One recent scientific review states that many studies (with a combined total of more than 4,000 patients) have been conducted on the effectiveness of standardized hawthorn extracts in treatments for mild chronic heart failure, coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis.
It was 1896 when J. C. Jennings, a Chicago physician, published the benefits of using hawthorn to treat heart ailments. Hawthorn (Crataegus species) increases the heart’s ability to utilize oxygen and metabolize enzymes. Today, supported by mounting scientific evidence, herbal practitioners prescribe hawthorn for heart disease, congestive heart failure and mild arrhythmias. It is most often recommended as a hawthorn tea or as a supplement.
Hawthorn berries are often recommended to treat various heart conditions.
Photo by M McDonnell/ Courtesy Flickr
Try these hawthorn recipes from The Herb Companion archives:
• 6 Tex-Mex Recipes to Lower Blood Pressure: Hawthorn Tea
• Spring to Life with Tea: Hawthorn Berry, Lemon Rind and Lime Blossom Tea
Health Tip: Don’t take hawthorn without first consulting a medical professional, and if you do try this supplement be sure to follow proper dosage guidelines. Be aware that hawthorn may interfere with prescribed medications.
Read More: Herbs for Health: Hawthorn Benefits – The Herb Companion
Healing Flowers – The Herb Companion
Review Finds the Herb Hawthorn Can Boost Heart Health – Natural News
Hawthorn – University of Maryland Medical Center
Herbs at a Glance – National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Hawthorn for heart failure: good news and bad news – Everyday Health
