Can Hawthorn Berries Cause A High White Blood Cell Count – Hawthorn is often called the “herb of the heart” because of its various cardio-protective abilities. Prized for its ability to uplift and strengthen the heart both emotionally and physically, the hawthorn berry has been used for centuries as a natural remedy for all kinds of serious heart problems. These include angina, high blood pressure, hardening of the arteries, irregular heartbeat, and even congestive heart failure.
In fact, hawthorn was used to treat heart disease as far back as the first century! Fast forward to the early 1800s and doctors in the United States were using this medicinal plant for both respiratory and circulatory health disorders. (1)
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Can Hawthorn Berries Cause A High White Blood Cell Count
Hawthorn fruits, leaves and flowers are used in medicine today. Hawthorn fruit comes in the form of small red berries. Native American tribes enjoyed eating them, and they used hawthorn to treat heart ailments as well as gastrointestinal ailments. (2)
Energetic And Spiritual Medicine Of Hawthorn: Protective And Purifying Healing The Heart
What makes hawthorn berries so healing? It seems to be their many flavonoids to begin with. Flavonoids are powerful antioxidants known to effectively reduce inflammation while boosting immune function. Eating a diet rich in flavonoid-rich foods, beverages, and herbs has been linked to the prevention of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as cancer. (3)
Let’s take a closer look at exactly how tiny hawthorn berries can make huge improvements to the health of many people.
The hawthorn bush, which is also called the thorn or May tree, is a deciduous plant. It is a member of the rose family (Rosaceae) belonging to the genus
. Hawthorn can take the form of a prickly hawthorn bush or a hawthorn tree. Most of the time you can find hawthorn growing on the sides of sunny wooded hills. There are various species of hawthorn, many of which are found in North America. (4)
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The hawthorn plant has berries as well as flowers that bloom in May. Hawthorn flowers are red, pink or white. Tiny hawthorn berries appear after the flowers bloom. When fully ripe, hawthorn berries are usually red in color, but sometimes they are black. These berries are edible. what do they taste like? Most people describe hawthorn berries as a mixture of sweet and sour.
The hawthorn plant is full of compounds beneficial to health. These compounds have been shown to actually boost heart health. Hawthorn’s antioxidant flavonoids improve blood flow, protect against blood vessel damage, and even help dilate blood vessels. (5)
These flavonoids include OPCs. What are OPCs? OPC stands for oligomeric proanthocyanidins. OPCs are some of the most common polyphenolic substances found in plants. (6)
Hawthorn berries are best known for their beneficial tonic effects on the heart. As a “cardiotonic herb,” hawthorn has been shown to be impressively beneficial for all kinds of serious heart problems. These include heart failure, heart disease, angina pectoris, changes in heart rhythm and atherosclerosis. According to a 2016 study published in the journal
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Previous research has shown that hawthorn may even have a beneficial effect on congestive heart failure (CHF). Multiple studies have shown that hawthorn supplementation resulted in improvement of heart function based on a number of parameters. These parameters include blood pressure, heart rate, cardiac output and exercise tolerance.
One trial gave 78 patients with NYHA class II heart failure a commercial preparation of hawthorn leaves and flowers. After two months, patients who received 200 milligrams of hawthorn three times a day had an increase in the working capacity of the heart, as well as a reduction in symptoms. The hawthorn group also showed a reduction in systolic blood pressure during physical activity. Another German study also showed that hawthorn extract (LI132 Faros®) worked almost as well as a heart failure drug (captopril). Hawthorn extract had fewer side effects. (9)
) special extract alone or as an addition to conventional treatment. After two years, fatigue, stress dyspnea and palpitations (the three main symptoms of heart failure) were significantly reduced in the hawthorn group compared to the non-hawthorn group. (10)
Many doctors recommend hawthorn berries, flowers and leaves as natural blood pressure reducers. A scientific study published in
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Had 79 patients with type 2 diabetes either take 1200 milligrams of hawthorn extract daily or a placebo for a total of 16 weeks. Antihypertensive medications were also taken by 71 percent of the study participants.
What did they find? The hawthorn group experienced greater reductions in diastolic blood pressure. But, there were no group differences in systolic blood pressure reduction. (11) Hopefully, more studies will come soon to confirm the use of hawthorn in lowering blood pressure.
Decreased blood flow to the heart causes chest pain known as angina. Sometimes it interferes with digestion. But real angina can be a symptom of coronary heart disease. Current research shows that hawthorn can be an effective natural remedy for the prevention and treatment of angina.
, hawthorn bioflavonoids help dilate peripheral and coronary blood vessels. This can improve blood flow to the heart, making hawthorn very beneficial for angina. Hawthorn proanthocyanidins are also believed to reduce blood vessel wall tension. Again, this is very useful for discouraging angina. (12)
The Benefits Of Hawthorn Berry & Leaf Extract
In one study, 80 subjects (aged 45 to 65) with stable angina pectoris were randomly divided into four groups. The first group was the aerobic exercise group. The second group took hawthorn extract. The third group did aerobic exercises, plus they took hawthorn extract. Finally, the fourth group was the control group. After 12 weeks, the researchers found that a combination of aerobic exercise and hawthorn supplements “are an effective complementary strategy for significantly reducing the risk of atherosclerosis and heart problems.” (13)
Animal studies have shown that hawthorn berry extract can be a useful natural remedy for reducing LDL (“bad”) cholesterol in the body. In China, hawthorn is called “Shan-Zha”. An animal study showed some really impressive health results from the ethanolic extract of Zhongtian hawthorn, a variety of the wild Shan-Zha, which has larger hawthorn fruits.
This 2016 study found that hawthorn berry extract not only reduced total high cholesterol, but also significantly reduced LDL cholesterol, liver cholesterol and triglycerides, as well as body weight. (14)
Scientific research conducted in 2008 showed that hawthorn berry extract is excellent at reducing inflammation. This is huge for health because we know that inflammation is at the root of most diseases.
Hawthorn Berry Supplement
Research also shows that hawthorn berry extract is a free radical scavenger. This is extremely beneficial to human health because free radicals can cause cellular damage (including DNA damage) by stealing electrons through a process called oxidation.
A 2008 animal study also showed that hawthorn berry extract has protective effects on the gastrointestinal system and appears to successfully kill various types of unwanted bacteria. (15)
How can you incorporate hawthorn berries into your life? There are several options. You can opt for hawthorn berry tea, prepackaged or loose. Hawthorn berries can often be purchased in many health food stores. You can also pick up a hawthorn supplement in capsule form or hawthorn extract in liquid tincture form.
So far, safe doses of hawthorn appear to be between 160 to 1,800 milligrams per day for three to 24 weeks. Noticeable improvement in symptoms may take six to 12 weeks. (18)
Get To Know Hawthorn Berry And Its Health Benefits
You should not take hawthorn if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Do not give hawthorn products to children. Hawthorn supplementation is recommended for short-term use in adults. If any symptoms worsen while taking hawthorn, you should discontinue use and seek immediate medical attention.
In some users, hawthorn may cause nausea, upset stomach, fatigue, sweating, headache, dizziness, palpitations, nosebleeds, insomnia, agitation, and other side effects.
Although hawthorn is known to be great for the heart, it can interact with prescription medications taken for heart conditions. Medications for other heart problems, high blood pressure, and male sexual dysfunction are known to interact with hawthorn. Some specific medications known to interact with hawthorn include digoxin, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers (CCBs), nitrates, phenylephrine, and phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors. If you have heart disease or any other medical condition or are currently taking medication, check with your doctor before taking hawthorn berry products or any other hawthorn supplement. (19, 20)
It is also important to note that heart failure is a very serious medical condition. It is best not to self-medicate with hawthorn supplements if you suffer from this condition.
Hawthorn Berry & Pregnancy
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Ax on Facebook 32 Dr. Ax on Twitter 22 Dr. Ax on Instagram Dr. Ax on Google Plus Dr. Ax on Youtube Dr. Ax on Pintrest 18 Share to e-mail Print Article 72, hawthorn fossils found in the 1990s back to the middle of the Miocene epoch, 15 million years ago. The geological survey that discovered these fossils discovered them in the south