My Dried Hawthorn Berries Have White Patches – Hawthorn tea is one of my favorite and most comforting drinks – it’s smooth and mellow and seems especially suited to the transition period of early autumn. If you are lucky enough to live near one of these beautiful trees, be sure to keep an eye out for the red berries that resemble tiny apples. Currently, these berries, or “haws”, are ripening and will soon be ready for picking.
Hawthorn has been prized by herbalists for centuries and is actually one of the oldest continuously used plants in Western herbal medicine.
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My Dried Hawthorn Berries Have White Patches
It is known as an important heart tonic that has a strengthening and protective effect on the heart. When used gradually, hawthorn strengthens the muscle of the myocardium and improves the overall tone and function of the heart.
Pdf) The Indian Hawthorn
In traditional herbal medicine, it has been used for a variety of heart problems, from palpitations to abnormal blood pressure to congestive heart failure (commonly called dropsy in the past). It is also believed to reduce the likelihood of a heart attack by reducing the build-up of plaque in the arteries.
Herbalists use hawthorn to improve blood flow to the heart and increase overall circulation in the body. In addition, its high antioxidant content naturally protects the heart from any oxidative damage.
In addition to working on the physical heart, hawthorn also has a special affinity for the emotional heart. It can be used to provide comfort in times of loss, grief and heartbreak. Hawthorn soothes a saddened heart and provides gentle support for stress and congestion. It is one of the best herbs I know for a sensitive or troubled heart.
Hawthorn can be used in many different forms. A simple decoction of the dried berries makes a delicious, mild tea that is soothing to drink (see recipe below). Or you can make an infusion of the dried leaves and flowers as you would any loose leaf tea. You can also use a dropper-filled liquid tincture or a solid hawthorn extract in paste form.
Candied Fruit (tanghulu)
Thanks to its balancing, strengthening and protective effect on the heart, hawthorn is a wonderful addition to any home medicine cabinet. Its gentle action makes it safe for long-term use, and its taste makes it palatable to all tea drinkers.
Add 1 tbsp. dried hawthorn berries in 1 liter of water and bring to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce the heat to low, cover and let it bubble gently for 15 to 20 minutes to make a medicinal tea. Strain and drink.
Mix all the herbs and add to 1 liter of water in a small pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Let it simmer covered for 20 minutes, then strain and drink. This makes the slightly acidic berry tea, which is full of antioxidants and vitamins, great for boosting immunity during the fall season. Consider adding 1 tsp. cinnamon flakes and/or ginger root for a spicier, warming drink.
Steph Zabel, herbalist and educator based in Somerville, Cambridge & Boston, MA. She teaches herbal classes, is available for one-on-one consultations and hosts a very popular annual event known as HERBSTALK. This event attracts herbalists and others from all over New England for 2 days of workshops, education and an herbal market. Her contact details and information about HERBSTALK can be found at: www.flowerfolkherbs.com .
Common Apple Tree Diseases
This website — Herbs and Botanicals — is for general health information only. This website should not be used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition or problem. Users of this website should not rely on the information provided on this website for their health concerns. Any questions about your health should be directed to your doctor or other health care provider. The berry laden branches almost touch the ground with large swaths of little red dots covering the fences, entwined in the lower branches of the oaks and marching up the slopes… Who could resist such easy pickings?
When you can fill a five gallon bucket in less than 30 minutes, the bait is downright irresistible.
And there you are, with a bucket full of berries and leaves in hand, headed for the kitchen and the great Hawthorn extravaganza.
But before you find yourself spending the better part of the rest of the week tending to your bounty, here are some quick tricks to quickly process your harvest and create exciting and delicious healing foods and potions that are perfect for the season.
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First, place at least half of the berries and all the leaves on wide, flat trays to dry. Wash them by running them through a colander with cold water and shaking them thoroughly before placing them on drying racks.
Cookie sheets with cooling racks placed in them to lift the leaves and berries off the surface of the pan work great. No racks? Before spreading the leaves and berries for drying, just spread parchment paper on the pans. If you are using an oven, use it only after it is turned off and the oven temperature is 90°F or less. Otherwise, the leaves will turn into burnt dust in a hurry. You can also separate the berries and leaves and dry the berries at temperatures up to 130°F to 150°F and keep the leaves at lower temperatures. Keeping them in sealed paper bags until you use them to make teas or other recipes will prevent them from sealing in moisture, which can cause spoilage or mold.
This will give you long-lasting berries for later use, as well as the first two ingredients of Hawthorn tea. Berries do not keep fresh, so dry those you are not ready to use right away.
Then wash, sort and de-stem the rest of the berries. You can use the recipes on this page to make tincture, syrup and delicious ketchup with berries. Now you can measure your berries and decide on recipes and decide how many to make. I usually make all three recipes in one afternoon to get the most out of working with the berries at once.
Hawthorn Berries Crataegus Pinnatifida Organic Dried Fruit
First, decide how much syrup you want to make. Boiling the syrup requires about twenty times the weight of your berries in water, so if you plan to make a liter or more of syrup, you will need at least a 10 liter pot to hold the water.
Hawthorn syrup is a well-known herbal remedy for coughs, colds, flu-like symptoms, headaches and strengthening the heart.
Pick your berries and weigh them so you know how much water to add to the pot. For simplicity’s sake, we’ll say we use 100 grams of berries, or 3.5 ounces, because it makes measuring the water a lot easier. I would suggest using multiples of 100 grams for your recipe. That will make 3.5, 7, 10.5 and 14 ounces when you scale up the recipe. But remember that you need 20 times more water, so unless you have a very large cooking pot, you’ll be working with lower numbers here.
It’s a wonderful sauce to use on winter squash, meats and vegetables. We love it on pork ribs with collards and cabbage.
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Hawthorn has been used for centuries to strengthen the heart and for healing. The famous syrup Dr. Christopher Hawthorn is still sold today and has a great and growing popularity with those who swear by its healing powers. Now you can enjoy these delicious and healing berries all year round with your own berries. Syrup and ketchup can last up to 3 months in the refrigerator.
When you run out, simply use your dried berries to make new batches. You’ll need to soak the berries in fresh water at room temperature for an hour or so to rehydrate before starting the recipes, but then they’ll be ready to go, just like fresh-picked fall berries.
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Hawthorn: Fierce & Gentle Protectress Of The Heart — Gathering Ground
They have been an ingredient in jams, wines, lemonades and candies for centuries. A member of the rose family, hawthorn is a large shrub covered in sharp thorns. Sometimes spelled, the berries are picked fully ripe in the fall before the first frost. Hawthorn berries are often macerated in herbal vinegars and syrups, infused with a tea made from rosehips, or used in a tincture.
Hawthorn leaves, flowers and berries have been prized for centuries for their heart-lifting properties. Believed to uplift and strengthen both the physical and emotional heart, hawthorn has also been revered for promoting healthy cardiovascular function.