Dried Hawthorn Berries Recipes Effects – “His thorns are like nails; inches long and strong; stretching. And yet, it is unlikely to find a gentler, more nutritious medicinal plant.” – Jim McDonald
In today’s article, I share excerpts from The Alchemy of Herbs about the many healing properties of hawthorn. I’m also adding one of my all-time favorite recipes: hearty hawthorn.
Table of Contents
Dried Hawthorn Berries Recipes Effects
Rosalie de la Foret “Hawthorn” from The Alchemy of Herbs: Transforming Everyday Ingredients into Food and Medicine (Hay House, 2017)
Cascadia Food Forest
Since heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States, it’s amazing to me that more people don’t know about hawthorn. Before I start sounding like a snake oil salesman, I should point out that people get heart disease for many reasons and hawthorn is not an effective remedy that can be taken while ignoring basic health basics such as a healthy diet and an active lifestyle .
European culture has long admired the hawthorn, and many myths and bits of folklore surround this thorny tree. In addition to its medicinal uses, the tree’s hardwood was used to make tools, and the tree’s dense, prickly nature made it a popular choice as a natural hedge or fence. Various species of hawthorn are native to North America, where early peoples used it to treat a variety of ailments, including wounds and digestive problems. The people of China also have a well-developed relationship with hawthorn, often using it for stagnant digestion.
In the spring, hawthorn trees produce many beautiful white or pink flowers. After pollination, the tree begins to form many clusters of berries that ripen at the end of summer. These red berries are dry and floury, depending on the species they can be bitter to sweet.
Hawthorn is a tree from the rose family that grows throughout the Northern Hemisphere. There are over 280 species, and herbalists use them equally. The species most studied in science were
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The current Western medical 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 produce histamine, but practitioners often give you nothing to modulate your immune system and prevent allergy symptoms. This paradigm can be seen in a number of pharmaceuticals used by Western medicine to treat the symptoms of heart disease. While this attempted band-aid may save lives in the short term, it does not solve why a person has heart disease.
In fact, many commonly prescribed medications deplete the body of heart-healthy nutrients. Statins, which are commonly prescribed to lower cholesterol, deplete the body of CQ10, an important enzyme for a healthy heart. Diuretics, which are usually prescribed for high blood pressure, deplete the body of potassium. Potassium deficiency leads to an irregular heartbeat. By nourishing and strengthening the heart, hawthorn does what no other pharmaceutical can claim.
How does hawthorn work? Like most herbs, hawthorn works in numerous and complex ways, many of which we do not yet understand. However, an important factor is the high content of flavonoids in hawthorn. Heart disease is often associated with inflammation, and regular consumption of herbs and foods high in flavonoids has been shown to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress.
From the 1950s until recently, we mistakenly believed that eating foods high in cholesterol caused high cholesterol. An updated look at high cholesterol is its connection to systemic inflammation, which high-flavonoid hawthorn helps reduce.
Getting To Know Hawthorn Berry Benefits
For decades, scientists have studied the connection of hawthorn with various symptoms of heart disease. In one study, researchers gave people with diabetes and coronary heart disease 1,200 mg of hawthorn leaves and flowers daily for six months. After that time, those who took hawthorn showed a greater trend toward lower LDL cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol) and lower levels of neutrophil elastase (an enzyme elevated in heart disease) than those who took a 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 that are more commonly used by herbalists.
For herbalists, one of the most common indications for the use of hawthorn is high blood pressure. Some herbalists use hawthorn alone, others combine it with other herbs, and herbalists usually recommend it alongside a healthy diet and regular exercise. After centuries of use, it remains a favorite for lowering hypertension.
Clinical trials have confirmed this traditional use. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study conducted in Iran, 92 men and women with mild hypertension took an extract of a local species of hawthorn for four months. Blood pressure was measured monthly, and the results showed a significant reduction in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure after three months.
Hawthorn Leaf And Flower Tea
Another study gave hawthorn to patients with type 2 diabetes and found that the herb reduced diastolic blood pressure.
Herbalist Charles Kane says, “There is no other herb with such a positive yet mild effect as hawthorn as medicine for the heart.”
In addition to helping to 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 involved 1,011 people diagnosed with stage 2 heart disease who took high doses of a proprietary hawthorn product. After 24 weeks, the researchers observed a significant improvement in symptoms, including reduced ankle swelling, improved heart function, and lower blood pressure.
Hawthorn Berry Powder
Another study used the same hawthorn product but followed patients for two years. After that time, those taking the hawthorn showed significant improvements in the three main symptoms of heart disease, including fatigue, pain on exertion, and palpitations, compared to the control group. The researchers concluded that hawthorn has clear benefits for patients with mild to moderate heart failure.
Western herbalists tend to use berries more often; however, in recent years research has focused more on the flower and leaf.
You can eat the berries as food and enjoy them in a variety of ways, including infusing them with alcohol or vinegar, or making them into honey, jam, or even ketchup. I recommend regularly using hawthorn in large quantities; daily consumption keeps hearts alive and strong!
Hawthorn berries are a food-like herb that humans can consume in large quantities as food. For best results with berries, leaves or flowers, use daily and long term.
Incredible Health Benefits Of Hawthorn Fruit
Tea: up to 30 g of berries and up to 30 g of leaves and flowers per day.
This hearty hawthorn recipe combines the nutritional properties of hawthorn with delicious spices that improve digestion. Enjoy small portions after dinner. (I find it helps me unwind from the day.)
I recently brought this to a pot 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 in return).
Need organic herbs or supplies? Get them here! This post is sponsored by our friends at Mountain Rose Herbs.
Hawthorn Berries: Identify, Harvest, And Make An Extract |
Hearty Hawthorn Recipe from The Alchemy of Herbs: Transforming Everyday Ingredients into Food and Medicine by Rosalie de la Foret (Hay House, 2017)
She is a registered herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild and teaches students around the world how to confidently use medicinal plants. Learn more about herbs from Rosalie at her website Herbs from Rosalie where you can get her free course on How to Choose the Best Herb for You.
HerbMentor runs many courses including Getting Started with Herbs, Herb Basics, Wildcrafter’s Toolkit and Health Promotion…our community forum…Herb Walks, exclusive herb monographs and more. This post is part of the UK Herbarium Blog Party on Herb Treasures in March. kindly organized by Brigitte.
A friend just emailed me this question: What can I make with hawthorn berries? (it is surrounded by fruitful hawthorn trees), so here is the list:
Buy Wholesale Hawthorn Tea, Sliced
1. Prepare herbal vinegar, same process. Hawthorn berry vinegar is one of the delicious vinegars – tart and fruity. Try a tablespoon per glass of water.
2. prepare liqueur – ordinary or refined (at the bottom of the page. There is also an interesting recipe for spicy sauce). Regular hawthorn schnapps is basically a tincture, but you can use lower alcohol (which makes it cheaper).
3. make a tincture. Hawthorn berry tincture is a world-renowned tonic for the heart and circulatory system (even scientists are catching on). Taking it for several months is considered a safe remedy that helps with a number of heart problems. I also find that the tincture is good for the emotional heart when grieving – it seems to lighten things up and allow the process to move more easily.
4. prepare an aperitif (the Chinese historically used hawthorn as a digestive aid, and it is considered especially useful for meat dishes).
Hawthorn: Herb Of The Week · Commonwealth Holistic Herbalism
6. prepare hawthorn jelly. I haven’t (not being a jam maker) but I have a friend who makes jam every year