Cooking With Dried Hawthorn Berries – “His thorns are like nails; inches long and strong; tensioner. And yet, a gentler, more nutritious medicinal plant is unlikely to be found.” -Jim McDonald
For today’s article I am sharing excerpts from The Alchemy of Herbs about the many healing gifts of hawthorn. I’m also including one of my all-time favorite recipes: Hearty Hawthorn.
Table of Contents
Cooking With Dried Hawthorn Berries
Hawthorn from Herbal Alchemy: Transform Everyday Ingredients into Healing Foods and Medicines by Rosalee de la Forêt (Hay House, 2017)
Dried Hawthorn Hi Res Stock Photography And Images
Since heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States, it’s surprising to me that more people don’t know about hawthorn. Before I start sounding like a snake oil salesman, I should note that people get heart disease for a number of reasons, and hawthorn is not a silver bullet remedy that you can take while ignoring the mainstays of wellness, such as a healthy diet and active lifestyle.
European culture has long been fascinated with hawthorn, and many myths and bits of folklore surround this thorny tree. In addition to its medicinal uses, the tree’s hard wood was used to make tools, and the thick, prickly nature of the tree made it a popular choice as a natural hedge or fence. Various species of hawthorn originated in North America, where First Nations used it to treat a variety of ailments, including wounds and digestive problems. People in China also have a well-developed relationship with hawthorn, often using it for indigestion.
In the spring, hawthorn trees produce an abundance of beautiful white to pink flowers. After pollination, the tree begins to form many clusters of berries that ripen in late summer. These red berries are dry and mushy and can range from bitter to sweet, depending on the variety.
Hawthorn is a tree of the rose family that grows throughout the northern hemisphere. There are more than 280 species, and herbalists use them all similarly. The species that have been studied the most in science have been
Food For Free: How To Make Hawthorn Jelly
The current Western medicine paradigm for treating chronic disease relies heavily on suppressing symptoms rather than addressing the factors that cause the problem. For example, if you have seasonal allergies, your doctor may give you something to block your body’s attempt to make histamine, but doctors often don’t give anything to modulate your immune system and prevent allergy symptoms in the first place. This paradigm can be seen in the range of pharmaceuticals that Western medicine uses to treat the symptoms of heart disease. While this attempted Band-Aid may save lives in the short term, it does not address why the person has heart disease in the first place.
In fact, many commonly prescribed medications actually deplete the body of nutrients necessary for heart health. Statins, which are commonly prescribed to lower cholesterol, deplete the body of CQ10, an important enzyme for a healthy heart. Diuretics, which are commonly prescribed for high blood pressure, deplete the body of potassium. A lack of potassium leads to an irregular heartbeat. Hawthorn, in nourishing and strengthening the heart, does something that no other pharmaceutical company can claim.
How does hawthorn work? Like most herbs, hawthorn works in numerous and complex ways, many of which we still don’t understand. However, one important factor is the high flavonoid content of hawthorn. Heart disease is often associated with inflammation, and regular consumption of herbs and foods rich in flavonoids has been shown to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress.
From the 1950s until recently, we mistakenly believed that eating cholesterol-rich foods caused high cholesterol levels. An updated perspective on high cholesterol levels is its connection to systemic inflammation, which hawthorn, with its high flavonoid content, helps reduce.
Hawthorn Berry Cupcakes
For decades, research scientists have studied hawthorn in relation to various symptoms of heart disease. In one study, researchers gave people with diabetes and coronary heart disease 1,200 mg of hawthorn leaf and flower every day for six months. After that time, those taking hawthorn showed a greater trend toward lower LDL cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol) and decreased neutrophil elastase (an enzyme that, when elevated, is associated with heart disease) than those taking the placebo.
The dose used in this study was relatively low compared to herbalists’ standards, and it would be interesting to see the effects of higher doses more commonly used by herbalists.
For herbalists, one of the most common indications for hawthorn is high blood pressure. Some herbalists use hawthorn alone, others combine it with other herbs, and herbalists usually suggest it along with a healthy diet and regular exercise. After centuries of use, it remains a favorite for reducing hypertension.
Clinical trials have supported this traditional use. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study done in Iran, 92 men and women with mild hypertension ingested an extract of a local species of hawthorn for four months. Blood pressure was measured every month, and the results showed a significant reduction in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure after three months.
Hawthorn Berries 2oz 57g Organic Dried Bulk Herb Crataegus
Another study gave hawthorn to patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and found that the herb reduced diastolic blood pressure.
Herbalist Charles Kane says, “As a heart remedy, there is no other herb with such a positive yet gentle influence as hawthorn.”
In addition to helping reduce certain heart problems, such as high blood pressure and hyperlipidemia, hawthorn has been shown to improve overall heart function in people with mild to moderate heart disease.
One study included 1,011 people diagnosed with stage 2 heart disease who took a high dose of a patented hawthorn product. After 24 weeks, the researchers saw significant improvement in symptoms, including reduced ankle edema, improved cardiac performance and reduced blood pressure.
Hawthorn: The Fruit Of Fall
Another trial used the same hawthorn product but studied patients for two years. After that time, those taking hawthorn had significant improvements in the three main symptoms of heart disease — including fatigue, pain with increased exertion and palpitations — compared to the control group. The researchers concluded that hawthorn has a clear benefit for patients with mild to moderate heart failure.
Western herbalists tend to use the berries more often; however, research studies have given more attention to the flower and leaf in recent years.
You can eat the berries as food and enjoy them in a variety of ways, including infusing them in alcohol or vinegar, or making them into honey, jams, and even ketchup. I recommend regularly enjoying hawthorn in large quantities; taking it daily keeps hearts nourished and strong!
Hawthorn berries are a food-like herb that people can consume in larger quantities, as they would food. For best results with berries, leaves or flowers, use daily and long term.
Spring Farm Hawthorn Berry, Dried And Pitted
Tea: up to 30 grams of berries and up to 30 grams of leaves and flowers, daily
This hearty hawthorn recipe combines the nutritious qualities of hawthorn with delicious spices that aid digestion. Enjoy in small amounts after the evening meal. (I find it helps me unwind from the day.)
I recently took this to the extreme and served 1 to 3 teaspoons of cordial in about 1 glass of sparkling water for a low-alcohol cocktail. It was a hit, and several people asked to buy a bottle from me (I gave them the recipe instead).
Need organic herbs or supplies? Get them here! This post is sponsored by our friends at Mountain Rose Herbs.
Hawthorn: Herb Of The Week · Commonwealth Holistic Herbalism
Hearty Hawthorn Recipe from Herbal Alchemy: Transform Everyday Ingredients into Healing Foods and Medicines by Rosalie de la Foret (High House, 2017)
She is a registered herbalist with the American Herbalists Association and teaches students from around the world how to confidently use medicinal plants. Explore more herbs with Rosalee on her website, Herbs with Rosalee, where you can get her free course, How to Choose the Best Herb for You.
HerbMentor hosts many courses including Getting Started with Herbs, Herbal Basics, Wildcrafter’s Toolkit and Cultivating Health… our community forum… Plant Walks, exclusive herbal monographs and more. The hedges here are full of hawthorn, those shiny red berries. What’s better than making homemade hawthorn berry ketchup with such a bargain. It’s just like an all natural version of that great British classic HP sauce!
Fall sales just scream to save and what better than to make natural versions of store-bought classics. This homemade hawthorn ketchup is just like HP sauce. My take on a true classic. Just perfect on a bacon roll.
Amazon.com: Dried Hawthorn Berries Slices 山楂片 32 Oz
This past weekend brought a day of perfect fall sunshine on Sunday. It was such a change from the wet and windy weather we’ve been having to be out of the house as a staff holding my camera and wandering the lanes.
The golds of autumn were everywhere, but what kept catching my eye were the cheery red hawthorn berries that dotted the hedge like little rubies shining in the sun.
Hawthorn is actually part of the rose family, just like the rose hips found in wild dog roses. You can use the whole plant from the leaves to the spring flowers and of course the hawthorn berries, or hawthorns as they are often called.
Hawthorn berries are incredibly good for you because they are packed with nutrients and antioxidants. Check out this article on the health benefits of hawthorn berries.
Hawthorne Berry As Herbal Medicine For Healing Your Heart
Halls are not like that