Hawthorn has been used for thousands of years in Asian, European, and Native American cultures to treat heart disease. Hawthorn's heart benefits are thought to stem from its proanthocyanidins and flavonoids content, which also act as antioxidents.

 

Hawthorn was traditionally used as a cardiac tonic to treat irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, chest pain, hardening of the arteries, and congestive heart failure, dilates the coronary blood vessels, restores the heart muscle, decreasing fat deposit levels, increases intracellular vitamin c levels, anemia, cardiovascular and circulatory disorders, high cholesterol and lowered immunity.

 

■Cardiovascular Tonic

Hawthorn has been traditionally used to treat heart problems, including hypertension, angina, elevated cholesterol, coronary artery disease, cardiac arrhythmia, myocardial weakness, and the prevention of arterial disease caused by atherosclerosis.

 

■Digestive Aid

Hawthorn was traditionally recommended as a digestive aid.

 

■Heart Failure

Hawthorn has been widely studied in people with heart failure (a condition in which the heart is unable to pump enough blood to other organs in the body). Studies have shown hawthorn significantly improved heart function, found improved exercise tolerance and improved symptoms of the disease.

 

■Hypertension

Hawthorn exerts a mild blood-pressure lowering effect. These effects are gradual and may take up to two weeks to take effect. The hypotensive effects only cause slight effects in those with normal blood pressure.