Hawthorn

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Video: Hawthorn

Video: Hawthorn
Video: Cruachan - The Hawthorn (Official Music Video) 2024, November
Hawthorn
Hawthorn
Anonim

Hawthorn / Crataegus / is a genus of angiosperms of the family Rosaceae. The most common representative of this genus is the common hawthorn, also known as the common hawthorn hawthorn and red hawthorn. It grows in dry and sunny places up to 1500 meters above sea level.

It is found in wooded areas, among bushes, around mountain pastures. It is most common in temperate climates of West Asia, North Africa and Europe. Hawthorn is not pretentious about soils, but grows better in fertile and fresh soils.

Hawthorn is a low shrubby tree that reaches a height of 5-14 meters. It has strongly branched thin twigs and a well-developed root system. The branches are shiny, purple-brown. The leaves are ordinary, 2-4 cm long.

The flowers of hawthorn are white and pink, gathered in thyroid inflorescences. The fruits ripen in September and October. Already ripe fruits are dark red or orange, oblong, juicy and globular.

Hawthorn has been used by healers since ancient times. There is preserved evidence of its use in the Roman Empire in the first century AD. Today, doctors, phytotherapists use hawthorn for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular problems.

Hawthorn fruit
Hawthorn fruit

Composition of hawthorn

Hawthorn leaves contain flavonoids, tannins, essential fatty acids, triterpene carbonic acids, purine derivatives. Hawthorn fruits are rich in vitamins, pigments, tannins and flavonoids.

Collection and storage of hawthorn

Hawthorn can easily be found in mountains, forests and parks. The fruits are very useful, but the colors are not inferior in quality. Hawthorn flowers and leaves are collected in May-June, during the initial flowering.

Hawthorn berries are harvested in late summer or early autumn, when the fruits are very well ripened, firm and red in color. Softened fruits should not be collected.

Hawthorn extract can be purchased from pharmacies and specialty stores. It is a key ingredient in supplements that strengthen heart and arterial health.

Dried Hawthorn
Dried Hawthorn

Benefits of hawthorn

The hawthorn has a beneficial effect on various diseases of the cardiovascular system, improves the work of the heart muscle and strengthens its activity. It lowers blood pressure, dilates coronary vessels and vessels of the brain, improves overall vascular wall function.

Hawthorn is an herb that should be an integral part of the first aid kit of patients with heart disease. Unlike drugs that deplete the heart, hawthorn not only does not deplete it, but promotes the development of circulatory circulation.

Hawthorn helps with insomnia and increased thyroid function. Experiments have shown that hawthorn extract lowers blood cholesterol levels, making it a great remedy for atherosclerosis.

Usually 300 to 600 mg of dry extract of hawthorn, three times a day. Studies show that the full effect of the herb requires therapy lasting about half a year.

Hawthorn tea
Hawthorn tea

Folk medicine with hawthorn

Hawthorn has long been used in folk medicine as a very good remedy for heart disease and chronic heart failure. It eliminates the unpleasant sensations of the heartbeat, reduces the risk of arrhythmia, improves blood supply to the brain and heart.

Helps for quick recovery after a heart attack, cardiac neurosis, mild forms of hypertension, insomnia and nervous excitement, enlarged prostate and more.

The infusion of hawthorn blossom is made as 2 tbsp. of the color are flooded with 450 ml. boiling water and leave to soak for at least 2 hours. Drink three times daily before meals, 150 ml.

To prepare the decoction you need 1 tbsp. fruits that are cooked for about 10 minutes on low heat. The decoction is filtered and drunk three times a day before meals, 150 ml.

Harm from hawthorn

Hawthorn extract is considered a completely safe herbal product that can be taken by healthy people without a doctor's recommendation. Hawthorn has no side effects, but its use by people suffering from heart problems should be agreed with a doctor due to the unspecified interactions of hawthorn with the drugs taken. On the other hand, the safety of hawthorn in pregnant women, children and nursing mothers has also not been well studied.

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