any way you choose.
• It is critical that you do not expose Hawthorn berries to light any longer than necessary. It should be stored in a dark, dry, and cool place. Refrigeration or freezing is great, but certainly not necessary. Following these suggestions will delay the loss of its highly valued nutritional and medicinal properties.

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