Are Hawthorn Berries Diuretic? – Hawthorn berries are a group of woody plants in the rose family native to temperate regions of Europe, the Middle East, Asia, & North America. Some in the Middle East consider the plant sacred. Many historians believe it may be the Crown of Thorns worn by Jesus during the Crucifixion. In this article, you will discover 5 great benefits of hawthorn berries.
This medicinal herb is known as one of the best natural agents for improving cardiovascular function. Hawthorn is approved as a cardiovascular aid by Commission E- an important branch of the German government that studies and approves natural therapies (1, 2).
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Are Hawthorn Berries Diuretic?
It is widely used in Europe to improve the circulatory system, treat angina, high blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmias and congestive heart failure. It is known for its ability to strengthen the heart and blood vessels and restore healthy muscle tone to the heart wall.
Hawthorn Berries (zaaroor)
Hawthorn berries are loaded with a variety of powerful antioxidant nutrients. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals and reduce oxidative stress and tissue damage in the body. The unique blend of antioxidants found in Hawthorn comes from a group of phytonutrients (3). These include tannins, flavonoids, proanthocyanidins and phenolic acids. The standardization of hawthorn products is based on the total content of flavonoids (2.2%) and proanthocyanidins (18.75%).
Hawthorn berries have been well studied in individuals with congestive heart failure (4, 5). Five of the six main studies conducted found a dramatic improvement in symptoms (such as shortness of breath and fatigue).
One study showed that hawthorn (taken at 900mg/day) for 2 months was as effective as low doses of captopril (a leading heart drug) in improving common symptoms associated with congestive heart failure(6).
The unique blend of antioxidants in Hawthorn creates a powerful vasodilating effect. It acts to improve the endothelial function of blood vessels to where the vessel is able to open with less resistance. This allows greater blood flow in the working tissues and increases oxygen consumption. This is mainly due to the flavonoids rutin and vitexin along with proanthocyanins (7, 8).
Hawthorn Berry Herb As A Diuretic
Hawthorn increases the metabolism of heart cells and increases the flow of electrolytes across the heart cells. This prevents or corrects heart rhythm abnormalities and greatly promotes a healthy heart rhythm.
Hawthorne contains flavones that improve the function of certain heart enzymes. This effect increases the contractility of the heart, which effectively increases stroke volume while increasing the heart’s tolerance to hypoxic conditions (9). It also increases the heart’s ability to create energy through anaerobic metabolism which increases the heart’s ability to withstand stress.
Hawthorn also acts to inhibit angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE). Increased ACE causes increased angiotensin II and systemic vasoconstriction. This process increases blood pressure.
By modulating ACE levels, Hawthorn helps normalize blood pressure and reduce stress on the cardiovascular system. The body usually takes two to four weeks to adjust to hawthorn and it has a long-lasting effect on blood pressure (10, 11, 12).
Hawthorn — Wildness Within
Hawthorn also helps protect joints with its unique combination of antioxidants. These phytonutrients ward off certain classes of free radicals known to damage tissue collagen resulting in arthritic conditions. A natural remedy that supports healthy collagen improves the health of joints, skin, hair & nails.
When getting hawthorn berries, make sure you get the whole plant – leaves, flowers & berries. Berries contain more proanthocyanins while flowers and leaves contain more vitexins. The most effective way to take hawthorn if you can’t get it fresh is in dried and ground form. Here is the dry version and here is a combination of hawthorn with its cousin hibiscus in an organic tea
Add the fresh plant or dried form to a shake or tea and consume daily. Due to its antioxidant and cardiovascular booster effects it is great to use before/after exercise. This enhances exercise recovery by increasing oxygen flow and neutralizing free radicals from damaged tissue.
You can also find great herbal tinctures here that are easy to use. You can also use the Nutrigold Hawthorn Gold supplement here
A.vogel Bladder Formula
Sources For This Article Include: 1. Tassell MC, Kingston R, Gilroy D, Lehane M, Furey A. Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) in the treatment of cardiovascular disease. Pharmacognosy Reviews. 2010;4(7):32-41. 2. Chang WT, Dao J, Shao ZH. Hawthorn: potential role in cardiovascular disease. Am J Chin Med. 2005;33(1):1-10. PMID: 15844828 3. Rigelsky JM, Sweet BV. Hawthorn: pharmacology and therapeutic uses. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2002 Mar 1;59(5):417-22. PMID: 11887407 4. Pittler MH, Guo R, Ernst E. Hawthorn extract for treating chronic heart failure. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008 Jan 23;(1):CD005312. PMID: 18254076 5. Pittler MH, Schmidt K, Ernst E. Hawthorn extract for treating chronic heart failure: a meta-analysis of randomized trials. Am J Med. 2003 Jun 1;114(8):665-74. PMID: 12798455 6. Zick SM, Vautaw BM, Gillespie B, Aaronson KD. Hawthorn Extract Randomized Blinded Chronic Heart Failure Trial (HERB CHF). European Journal of Heart Failure. 2009;11(10):990-999. 7. Asher GN, Viera AJ, Weaver MA, Dominik R, Caughey M, Hinderliter AL. Effects of standardized hawthorn extract on flow-mediated dilation in prehypertensive and moderately hypertensive adults: a randomized controlled crossover trial. BMC Complementary Alternative Med. 2012 Mar 29;12:26. PMID: 22458601 8. Botanicals for Regulating Heart Rhythms Link Here 9. Elango C, Devaraj SN. Immunomodulatory effects of Hawthorn extract in an experimental stroke model. J Neuroinflammation. 2010 Dec 30;7:97. PMID: 21192826 10. Walker AF, Marakis G, Morris AP, Robinson PA. Promising hypotensive effects of hawthorn extract: a randomized double-blind pilot study on mild and essential hypertension. Phytother Res. 2002 Feb;16(1):48-54. PMID: 11807965 11. Dahmer S, Scott E. Health effects of hawthorn. General Practitioner Fam. 2010 Feb 15;81(4):465-8. PMID: 20148500 12. Fong HH, Bauman JL. Hawthorn. J Cardiovasc Nurs. 2002 Jul;16(4):1-8. PMID: 12597258
“Join my tribe today to discover hidden strategies to boost your energy, brain, digestion & metabolism.”— Dr. David Jockers Hawthorn is a handsome tree, growing to several meters in height and having small white flowers and bright red berries. It is popular in gardens throughout North America and in parts of Europe and Australia.
The flowers and berries of the tree are used in Western herbal medicine to treat various cardiovascular conditions and can be used as a preventive measure against heart disease.
Today, cardiovascular disease remains the number one killer in the developed world. The benefits that hawthorn offers on cardiovascular function, and the prevalence of the plant worldwide make it an excellent candidate for future medicines against heart disease.
Herbs & Botanicals
Aside from cardiovascular disease, hawthorn is commonly used to treat anxiety conditions and topically to treat acne and dry skin.
The main use of hawthorn is to treat cardiovascular diseases. The flowers and berries contain a slurry of chemicals with well-studied effects on the cardiovascular system. Hawthorn dilates coronary arteries, provides arteriolar protection through antioxidant activity, regulates abnormal heart rhythms, and improves microcirculation.
All these effects from a single plant make hawthorn an important herb for treating and preventing various cardiovascular conditions. Hawthorn is used to lower cholesterol and triglycerides, treat heart palpitations and other forms of arrhythmia, increase heart contractility for congestive heart failure and improve blood flow that is reduced with COPD.
There are many references to hawthorn in old texts, and most of the indications are towards heart and circulatory diseases. It was used in the past to treat conditions including tachycardia, hypertension, angina pectoris, and myocardial weakness. Berries are also used as an astringent for sore throats, and as a diuretic. [3].
Impressive Health Benefits Of Hawthorn Berry
Traditionally the berries were mainly used, but recent findings suggest the leaves have a stronger medicinal action [3].
Hawthorn has also been widely used as a source of wood, and the berries as a flavoring for liquor. [3].
The British herbal pharmacopoeia lists crataegus as cardiotonic, coronary vasodilator, and hypotensive specifically for heart failure, myocardial weakness, hypertension, arteriosclerosis, Buergers disease, and paroxysmal tachycardia [13].
In Chinese medicine, this fruit is often used to improve digestion, stimulate circulation, and treat blood stasis. [3].
Hawthorn Berry: Your Heart’s Best Friend
Hawthorn is a member of the Rosaceae plant family, which consists of approximately 91 genera and 4828 different species. The genus Crataegus contains 260 different species, some of which are used medicinally.
There is widespread hybridization of Crataegus in general, which has caused some confusion with the classification of the many species contained in the genus [3].
Although berries are traditionally preferred, it is generally found that leaves offer the most benefits against cardiovascular disease [3].
The German Federal Ministry of Health conducted a four-year study on Crataegus and its activity on the cardiovascular system, which resulted in the inclusion of Crataegus as a recognized heart medicine in Europe. [1].
Hawthorn Berry, Leaf, & Flower
Coronary artery dilation has been found through the content of crataegolic acid and ursolic acid, and various flavonoids (such as vitexin-2″-)’rhamnoside, luteolin-7-glucoside, hyperoside, rutin, and vitexin), and oligomeric. procyanidins (OPCs) [4 ].
The antioxidant activity of Crataegus is suggested to be mainly due to the flavonoids found in the leaves, flowers, and berries. This chemical is a powerful antioxidant chemical and has also been shown to produce the ability to increase collagen cross-linking in vascular tissue walls. This strengthens blood vessels and can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. [1].
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