Hawthorn: benefits and harms, how to take

Hawthorn, whose beneficial properties and contraindications are confirmed by official medicine, has been known as a medicinal plant since the XNUMXth century. Its beneficial properties were appreciated, but they were used only for stomach problems: dysentery and diarrhea. With the development of medicine, when it became possible to diagnose many internal diseases, it turned out that this shrub is beneficial for many other problems.

What hawthorn is considered medicinal

In nature, there are 380 “wild” species of hawthorn. No one considered various forms and hybrids at all. But only some types of hawthorn have medicinal properties:

• daursky (Crataegus dahurica);
• green-fruited (Crataegus chlorocarpa);
• single-pistal (Crataegus monogyna);
• common/prickly (Crataegus laevigata);
• five-petal (Crataeguspentagyna);
• blood red (Crataegussanguinea);
• some other types.

These are the most common varieties used in medicine. The entire shrub has useful properties: roots, leaves, flowers and fruits.

In fact, this is not a seed, but a stone fruit culture.

There are few vitamins in fruits. Hawthorn berries have beneficial properties for the human body due to other substances:

• flavonoids:
  • quercitrin;
  • hyperoside;
  • acetyl vitexin;
  • quercetin;
  • vitexin;
• hydroxycinnamic acids:
  • chlorogenic;
  • coffee.

Treatment with the use of hawthorn is possible only if it is used as an auxiliary, and not the main remedy.

Medicinal properties and contraindications of hawthorn

The most common, affordable and numerous type of medicinal plant: red hawthorn. When they talk about the beneficial properties of these plants, they most often mean the medicinal properties and contraindications of the red hawthorn.

Therefore, when taking preparations of this plant, one must also take into account the type of shrub or tree. In many ways, the useful properties of drugs depend on the chemical composition of the feedstock. Since the plants are unpretentious and can grow on different soils, the chemical composition will also vary. The chemical compositions of different species of this genus also differ from each other. Therefore, we can only talk about a certain average value, which cannot be taken as a guide to action when collecting raw materials from wild bushes on our own.

Composition of hawthorn

The beneficial properties and use of hawthorn in modern medicine is explained by the high content of potassium in the berries, which has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system. But besides potassium, there are a lot of other macro- and microelements in B. prickly. 100 g of raw materials contain:

• 1310 mg of potassium;
• 300 mg of calcium;
• 100 mg manganese;
• 4 mg of iron and magnesium;
• 1180 mcg selenium;
• 200 mcg boron;
• 37 mcg cobalt;
• 29 mcg copper;
• 10 μg nickel;
• 7 mcg zinc;
• 6 mcg each of strontium and iodine;
• 5 mcg lead;
• 1 mcg of chromium.

Hawthorn fruits have also been used in osteoporosis. It is impossible to cure this disease. Its development is only suspended. A large amount of calcium in the berries delays the development of the disease.

In addition to various elements, berries also contain other substances:

• tannins;
• essential oils;
• organic acids:
  • oleic;
  • coffee;
  • lemon;
  • tartar;
• phytosterols;
• carotenoids;
• glycosides;
• pectins.

Because of this composition, the fruits may not benefit everyone. The vitamin composition of hawthorn can bring both benefits and harm to health.

The content of vitamins in hawthorn

The amount and vitamins in leaves and flowers are usually not checked, and we are always talking about fruits. The vitamin composition of berries is poor. 100 g of fruits contain:

• 2 mg of vitamin E;
• 60 mg of vitamin C;
• 16 mg vitamin A.

In winter, these are the most important vitamins for the human body, but hawthorn fruits are more useful due to the above mineral composition.

The absolute values ​​of the numbers are not very informative. If we calculate as a percentage of the daily requirement for vitamins for the human body, then the picture will turn out to be not so rosy:

• vitamin A – 259%;
• vitamin C – 100%;
• Vitamin E – 13,3%.

Vitamin A has a cumulative effect. It accumulates in the liver, gradually destroying the organ. An overdose of vitamin C for a long time will lead to hypovitaminosis C when it is stopped. And only vitamin E withstands the dose, given that it is also found in other products.

Calorie content of fresh hawthorn

The main component of fresh fruits, like any other fruit, is water. Its share in 100 g of the product is 82,4 g. Proteins 0,8 g, carbohydrates 14 g, fats 0 g, fiber 1,6 g. The nutritional value of 100 g is only 58,5 kcal. But it is not recommended to use fruits for weight loss. Berries have a useful property to reduce pressure, which is undesirable in this situation, and harmful – to poison the body when consumed in large doses.

Healing properties of hawthorn

In official medicine, hawthorn preparations are intended for the treatment of the heart and blood vessels. They increase the contraction of the heart muscle, but reduce its excitability. Thanks to triterpene acids, tincture and extracts from the shrub improve blood circulation, eliminate pain in the heart area. Hawthorn berries are useful for the body and for other diseases:

• hypertension;
• headaches;
• allergies;
• diabetes mellitus;
• thyroid disorders;
• epilepsy.

Helps restore the normal functioning of the body during menopause. Although with a strict approach, menopause cannot be considered a disease, it does not make it easier for women.

What are the benefits of hawthorn berries for the human body

Due to the beneficial property of affecting blood vessels, berries are useful not only for diseases. When blood circulation improves, the state of the body automatically normalizes. In this regard, the fruits are useful for men and women in other areas.

Hawthorn: useful properties and contraindications for men

Hawthorn is not able to solve male problems “on its own”. It is prescribed as an auxiliary component to the list of other medicines. Only in the very early stages of erection, when the problem is associated with poor blood supply to the organs, the hawthorn preparation can help without other medicines.

Very often, impotence occurs against the background of psychological stress. Calming the nervous system, the medicine restores potency. Also, problems with erection occur when blood stagnates in the groin area. By improving blood circulation, medicines from hawthorn eliminate this stagnation.

Hawthorn: useful properties and contraindications for women

The main benefit for women here is calming the nervous system. If valerian requires prolonged use before acting, and motherwort lulls, then hawthorn quickly calms the nervous system. With pain during menstruation, it is also a good pain reliever.

Is it possible to hawthorn during pregnancy

The main contraindication during pregnancy: self-administration of the drug. Before use, you need to consult a doctor. If the doctor has allowed that the medicine will normalize the work of the gastrointestinal tract, eliminate nervousness, raise immunity and bring the heart rate back to normal.

Is it possible to hawthorn while breastfeeding

A healthy body does not need any extraneous medical adjustments. Too early use of therapeutic agents leads to improper formation of body reactions. The intestines of an infant are underdeveloped and lack the necessary bacteria. Getting into the body of a child through mother’s milk, instead of benefit, hawthorn will do harm. It will interfere with the formation of normal microflora and lead to problems with the gastrointestinal tract. Before using such a folk remedy, you need to consult a doctor.

Contraindications to taking hawthorn for women

Given the original use of this plant in the Middle Ages, it is better not to use it in the last stages of pregnancy. Constipation at this time is useless. It is also undesirable to use drugs during menstruation for those women who already have a very abundant blood flow. Hawthorn improves blood circulation not only in the brain.

Is hawthorn possible for children

Like any medicine, hawthorn should not be used “for prevention.” You can’t follow the principle “it’s only grass, what can happen.” A lot can happen. Average children in the body do not yet have those pathologies that require intervention. If the child has a serious illness, then the doctor will prescribe the medicine.

The benefits of hawthorn for the elderly

Preparations from this shrub are used for so many diseases that they begin to seem like a panacea for all ills. In fact, the beneficial properties of this plant “revolve” around the work of the cardiovascular system and the gastrointestinal tract. Moreover, in the latter case, the indications for use are very narrow – diarrhea. It will not work to cure a stomach ulcer with the help of hawthorn.

But it will work:

• normalize the work of the heart;
• improve cerebral circulation;
• reduce pressure;
• remove heart rhythm disturbances;
• get rid of headaches.

Constipation is not uncommon in older people. When using hawthorn, care must be taken that the normalization of the CCC does not overlap with constipation. Otherwise, instead of benefit, a person will get an additional problem.

What helps hawthorn

“In splendid isolation” these medicines help according to the medieval principle “either he will recover, or everything is in the hands of God.” It would be better if the drug as an adjuvant is prescribed by a doctor in combination with other medicines. But tinctures and extracts of hawthorn are prescribed for many diseases. Since this berry grows freely in nature, you can use useful recipes and make your own preparations from hawthorn.

The benefits of hawthorn for the heart

This is the main use of B. vulgaris in modern official medicine. Preparations for the treatment of the cardiovascular system are obtained from the common hawthorn (prickly). For the manufacture of medicines, berries and flowers that have just begun to bloom are used.

Drugs are prescribed for almost all diseases associated with CCC:

• myasthenia gravis;
• atrial fibrillation;
• angioneuroses;
• paroxysmal tachycardia;
• angina pectoris;
• hyperthyroidism with tachycardia;

These same drugs are a good remedy for insomnia caused by nervous excitement. But they must be used as prescribed by a doctor.

With vascular atherosclerosis

It is impossible to count on the cure of atherosclerosis solely with the help of hawthorn. Preparations from this plant cannot remove cholesterol plaques from the walls of blood vessels. With atherosclerosis of blood vessels, hawthorn is used for other purposes:

• lowering blood pressure;
• improved sleep;
• stimulation of the heart muscle;
• reduction of dizziness due to insufficient blood supply to the brain;
• improvement of blood circulation;
• reduction in shortness of breath.

With atherosclerosis, a constant intake of preparations from hawthorn is indicated. But the pharmacy drug is an alcohol tincture. Regular intake of alcohol preparations leads to alcoholism, no matter how ridiculous it may seem. Tincture should be alternated with decoctions. There is also a delicious recipe for winter use: 800 g of granulated sugar is thoroughly mixed with 20 g of citric acid, and then ground with 1 kg of fresh large-fruited hawthorn berries. The resulting mass is transferred to jars and sprinkled with sugar on top. A circle of paper soaked in alcohol is placed on top of the sugar. Banks are closed with lids and stored in the refrigerator.

The preparation without alcohol is ready. Can be consumed daily instead of jam, but not more than 150 g and not longer than 21 days. Then they take a break.

After a stroke

Hawthorn after a stroke is of little help. Medicines from this plant are used to prevent strokes. This happens due to the same improvement in the blood supply to the vessels in the brain.

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In hypertension, hawthorn plays its main role as a medicinal plant. He is able to reduce pressure. This is the case when it can be appointed as the main, and not an auxiliary tool. But only at the initial stage. It must be taken under medical supervision.

From cholesterol

You shouldn’t deceive yourself. Hawthorn does not save from cholesterol. Cold, hunger and movement help here, when the body uses all the nutrients it receives to the droplet. He simply has nothing to put aside “in reserve”. Neither in the subcutaneous fat layer, nor on the walls of blood vessels. But preparations from this plant are able to improve blood flow through vessels blocked with cholesterol plaques.

With diabetes mellitus

In type 2 diabetes, hawthorn is most often consumed with berries:

• fresh;
• frozen;
• dried.

The flowers and leaves of the plant are also used. The intake of berries alone can be alternated with decoctions and infusions. The action of hawthorn is limited to its useful properties. It can improve blood circulation and relieve pain spasms. Improves the condition of the skin. Helps fight painful fatigue. But he is not able to replace specialized drugs.

Otherwise, instead of the expected benefit, a person will receive harm in the form of severe colic.

Such a useful property of a shrub as the ability to stop diarrhea can play a cruel joke. In diabetics, intestinal disorders often manifest themselves in the form of constipation. Taking drugs for this disease requires more strict medical supervision than any other.

With pancreatitis

Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas. All parts of the plant possess more or less pronounced anti-inflammatory properties. It is best to use hawthorn root for pancreatitis. This part has the strongest anti-inflammatory effect: 100 g of the root is poured into liters of water and boiled for 10 minutes. Cool and strain. Take 1 tbsp. l 3 times a day.

Benefit to the liver

For the liver, hawthorn is more harmful than useful. Like any drug, the plant is poisonous in large doses. And all toxins from the human body are excreted through the liver. But with inflammation of the gallbladder adjacent to the liver, hawthorn can relieve inflammation in the same way as with pancreatitis.

For gallstone disease

The case when you do not need to self-medicate. Hawthorn with cholelithiasis can be very dangerous. The plant is able to increase the secretion of bile, washing out the sand from the gallbladder. But if a stone is too large in the bladder, it will get stuck in the bile duct. This will worsen the patient’s condition. Therefore, with cholelithiasis, taking hawthorn is possible only after passing the examination and under the supervision of a doctor.

With gastritis with high acidity

It is often indicated that hawthorn is useful for gastritis with high or low acidity, but no one says exactly how it affects the stomach. The same medication cannot either increase or decrease acidity, depending on the needs of the patient. This means that either in this case the medicine does not work at all, or it only harms. The maximum benefit for gastritis is the reduction of pain.

With oncology

Even doctors have not yet figured out the mechanism of the onset of cancer. With the IV degree of cancer, it is already possible to be treated with anything, just like it is. In folk medicine, hawthorn is used as an antioxidant in oncology. It is believed that it resists tumor growth. But tumor growth is much more successfully resisted by chemotherapy and radiation. The latter resist so successfully that the tumor shrinks, and doctors are able to remove it completely.

But hawthorn preparations can also be taken. The main thing is not to get poisoned by them.

With colds

Hawthorn for colds is used by supporters of traditional medicine. Plentiful warm drink in this disease is useful in any case, even if it is plain water. But you can make a vitamin drink by taking a glass of wild rose, viburnum and hawthorn and 3 liters of water. Pour boiling water over the berries and leave for a day. The dose is 2-day and is designed for an adult.

For kidney disease

In diseases of the kidneys, hawthorn is an almost unimportant medicinal plant. It has a weak diuretic effect, but not all kidney diseases show increased urination. And the very concept of “kidney disease” is too broad to be applied without a preliminary visit to the doctor.

At climax

Hot flashes during menopause are a failure in the thermoregulation of the body. The woman feels a burning sensation in her upper body. Redness of the scalp and chest. There are increased sweating and dizziness, shortness of breath, a feeling of unreasonable anxiety. All this is the result of a hormonal failure, which entails the excitation of the central nervous system. The benefit of hawthorn with menopause from hot flashes is only that the medication is able to bring the central nervous system back to normal.

What is hawthorn useful for: effects on the body

Although the beneficial properties of hawthorn are fully recognized by official medicine, its benefits do not go beyond 3 of the 4 main body systems: CCC, gastrointestinal tract and central nervous system. It is somewhat reckless to perceive the plant as a panacea and consider that it can be beneficial, even if you use it just like that, “for prevention”.

Hawthorn thickens or thins the blood

The ability of medicines made from this plant to lower blood pressure shows that one of the beneficial properties of hawthorn is blood thinning. If you also add alcohol, then the tincture can further expand the vessels.

Hawthorn weakens or strengthens

This useful property has been known since the Middle Ages, when decoctions and berries were used to stop diarrhea in dysentery. Today, the use of the shrub in this regard has somewhat decreased, but its infusions and fresh fruits are still used in our time for diarrhea.

Is there a hawthorn diet

No. And such a diet is not recommended at all, since it does more harm than good. Hawthorn for weight loss is not used at all, even taking into account its low calorie content. With its mild diuretic effect, the only time it can be used for weight loss is edematous “fullness”. But with such “completeness” one should not rely on the beneficial properties of plants, but go to the doctor. Serious heart problems are possible.

The benefits of hawthorn for the body’s immunity

Immunity in everyday life is raised with shock doses of vitamins, which hawthorn cannot boast of. Therefore, its benefit in restoring immunity is doubtful, but the harm from excessive use is undeniable. It is better to replace it with rose hips. Rosehip broth will bring much more benefits.

Application of hawthorn

From hawthorn make:

• tinctures;
• decoctions;
• jam;
• raw material (fresh berries pureed with sugar);
• liqueurs

But self-medication with these goodies is undesirable.

How much hawthorn can you eat per day

There are recommendations for the use of no more than 150 g of berries per day. But even this dose can bring not benefit, but harm. In any case, drinking a glass of fruit during the day at night can already cause pronounced symptoms of poisoning.

Many people are frivolous about medicinal plants recognized by official medicine, believing that since it is not “chemistry”, it cannot hurt. At the same time, forgetting that the use of 1-2 drops of foxglove tincture normalizes the work of the heart, and a whole vial is fatal. Hawthorn is weaker, but also capable of serious harm.

The use of hawthorn fruits in folk medicine

In folk medicine, berries are used even where they should not be used at all. In particular, as the prevention of gastrointestinal diseases in children. Meanwhile, the regular use of drugs weakens the body and, conversely, leads to the appearance of diseases. The video just shows the belief of a fan of traditional medicine that berries should be taken both with a rapid heartbeat and with a slowdown. But that doesn’t happen.

How hawthorn is used in cosmetology

The only area where the beneficial properties of the plant can be used without the supervision of a doctor. Hawthorn is used in the form of masks from berries and decoctions. Relieves irritation, removes red spots and disinfects the skin. Here the benefits of the plant are much greater than the harm.

Hawthorn honey: useful properties and contraindications

The plant is a bad honey plant. Also, the bees get little pollen from it. Finding pure hawthorn honey is technically impossible. Guaranteed beneficial properties of hawthorn honey are the same as any other natural variety of this product: the main one is a natural antibiotic. Everything else is very selective and in too small doses to really benefit the human body.

Contraindications are the same as for other varieties of honey:

• allergy to bee products;
• some stages of diabetes;
• emphysema;
• bronchial asthma;
• heart failure;
• hemorrhages of the respiratory tract;
• myocarditis;
• other contraindications.

The wonders of honey are often greatly exaggerated indeed.

Contraindications to taking hawthorn

The situation is the same as with all medications: there are no poisons and no drugs, there is a dose. So here too. Using a shrub for healing can be beneficial if used wisely and in the right doses. And it can be harmful if overdone.

In small doses, hawthorn remedies can regulate tachycardia, in large doses they will cause it. Instead of benefit, this plant is harmful in some diseases of the stomach and gallbladder. It is not suitable for people suffering from constipation.

The herbal component in dietary supplements is often an overdose that causes poisoning. Folk recipes: 1 tbsp. l. on a glass of boiling water – they also offer poison. The norm will be 1 teaspoon. And in all cases, taking the drug should not last more than 21 days.

The use of fresh berries in excess doses causes food poisoning and severe pain in the gastrointestinal tract. In order for the hawthorn to bring benefit instead of harm, it cannot be prescribed to itself. It should be used only on the recommendation of a doctor and under his supervision.

How does hawthorn allergy manifest?

You may be allergic to this plant. Her symptoms:

• itching on the lips and in the oral cavity;
• swelling;
• nausea;
• diarrhea (the main problem that hawthorn should eliminate);
• colic;
• “uncaused” runny nose or cough.

And here it is necessary to urgently remove the patient from this drug, and not rely on traditional medicine.

Conclusion

Hawthorn, whose beneficial properties and contraindications are as extensive as any “chemical” drug, remains an important auxiliary component in the treatment of CVS. If you do not abuse these herbal medicines, then they will only benefit. But it is important to know the measure.