What Do Hawthorn Berries Do For Your Heath – Hawthorn berries are a group of plants in the rose family that are native to the temperate regions of Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and North America. Some parts of 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 to be one of the greatest natural agents for improving cardiovascular function. Hawthorn as a cardiovascular aid is approved by the Commission E—an important branch of the German government that studies and approves natural therapies (1, 2).
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What Do Hawthorn Berries Do For Your Heath
It is widely used in Europe to improve the circulatory system, treat angina, high blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmias and congestive heart failure. It is renowned for its ability to strengthen the heart and blood vessels and restore healthy muscle tone to the heart wall.
Does Hawthorn Lower Blood Pressure?
Hawthorn berries are loaded with a wide array 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 overall content of flavonoids (2.2%) and proanthocyanidins (18.75%).
Hawthorn berries have been well studied in people with congestive heart failure (4, 5). Five of the six main studies performed found dramatically improved symptoms (such as shortness of breath and fatigue).
One study found that hawthorn (taken at 900 mg/day) for 2 months was as effective as low-dose captopril (a major heart drug) in improving common symptoms associated with congestive heart failure (6).
The unique antioxidant blend in hawthorn produces a powerful vasodilating effect. It works to improve the endothelial function of blood vessels where the vessel is able to open with less resistance. This allows greater blood flow to working tissues and improves oxygen utilization. This is primarily due to the flavonoids rutin and vitexin along with proanthocyanins (7, 8).
Useful For Your Health. Rowanberry Twig In Snow. Winter Berry. Berries Of Red Ash. Winter Background. Frosted Red Berries. Red Rowan In Hoarfrost. Christmas Rowan Berry Branch. Hawthorn Berries Bunch Stock Photo
Hawthorn improves heart cell metabolism and increases electrolyte flow throughout cardiac cells. It prevents or corrects heart rhythm abnormalities and strongly promotes a healthy cardiac rhythm.
Hawthorn contains flavones that enhance the function of certain cardiac enzymes. This effect increases the contractile strength of the heart, which effectively increases stroke volume and increases the heart’s tolerance to hypoxic conditions (9). It also improves the heart’s ability to generate energy through anaerobic metabolism which improves the heart’s ability to withstand stress.
Hawthorn also works to inhibit angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE). Elevated ACE increases 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. Hawthorn usually takes two to four weeks for the body to adapt and has a long-lasting effect on blood pressure (10, 11, 12).
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Hawthorn helps protect joints with its unique blend of antioxidants. These phytonutrients scavenge certain classes of free radicals that are known to damage tissue collagen leading to arthritic conditions. Natural remedies that support healthy collagen improve joint, skin, hair and nail health.
When getting hawthorn berries, be sure to get the whole plant – leaves, flowers and berries. Berries contain more proanthocyanins while flowers and leaves contain more vitexins. The most effective way to consume hawthorn is in a dried and ground form if you are unable to obtain it fresh. Here’s the dry version and here’s a combination of hawthorn with its cousin hibiscus in an organic tea
Put the fresh plant or dried form into a shake or tea and consume daily. Great to use pre/post workout due to its antioxidant and cardiovascular boosting effects. It improves exercise recovery by improving oxygen flow and neutralizing free radicals from damaged tissue.
You can find a great herbal tincture here that is easy to use. You can also try Nutrigold Hawthorn Gold Supplement here
Hawthorn Berry Health Benefits And How To Use
References to this article include: 1. Tassel MC, Kingston R, Gilroy D, Lehane M, Fury A. Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) in the treatment of cardiovascular disease. Pharmacognosy Review. 2010;4(7):32-41. 2. Chang WT, Dao J, Shao ZH. Hawthorn: potential role in cardiovascular disease. I J Chin Med. 2005;33(1):1-10. PMID: 15844828 3. Rigelsky JM, Sweet BV. Hawthorn: Pharmacology and Therapeutic Uses. I J Health Syst Pharm. 2002 Mar 1;59(5):417-22. PMID: 11887407 4. Pittler MH, Guo R, Ernst E. Hawthorn extract for the treatment of chronic heart failure. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008 Jan 23;(1):CD005312. PMID: 18254076 5. Pittler MH, Schmidt K, Ernst E. Hawthorn extract for chronic heart failure: meta-analysis of randomized trials. I 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 (HERB CHF) Trial. 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 hawthorn standard extract on flow-mediated dilation in prehypertensive and mildly hypertensive adults: a randomized, controlled cross-over trial. BMC Complement Alter 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 Neuroinflamm. 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 in mild, essential hypertension. Phytother Res. 2002 Feb;16(1):48-54. PMID: 11807965 11. Dahmer S, Scott E. Health effects of hawthorn. I am Fam Physician. 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 techniques to improve your energy, brain, digestion and metabolism.”- Dr. David Jockers Hawthorn berries are small berries found on shrubs or trees belonging to the Crataegus family. This class of plants includes more than 100 trees and shrubs found throughout Europe, Asia, and North America.
A distinctive feature of hawthorn is its high nutritional content, tart taste and relatively little sweetness. The color of hawthorn berries can vary from light yellow to black.
For a long time, hawthorn has been used as a medicinal plant that helps to normalize digestion, heart muscle function and blood pressure levels. For the same reason, hawthorn fruit is used in traditional Chinese medicine. Let’s take a look at what hawthorn is for and how to use it properly.
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As we know, hawthorn berries contain a lot of polyphenols, which are one of the most powerful antioxidants of plant origin. When consumed by the human body, they allow to neutralize the negative effects of free radicals – unstable molecules that lead to the destruction of some cells. Improper diet, negative environmental influences in the form of polluted air and bad habits like smoking can increase the concentration of unwanted molecules.
Because of their high antioxidant activity, scientists have linked the inclusion of polyphenols in the diet to a reduced risk of diseases such as:
And while preliminary studies have shown encouraging results in the above cases, scientists emphasize that more experiments are needed to determine the effects of hawthorn on various diseases.
Adding hawthorn berries to your diet can reduce inflammation, which can improve the condition of your body. According to research, chronic inflammation causes diabetes, cancer, asthma and many other diseases.
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In one experiment, it was found that in mice with liver disease, hawthorn was able to reduce inflammatory compounds. At the same time, in another group of rats suffering from asthma, the product alleviated the symptoms of the disease.
Similar results from animal studies have shown that the supplement may have anti-inflammatory effects, including in humans. But more research is needed to confirm this property.
Hawthorn has been used for many years in Chinese medicine to lower blood pressure. Scientists attribute this use to the berry’s ability to dilate blood vessels, which leads to normalization of blood pressure.
In a 10-week study on people with high blood pressure, scientists found that regular consumption of 500 mg of hawthorn extract reduced diastolic blood pressure, but had no effect on blood pressure.
A Cup Of Hot Hawthorn Tea Made From Freshly Picked Berries, Herbal Medicine For Heart Health On Wooden Background. The Hawthorn Stock Image
In another trial involving 79 people with type 2 diabetes, researchers found that 1,200 mg of hawthorn extract was more effective at normalizing blood pressure than a moderate amount. In those with normal blood pressure, however, there was no change for the better or worse as a result of taking this substance.
It is not uncommon to find hawthorn as an ingredient in cosmetic products designed to prevent hair loss or stimulate hair growth. For example, a test on rats showed that adding hawthorn extract to the diet increased the size and number of hair follicles, which improved hair quality and ensured increased growth.
According to scientists, the effect described above is due to the high content of polyphenols. Nevertheless, the number of studies on this area of hawthorn use is relatively small. Therefore, a number of additional experiments are needed to confirm this effect.
Some studies have shown that including hawthorn fruit in the diet can normalize blood fat levels, namely triglycerides and cholesterol. These trace elements are responsible for transporting nutrients and hormones throughout the body. however,