Three types of hawthorn are considered medicinal: Crataegus pentagyna, Crataegus laevigata, and Crataegus sanguinea. These bushes look quite similar but grow in different regions. Why is hawthorn beneficial? Its healing properties have been known since ancient times. The flowers and fruits of hawthorn contain compounds that have medicinal effects on the human body. In Avicenna’s “Canon of Medicine,” hawthorn is described as follows: “It binds stronger than rowan fruits, suppresses bile, and closes endings more strongly than any other fruits.” It has been established by medical professionals that preparations containing hawthorn stimulate the heart, dilate blood vessels, and reduce cholesterol levels in the blood. Doctors use preparations from hawthorn fruits or flowers.
Their therapeutic effects on the body are virtually identical. In the early stages of hypertension, when the blood circulation in elderly people is insufficient, in atherosclerosis, and in heart disorders, hawthorn comes to the rescue. The triterpenic acids found in hawthorn improve the blood circulation of the venous vessels of the heart and brain. Recipes using hawthorn flowers in folk medicine are employed for high blood pressure, to reduce nervous system excitation, and to help patients with angina pectoris and neuroses.
Here are some folk medicine recipes using hawthorn. A very beneficial decoction from the fruits: brew 20 grams of hawthorn in a glass of boiling water and drink it like tea. Another decoction can be made from the flowers: 3 tablespoons of flowers in three glasses of boiling water, to be taken one glass three times a day, preferably before meals. Tinctures based on hawthorn fruits are also very useful. Steep 25 grams of fruits in 100 grams of alcohol or vodka. Take the alcohol tincture 30-40 drops three times a day before meals, and the vodka tincture 50-60 drops. You can also prepare a tincture from the flowers: mix one part alcohol with one part fresh juice, steep for 15 days, and take 40 drops. Tinctures from the flowers and fruits increase the excitability of the central nervous system, eliminate arrhythmia, relieve heart pain, and tone the heart muscle. Tinctures should be diluted with water before use.
Hawthorn berries are especially tasty in the fall, containing 15% sugar. Fresh berries are mainly used to make kissel, though they are sometimes preserved. If the fruits are dried, they can be used to brew tea. Flowers, fruits, and leaves are widely used in hypertension and as a sugar-reducing agent in diabetes. A mandatory condition is consuming the fruits fresh on a full stomach: 50-100 grams of berries three times a day. Besides its beneficial properties, hawthorn is also known for its potential harm in folk medicine. Pregnant women should avoid these bushes. Even a healthy person can harm themselves if they overeat the berries, which can lead to low blood pressure or heart rhythm disturbances.