Hawthorn: properties, uses and contraindications

The white hawthorn or hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna Jacq.) is he great traditional remedy to treat high blood pressure and arrhythmias. It also stands out for its sedative properties and as a muscle relaxant.

Related to rose bushes and brambles, the white hawthorn is a shrub of the Rosaceae family, very common in forest borders, riverbanks and hedges between fields, although it is also It is widely used in gardening.. It is known by other names, especially as hawthorn, art in Aragon or white arc in Catalan.

There are various subspecies and also very similar species within the genus Crataegus, such as the azarolo (Crataegus azarolus), the Navarrese hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata), the Hungarian hawthorn (Crataegus nigra), native to the Balkan Peninsula, and others, but hawthorn or hawthorn is the most widely used in phytotherapy.

If you want to identify it, the white hawthorn or hawthorn is a thorny shrub between 50 cm and up to 5 meters high, with very characteristic leaves, divided into sharp segments, very aromatic white flowers, grouped in semiglobular inflorescences, and fleshy, red, ovoid, edible fruits, but with an insipid and floury flavor, highly sought after by some forest and country birds. It is very common throughout Europe.

Hawthorn properties

The medicinal part of hawthorn or hawthorn is the leaf and the flowers, which are harvested in spring. More occasionally, also the fruits, which are harvested in summer, and the bark.

Contains traces of essential oil with anisic aldehyde, triterpenic acids such as crataegolic acid and ursolic acid, caffeic and chlorogenic acids, flavonoids (rhamnoside and spireoside), anthocyanins in fruit pigments, pycnogenols, amine derivatives (ethylamine) and vitamin C.

Among the medicinal properties of hawthorn are:

Cardiotonic properties Hypotensive properties Antiarrhythmic properties Diuretic properties Muscle relaxant action Sedative properties Antispasmodic properties Digestive properties

Hawthorn benefits for the heart

Hawthorn or albar has been used since ancient times as a traditional and herbal remedy to improve heart health. This use is endorsed by various clinical studies recent studies, which would confirm that hawthorn extracts contribute to:

Improve coronary circulation Regulate heart rate and blood pressure Tone the myocardium.

This makes hawthorn useful to help regulate blood pressure. It is considered a good natural support for hypertensive people when it comes to reducing high blood pressure levels when they are not very extreme, even as a complement to pharmacological medication.

It is mainly intended for treat arrhythmias and extrasystoles or extra beats that precede the normal heartbeat, as well as ltachycardia and palpitationsespecially when they have a nervous origin.

It is also a natural support for prevent vascular accidents such as arteriosclerosis, angina pectoris and mild or incipient heart failure.

Medication with hawthorn or hawthorn has been prescribed as an adjunct to medication in the recovery after a heart attack of myocardium.

Other benefits of hawthorn

The hawthorn also shows a remarkable diuretic action and is included in diuretic and hypotensive herbal teas, as well as to treat overweight due to fluid retention.

Hawthorn for sleep and anxiety

The white or albar hawthorn also stands out for its sedative action. Combined with other calming plants, it is intended to treat different nervous disorders, such as nervous irritation, childhood hyperactivity, nervous tics and insomnia.

It has also been recommended to relieve anxiety, when it is mild or incipient, and again in combination with other more decisive plants, such as California poppy, valerian, passion flower or piscidia, among others.

Hawthorn for muscle tension

The muscle tensionmuscle spasms, soreness and other muscular discomfort derived from sports or physical overload for whatever reason, as well as the muscle tension associated with nervesthey have a valuable ally in the white thorn.

Hawthorn for digestion

Hawthorn is also incorporated into herbal formulas to relieve stomach heaviness, gastrointestinal spasms, and ulcers caused by stress or nervous tension.

How to take hawthorn

There are different presentations of hawthorn, which are taken in different ways:

The dried plant in infusionusually mixed with other herbs, up to three cups a day.in drops of liquid extract, available in herbalists and some pharmacies. About 50 drops with juice or water in three daily doses.in the form of syrupone tablespoon daily.in the form of tinctureAlso with water or fruit juice.

You will also find it in the form of capsules and tablets:

When you take hawthorn to sleepIn adults, two 350 mg capsules are recommended in the afternoon and two more before going to bed, in treatments of up to four weeks to be effective.When hawthorn is used for high blood pressureOne or two capsules a day are usually recommended, to be taken in the morning.

Hawthorn infusions

To regulate blood pressure:

Take a cup of this hawthorn infusion with breakfast and a second one in the middle of the afternoon.

A cup is taken with breakfast and a second one in the middle of the afternoon. You can add lemon juice to improve the flavor. Mix in equal parts hawthorn, olive (leaves), nettle, corn stigmas, orthosiphon, goldenrod and star anise (for example, 15 grams of each plant). Mix them thoroughly on a flat surface. Separate a tablespoon of the mixture per glass of water that you are going to prepare. Bring it to a boil for 1-2 minutes and let it rest for another 10 minutes off the heat. Strain and, if desired, add lemon juice. lemon to improve the flavor.

To relax the muscles:

This infusion of hawthorn is ideal for relieving muscle tension due to stress or nervous irritability. Two glasses are taken a day, with the main meals.

Mix hawthorn, passionflower, yarrow, lime, ginger (powder), valerian and fennel in equal parts. Separate a tablespoon of the mixture for each cup of water that you are going to prepare. Boil 2-3 minutes and leave to rest, covered , another 10. Strain and, if necessary, add a second flavor corrector, such as lemon juice or agave syrup.

Contraindications of hawthorn

Hawthorn is, in general, a very safe plant. But it is possible to take it in the prescribed doses and not exceed it.

If you follow an antihypertensive, cardiac or hepatic medicationConsult your doctor before starting treatment with this plant. In the case of hypertension, in some cases it could cause a tension decompensation, although it is not frequent.

Jordi Cebrián, expert in phytotherapy