Benefits of Hawthorn

Hawthorn herb

The use of Hawthorn (Hawthorn) for the treatment of heart disease since the first century has been used in the treatment of arrhythmia, hypertension, chest pain, arteriosclerosis, The discovery of the benefits of wild hawthorn was coincidental when a cleric noticed that the horses he had when he was tired, once this herb is eaten in the vicinity, to regain strength and activity, and ready to continue its work.

In this time, the leaves and flowers of this herb are used in many therapeutic purposes, as are the use of fruits or mixtures of different parts of this plant.

Hawthorn plant is a large shrub or small tree, growing to a height of 1.5-4 meters, characterized by hardwood, thorny branches and blooming flowers in May (May 5), the problem of red, white or floral clusters, But it can be black or yellow, but its leaves grow in multiple forms. Its habitat is the temperate northern regions of Europe, Asia and North America, growing around the world.

Studies show that the hawthorn plant contains antioxidants (Procyandins), also found in grapes, and quercetin, which fight against free radicals that cause damage to cell membranes and gene changes, and can also cause cell death. In the body due to many factors, such as UV rays, radiation, smoking, some medications, air pollution, scientists consider these free radicals responsible for many of the events that affect the body with aging such as wrinkles, in addition to many diseases such as cancer, and diseases of the the heart, and in this article illustrate the therapeutic benefits of this herb and the opinion of the science.

There are the health benefits of Hawthorn, including:

Treatment of heart failure : Scientific research has shown the effectiveness of some pharmaceutical products of hawthorn herb in the treatment of mild to moderate heart failure. Studies have also found that this herb improved the ability to exercise after heart failure and reduced the symptoms associated with this condition. The extract of Hawthorn Herb (900 mg / day) for two months was effective in relieving heart symptoms similar to the efficacy of light doses of Captopril, described in cases of heart failure. A study of the efficacy of a dietary supplement of Hawthorn was found for 952 patients B, and found the results after two years a decrease in the symptoms of the disease, which include palpitations, difficulty breathing, fatigue, and found that people who ate the herb they needed less medication doses. But other studies have shown that these products can increase the incidence of heart failure, and increase the risk of death or the need to enter the hospital, and must take into account that heart failure is a serious disease and can not treat the patient himself without consulting the doctor.
Treatment of anxiety disorders : Some studies have found that eating a product containing hawthorn with magnesium and California poppy may help treat minor to moderate anxiety disorders, but this effect needs more scientific research.
Chest pain (angina) : Some preliminary studies suggest that eating hawthorn reduces chest pain associated with angina, which is caused by low blood flow to the heart. A study of 60 people with angina found that eating 180 milligrams of hawthorn extract (fruits, leaves and flowers) improves from the flow of blood to the heart, from the ability to exercise without chest pain, but this effect needs more scientific research.
Hypertension : Some research shows the ability of hawthorn to lower blood pressure, but although there is no direct research studying the effect of this herb on high blood pressure, but this effect appeared in studies conducted for other purposes, for example, in a study on patients with type 2 diabetes, who also had high blood pressure, and who took prescribed medications from doctors, found that taking 1,200 mg of hawthorn extract every day for 16 weeks reduced blood pressure compared with the placebo group, but that effect needed more scientific research To study it and see how effective it is.
Hawthorn contains a high concentration of flavonoids and is used to prevent collagen breakage in the joints, reduces inflammation, and weak blood vessels, but this use is not scientifically proven.
Hawthorn has the ability to Reduce blood cholesterol in at least one study, and some compounds found antioxidant effects, but these uses are scientifically proven and need further scientific research to evaluate the effectiveness of hawthorn in their performance.
Some preliminary studies refer to Positive effects of hawthorn in blood circulation disorders, muscular spasm, anesthesia, and some other health conditions, these effects do not have sufficient scientific evidence and need further scientific research.

Side Effects of Hawthorn Grass

Hawthorn is safe when used by adults at specified doses for short periods of time (not to exceed 16 weeks). It is not known if long-term use is safe and can have side effects in some people, such as nausea, stomach upset, sweating , Headache, dizziness, palpitations, nose bleeds, insomnia, irritability, and some other problems, high doses can produce a decrease in blood pressure, arrhythmias and anesthesia.

The incidence of corneal shingles with hawthorn bushes resulted in loss of sight in 88 out of 132 documented cases in Ireland.

Warnings

Hawthorn herb should not be used for children under 12 years of age.
There is not enough information about the use of herb hawthorn during pregnancy and lactation and therefore should be avoided by the provision of reserve, specifically in the first three months of pregnancy.
You should avoid using Hawthorn without consulting a doctor in cases of heart disease because of its interaction with many drugs that are prescribed for heart conditions.
In general, hawthorn should not be used without consulting a physician to determine the possibility and dosage of its use, and the doctor should monitor the heartbeat, and blood pressure regularly during periods of use of this herb.

Drug interactions of Hawthorn herb

The hawthorn plant reacts in a dangerous manner with the following drugs:

Digoxin (Lanoxin): Because of the effect of Hawthorn plant similar to this drug, and can cause the treatment of this drug increase the effect, and the risk of side effects, and should not eat Hawthorn by people who take this drug without consulting the doctor, where must The drug dose should be modified.
Beta-blockers: The treatment of hawthorn herb can reduce blood pressure, causing a significant reduction by people taking this type of pressure medication, which include:

Atenolol (Tenormin) drug

Metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol-XL) drug
Propranolol (Inderal, Inderal LA) drug
And others.

Calcium channel blockers: The treatment of hawthorn with this type of medication can also cause a significant reduction in the level of blood pressure. These include:

nifedipine (Adalat, Procardia) drug

verapamil (Calan, Isoptin, Verelan) drug

diltiazem (Cardizem) drug
isradipine (DynaCirc) drug
felodipine (Plendil) drug
amlodipine (Norvasc) drug
And others.

Medications for ED in men, which include:

sildenafil (Viagra) drug,
tadalafil (Cialis) drug,
vardenafil (Levitra) drug.

Drugs that increase the flow of blood towards the heart: where the treatment of Hawthorn herb increases the flow of blood to the heart, and eating with this type of medication may cause dizziness, and these drugs:

nitroglycerin (Nitro-Bid, Nitro-Dur, Nitrostat) drug

isosorbide (Imdur, Isordil, Sorbitrate) drug

The therapeutic dose of hawthorn herb

For treatment of heart failure (after doctor’s advice), a dose of 5 g of herb or 160 mg to 900 mg of its extracts is taken daily in doses divided 3 times daily for at least 6 weeks. Some pharmaceutical products have been used for the treatment of heart failure Between 160 mg to 1800 mg divided in two doses or three doses per day, but also found that the use of these products increases the risk of death or hospitalization due to heart failure.

Store hawthorn herb

This herb should be stored away from light and moisture in tightly sealed temperatures at temperatures below 25 ° C.