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Herbal remedies are full of multiple solutions to your ailments. Alternative medicine exposes you the virtues of hawthorn. What is that ? What is this plant made of?
Questions to be answered precisely, especially since each of us is increasingly exposed to problems that are harmful to our health: nervousness, stress, heart problems, headaches, insomnia and their after-effects. here is the 6 benefits of hawthorn.
What is hawthorn
These are small red fruits from a thorny tree measuring 6 to 12 m high, Its oval and lobed leaves are dark green in color (1).
Hawthorn is a plant species native to Asia and nontoxic that grows in North America and Europe. It is also known by other names such as the cenellier or the white thorn.
The scientific name for hawthorn is Crataegus monogyna and it is classified in the Rosaceae family.
Known as Hawthorn in English, the hawthorn comes in several varieties, the number of which listed in the botanical literature is 1200.
Standardized extracts from the leaves and flowers of this species were used from 1980 to 1990 to treat people with congestive heart failure.
Hawthorn is available in the form of dried flowers in shops, in pharmacies and in the form of capsules at high concentration.
Research on hawthorn was initiated by two American doctors Jennings (1896) and Clément (1898).
The phytotherapeutic experiment of Doctor Leclerc in 1897 confirmed over a period of thirty years the positive effect of hawthorn on sleep, the functioning of the heart and anxiety disorders.
Composition and active ingredients
Hawthorn owes its therapeutic virtues to:
- triterpene acid
- caffeic acid,
- Chlorogenic acid,
- Flavonoids (1 to 2%),
- La rhamnoside,
- L’hyperoside,
- Vitexin,
- With proanthocyanidols (2 to 3%),
- Alkaloids,
- The coumarine,
- Amygdalin.
Hawthorn flowers mostly contain flavonic pigments, amino compounds, terpene derivatives, histamine, tannin and vitamin C.
The 6 benefits of hawthorn
Hawthorn prevents heart problems
Hawthorn is a tree used in herbal medicine to cure heart problems, palpitations, and heart failure. Its virtues have been recognized since the end of the 2th century (XNUMX).
Hawthorn is consumed to prevent the risk of myocardial infarction. It also ensures the resorption of certain edemas especially at the level of ankles.
You can consume hawthorn when signs of heart weakness or heart failure appear.
This type of treatment is safe and improves quality of life. In addition, hawthorn is food safe and does not present any dangers when consumed as such. Hawthorn also acts as an antiplatelet agent.
To read: The 9 benefits of chia seeds
Cardiac regulator
Hawthorn slows the heart rate, reduces palpitations and strengthens the heart during tachycardia disease. The use of hawthorn promotes oxygenation of the heart.
The presence of flavonoids in the floral part of the hawthorn is interesting for the functioning of the heart. These vitamin substances promote blood flow between the heart and the arteries.
Remedy for insomnia and anxiety
In a world increasingly marked by the challenges of economic and social success, stress, anxiety and insomnia are inevitable. No need to take medication to combat insomnia and stress.
Do you want to know why? The hidden truth is that these drugs are addictive and over time make it worse for patients.
Small advice, eat foods that calm your nervous system, which stimulate your sleep (3).
Hawthorn acts on the nervous system by reducing their excitability. To solve your problems of insomnia and anxiety, make an infusion of hawthorn and take several cups of the solution obtained every day for one or two weeks.
Cosmetic product par excellence
To get rid of redness and small pimples, clean your face with a decoction of hawthorn.
Boil in half a liter of water, 20 g of flowers or hawthorn berries. Use the collected solution to cleanse your face.
Your skin will become smoother, silky. Applied regularly, hawthorn water reduces the appearance of pimples.
To read: The 9 health benefits of green tea
Hypotensive, sedative, antispasmodic
Hawthorn flowers act as a hypotensive, sedative and antispasmodic. Its fruits have a calming power.
When you experience dizziness, ringing in the ears and frequent irritability or nervousness, I suggest you take hawthorn. Diabetics can use hawthorn to reduce blood pressure .
Reducer of bad cholesterol levels
In a study carried out on mice, the importance of hawthorns on the reduction of bad cholesterol and the rise of good cholesterol was deduced.
This study was carried out on 4 groups of mice. The mice were put on a diet high in bad cholesterol.
The fourth received in addition to this diet, a supply of hawthorn. The other groups were fed other foods (4).
At the end of the study, it was concluded that the mice in group D had significantly low bad cholesterol levels; while their levels of good cholesterol were high.
Hawthorn leaves are rightly used to treat cholesterol, blood circulation, cardiovascular issues, heartbeat, and high blood pressure.
Consuming hawthorn works to lower the level of bad LDL cholesterol in the blood. If you like herbal teas, consume herbal teas made with hawthorns. Make sure not to mix flowers and fruits and not to take them simultaneously.
Recipes
Candy Sugar Juice Recipes
You will need:
- 1 kilo of aubergines
- 150-200 grams of rock sugar
- ½ teaspoon of salt
Preparation
Wash your hawthorns and cover them with water in a container; mix well.
Add salt and let stand for about 10 minutes.
Remove the hawthorns from the water and rinse a second time. Then let them drain.
After draining them, cut them in half to remove the seeds. Squeeze the two halves to facilitate the extraction of the seeds. Do the same for the rest of the hawthorns.
Reserve your hawthorns in a utensil.
Crush your candy sugars if they are in large pieces. Add them to the hawthorns.
Boil 1¼ L of mineral water. Lower the boiling water from the heat and let cool for about ten minutes.
Pour hot water over the hawthorns and candy sugar, mix well and put in a cool place. Keep this mixture for 24 hours. You can put it in the fridge after a few hours when the water has cooled down.
After 24 hours, mix well and put them in jars to keep them. Very delicious.
This juice can be kept for 2 to 3 weeks in the fridge.
You can remove the hawthorns or keep them. But I advise you to keep the hawthorns so that the juice soaks up even better.
In addition it will allow you to check through the smell and color of hawthorns whether your juice is degrading or not.
Nutritional value
This juice is quite refreshing. It is especially recommended in the morning for its high vitamin C content. You recharge your batteries for a long day. You will be full of energy and cheerfulness.
Hawthorn juice is also highly recommended for athletes, before and after sports activities. Indeed, thanks to the sugar (glucose) which will be transformed in the body into energy and vitamin C, athletes have enough to support the energy expenditure due to training and others.
To read: The 21 health benefits of honey
Hawthorne berries smoothie
You will need:
- 1 cup hawthorn berries (hawthorn)
- 1 cup of homemade sweet almond milk
- ½ cup of carrot juice
- 1 cup of frozen sweet bananas
- 1 teaspoon of salt
Preparation
Soak your hawthorns in water beforehand (30 minutes). Add your salt to it.
Remove the hawthorns from the water, rinse them and drain them. Cut the hawthorns in half to remove the seeds.
Put them in your blender. Add the cup of almond milk, the carrot juice and the frozen banana pieces to your mixer.
Mix them well to obtain a superb smoothie.
You can use frozen mangoes instead of your carrot juice.
Nutritional value
Hawthorns are very nourishing for the cardiovascular system. They help bring blood to the heart. They fight against mild heart problems such as palpitations.
Hawthorns also provide your muscles with energy through vitamin C and the sugar they contain.
Sweet almonds are very rich in vitamins, especially vitamin E. Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant in the body. It also protects against premature aging.
Almonds are also rich in minerals especially calcium and magnesium. Almond milk does not contain lactose. Sweet almond milk is also rich in Omega 6.
Carrot juice is rich in carotene and provitamin A. Carrot juice is good for vision. It also supplies the body with vitamin K and several B vitamin compounds such as vitamins B1, B2 and B3. The carrot is also rich in minerals.
The banana brings a superb creamy aspect to your smoothie. It also provides several minerals including potassium.
Hawthorn tea
You will need:
- 3 tablespoons of dried hawthorn
- Soupe à 1 honey cuillère
- 2 cups of water
- 5 ice cubes
Preparation
Rinse your pieces of hawthorn in cold water to remove any debris.
Boil the hawthorns for about fifteen minutes.
Filter the resulting juice.
Take them down from the fire and let them cool down. Transfer the collected juice to a glass and add the honey and ice cubes. Stir well so that the honey dissolves completely.
Nutritional value
Honey has anti bacterial properties. It is important in winter to fight against sore throats, coughs, tonsillitis and other mild diseases of the respiratory system.
It is most effective when combined with vitamin C.
Note that in hawthorn juices you don’t need lemon or other citrus fruits.
Hawthorn provides you with several nutrients through this tea.
Small hawthorn sauce
This little recipe comes to us from India. It gives us a different way of consuming hawthorns (5).
You will need:
- 500 G d’aubepines
- 1 / 2 cup of cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon of coriander seeds
- ¼ cup rapeseed oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Salt
Preparation
Clean your hawthorns and put them in a fireproof utensil.
Pour the cider vinegar over the hawthorns and bring them to the fire. Simmer for about twenty minutes.
When the hawthorns burst, get off the fire.
Remove the hawthorns from the vinegar juice and put them in a fine mesh sieve.
Puree the hawthorns with the back of a spoon. This will permanently remove the hawthorn stones.
Combine with the resulting hawthorn puree, ground coriander, salt and rapeseed oil.
Taste the sauce to better season it to your liking
Put your hawthorn sauce in a sterilized jar.
Keep your sauce cool. You can reheat it or not before consuming it.
Nutritional value
This sauce can be served with crisps, fresh vegetables (carrots, peppers,)
It also accompanies salads, meat, chicken.
Dosage and précautions
Dosage
The active ingredients of hawthorn are extracted from its flowers, fruits and leaves. Hawthorn can be in the form of capsules or tablets.
Infusion, tincture, decoction and extraction are some of the main preparations for having the active ingredients of hawthorn (7).
For the treatment of sore throat, the concentration of hawthorn to be reached is 10 g / L.
Your daily intake of hawthorn supplements should not exceed 1800mg. Your consumption of hawthorn supplement should not go beyond 24 weeks. Moreover, the effects are felt in the body after 3-5 weeks of hawthorn supplement consumption.
Industrialized hawthorn is available as tablets, capsules, extract liquid, and tinctures.
Warnings
Taking hawthorn supplements is prohibited for young children and pregnant women.
It should be noted that self-treatment is strictly prohibited in the event of cardiovascular disorders.
The intervention of a health professional is a necessity to avoid the often fatal risks.
Skin allergies or digestive problems can possibly occur in the event of an overdose of hawthorn.
Complementarities with drugs
Hawthorn optimizes the action potential of digitalis, nitroglycerin, isosorbide and beta blockers in the body.
Consuming hawthorn with medications such as Captopril, Captolane or Lopril gives you more tone.
Treatment of moderate ventricular failure with hawthorn reduces the risk of sudden death in patients.
Complementarities with other plants for therapeutic use
You can prepare an anti-stress solution by mixing hawthorn with chamomile, linden, passionflower or valerian.
Hawthorn and Griffonia are a remedy for insomnia. Hawthorn also works in a complementary way with rhodiola to relieve stress and nervous tension.
When the nerves are tired, brew a potion of ginseng and hawthorn (8).
Conclusion
Hawthorn is quite rich in vitamin C. Its vitamin C content is higher than the content of this vitamin in lemon or any other citrus fruit.
In order to avoid excess which can lead to inconvenience or poisoning, do not combine your hawthorn drinks with foods rich in vitamin C.
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