Hawthorn Berry Health Benefits that May Surprise You
Hawthorn is often called “the heart herb” for its various cardio-protective abilities. Prized for its ability to uplift and strengthen the heart both emotionally and physically, the hawthorn berry has been used for centuries as a natural remedy for all kinds of serious heart concerns. These include angina, high blood pressure, hardening of the arteries, irregular heart beat and even congestive heart failure.
In fact, hawthorn has been used to treat heart disease all the way back to the first century! Fast forward to the early 1800s and doctors in the United States were using this medicinal herb for respiratory and circulatory health disorders as well.
Hawthorn fruit, leaves and flowers are all used medicinally today. Hawthorn fruit comes in the form of little red berries. Native American tribes enjoyed eating them and they also used hawthorn to treat heart troubles, as well as gastrointestinal complaints.
What makes hawthorn berries so medicinal? It appears to be their numerous flavonoids for starters. Flavonoids are potent antioxidants known to effectively decrease inflammation while boosting immune function. Eating a diet high in flavonoid-rich foods, beverages and herbs has been linked to prevention of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases as well as cancer.
Health Benefits
1. Major Heart Concerns
Hawthorn berry is best known for its helpful toning effects on the heart. As a “cardiotonic herb,” hawthorn has shown itself to be impressively helpful for all kinds of serious heart concerns. These include heart failure, heart disease, angina pectoris, changes in cardiac rhythm, and atherosclerosis. According to a 2016 study published in the journal Current Medicinal Chemistry, hawthorn’s powerful heart benefits come from its high polyphenolic content.
To date, research has shown that hawthorn can even have a helpful effect on congestive heart failure (CHF). Multiple studies have shown that hawthorn supplementation has resulted in improved in cardiac function based on a number of parameters. These parameters include blood pressure, heart rate, cardiac output and exercise tolerance.
2. Blood Pressure
Many herbal practitioners recommend hawthorn berries, flowers and leaves as natural blood pressure reducers. A scientific study published in The British Journal of General Practice had 79 type 2 diabetic patients either take 1200 milligrams of hawthorn extract daily or a placebo for a total of 16 weeks. Hypotensive drugs were also taken by 71 percent of the study participants.
3. Chest Pain (Angina) and Heart Disease
Decreased blood flow to the heart causes chest pain known as angina. Sometimes it is confused with indigestion. But, true angina can be a symptom of coronary heart disease. So far, research is showing that hawthorn may be an effective natural remedy for avoiding and treating angina.
4. High Cholesterol
Animal studies have shown that hawthorn berry extract may be a helpful natural remedy for the reduction of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol from the body. In China, hawthorn is called “Shan-Zha.” A study using animal subjects showed some really impressive health results from an ethanol extract of Zhongtian hawthorn, a cultivar of wild Shan-Zha, which has larger hawthorn fruit.
This 2016 study revealed that the hawthorn berry extract not only reduced overall high cholesterol levels, it also notably decreased LDL cholesterol, liver cholesterol and triglycerides as well as body weight.
5. Overall Health Improver
Scientific research conducted in 2008 revealed that hawthorn berry extract is excellent at decreasing inflammation. This is huge for health since we know that inflammation is at the root of most diseases.
