White hawthorn; Properties and benefits for our health
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If you suffer from anxiety or heart problems, it is likely that you have already heard about the properties and benefits of white hawthorn. This medicinal plant is good for an endless number of health problems, from hypertension to fever. This is the best option to treat menopause, hypertension or fever naturally!
Are you looking to know more about white hawthorn? Here we tell you everything you need to know about its properties, benefits and contraindications, as well as some of its side effects!
What is white hawthorn?
It is a shrub native to Europe, northern Africa and western Asia that blooms between March and June, depending on where you are. Hawthorn (Crataegus oxycantha or Crataegus monogyna) receives other names, such as white hawthorn or cherry tree from the shepherd and belongs to the Rosaceae family.
This medicinal plant has gained great importance in herbalists and pharmacies for its health properties, especially to treat coronary problems, although it was already known since antiquity.
It contains a host of nutrients, such as flavonoids and polyphenols, which make it a common ingredient in drugs for hypertension or as we mentioned earlier, for heart problems. It acts progressively but constantly, which is very good to avoid sudden drops in tension and treat health problems naturally and progressively.
It not only helps heart problems, but it also used for memory loss or to lower body temperature since it has some hypothermic power. It also stands out for its sedative effect, good for reducing anxiety.
Properties of white hawthorn
The properties of this plant were already known in antiquity, although in recent years it has become fashionable among natural recipes.
Here is a list of all the properties of the pastor’s cherry tree:
- Vasodilator, since it increases the blood pressure of the coronary arteries
- Cardiotonic, by helping the heart to pump harder
- Sedative effect, which helps to avoid stress
- Febrifuge, acting as a hypothermic and lowering body temperature
- Mineralizing, since it is rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin B and other minerals
- Astringent, which helps in severe cases of diarrhea
- Diuretic
- Relaxing, which is useful to sleep and relax the body
- Effects on the sympathetic system
- Acts in the central nervous system
As can be seen, the properties of hawthorn are very useful in daily life, both to sleep and to reduce fever or act as an astringent as well as to treat heart or blood diseases.
Composition of the pastor’s cherry tree
As we explained before, this plant is very rich in nutrients and minerals. Among the most prominent are those named below:
- Antioxidants
- Flavonoids (quercetin, apigenin, luteolin, vitexin and hyperoxides)
- Triterpene acids (ursolic, crategolic, acantholic, oleanolic and neotegolic)
- Proanthocyanidins, procyanidin and leucoanthocyanidins
- Phenolcarboxylic acids
- Sterols
- Amines and aminopurines
- Essential oil
- Vitamins, such as Vitamin C or Vitamin B
Benefits of white hawthorn
In general, we can use this medicinal plant for many health problems, both in menopause and heart problems up to high blood pressure or sleeping problems. For this reason, white hawthorn is a good option if you are looking for a natural remedy.
It is convenient to take this plant often even if we do not have a serious problem to treat since it has a high content of flavonoids, triterpenes and polyphenols. It is also rich in minerals, tannins, hyperosides and pectins, ingredients widely used in some medicinal preparations.
Consuming at least one cup of this plant a day, we will notice that our body works in better conditions and we are more relaxed. You will notice its benefits in a very short time!
What is the use of white hawthorn?
Although it is especially known for being used in heart problems, hawthorn is used as a treatment for a host of health-related problems.
Below, we show you some of the options for which you can use this plant:
- In tachycardia and arrhythmias, helping the heart in general
- Prevent myocardial infarction
- Improve cardiac insufficiencies
- Help improve blood circulation, which is very useful in patients with arteriosclerosis
- For hypertension and hypotension
- Soften the alert states produced by the sympathetic nervous system
- Avoid disorders such as anxiety, insomnia or bruxism
- Reduce stress
- Treat infectious cough
- Lower the fever
- Treat scurvy, which arises from the shortage of Vitamin C
- To treat diarrhea
- Nourish and remineralize
- Act as a healer thanks to its astringent effects
- Eliminate liquids and expel toxins from the body due to its diuretic effect
- It is used in the treatment of dizziness
- When you feel a certain pressure situation in the cardiac area
- It is used in angina pectoris
- Treat coronatitis
- During menopause
- To prevent memory loss
In addition, the berries of this shrub are edible and are very rich in vitamins, although they have a slightly floury taste and are not very tasty. Its leaves are also consumed and have a slight nutty taste; you can easily add them to coffee or use them to make tea.
This plant is also often used in beauty treatments, as it is very useful in oily skin with impurities.
How to take white hawthorn
Hawthorn can be taken in many ways and it is a very accessible product. So it is not rare to find it in stores in the form of capsules, drops or infusions. The most common is to consume it in the form of infusion in sachets of monodose that you simply have to mix with hot water.
If we want to prepare this infusion in a natural way, we can choose these three ways to prepare it:
Fresh flowers
Collected by us or purchased, we just have to boil a pot with water and plants. It must be left to rest once the fire has been extinguished.
Dehydrated flowers
You can find it easily in health food stores. They are prepared in a similar way, although the container must be removed quickly from the fire once they have been made. The effect is the same as if they were fresh flowers.
The leaves of the white hawthorn
As with tea bags, we can use the leaves to prepare and boil this tea naturally.
The convenient thing is to take about two cups of hawthorn tea a day, especially if we want to treat hypertension or lower high blood pressure.
Side effects of white hawthorn
This medicinal plant does not have a high level of toxicity, so it does not produce many side effects. Of course, it is advisable not to consume it with other treatments for the same health problem, since it can increase its effects in excess. It is always advisable to consult the doctor before starting to consume it.
In general, it is advisable not to exceed the daily dose of one gram. If we do not consume this plant in excess, it does not have to appear any side effect but, if it did, the most common are those named below:
- Gases in the intestine
- Stomach ache
- Diarrhea
- Dermatitis
- Dry mouth
- Excess salivation
- Dry eyes
- Disorientation
- Problems to think clearly
- Chills and sneezes
It is also not good to consume it in excess because, if the body gets used to it, the change will be very great if at some point we stop taking it. It is not an addictive plant, but it can regulate certain processes due to some substances it contains.
Contraindications of white hawthorn
It is necessary to avoid mixing hawthorn with other heart medicines or natural products that also serve as treatment for this problem it is always advisable to consult and make sure before consuming this plant without any type of revision.
It is also not convenient to take this plant during pregnancy and lactation, just as it is not good to give it to children or infants. This is precisely due to its composition, which may be negative for the development of the fetus or infant. It should also be borne in mind that some preparations with the hawthorn contain alcohol, so do not give it to people who are in the process of detoxification
As a general rule, some of the contraindications to consider are the following:
- If you are undergoing heart treatments or similar
- Medications for hypertension
- Pregnancy and lactation
- Babies and children
- Alcoholism
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