Like many members of the rose family,
hawthorn is astringent and will help stop bleeding; as such it was largely
used as a remedy for diarrhoea and heavy menstrual bleeding. Taking a
Doctrine of Signatures approach, old herbals also recommend the plant for
drawing thorns and splinters. It has been used for centuries as a hedging
plant to divide farms and fields and the name "haw" is actually an old
word for a hedge, hence hedgethorn.
Today we regard hawthorn
primarily as a heart herb - a valuable tonic that will help normalize
action and is widely used for high blood pressure. This is, however, a
comparatively recent use as, apart from occasional mentions suggesting the
herb as a remedy for dropsy (which can be related to blood pressure
problems), there is little historic evidence linking hawthorn with heart
disorders.
Now we know that it acts as a peripheral vasodilator,
improving blood supply throughout the body as well as relaxing the
coronary blood vessels, while it also has a general tonic effect on heart
action and contains procyanadins which relax the central nervous system.
It is used to reduce high blood pressure as well as counter the risk of
angina attacks and helps to soften the fatty deposits of atherosclerosis
which lead to hardening of the arteries. Both flowering tops and berries
are used in this way although the Chinese use only the berries and
consider them primarily as a digestive remedy.
Hawthorn combined
with linden flowers or yarrow makes a pleasant tea for those prone to high
blood pressure. As an astringent, it is also worth remembering that
hawthorn infusions can be used as a gargle for sore throats, a douche for
vaginal discharges, and will be helpful for diarrhoea and other digestive
upsets.
Plant Description:
A common deciduous shrub
or small tree, often used in hedging, with deeply lobed obovate
(Egg-shaped leaf with the broadest part towards the apex) leaves and pink
or white scented flowers in late spring. Dark red oval fruits form in
early autumn and are usually eaten by birds.
Parts
used:
flowering tops, collected in spring, and berries,
collected when ripe in autumn
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