Common Hawthorn - Crataegus laevigata

Detailed Description

Looking for support in managing heart issues and high blood pressure? Need to strengthen the heart, promote healthy arteries and blood vessels, and reduce your blood pressure? Then you are seeking the benefits of Common Hawthorn.

Botanical Information

Common Hawthorn is a deciduous, woody shrub or small tree reaching up to 12 meters in height, with a dense crown. The botanical name Crataegus originates from the Greek word “krataigos,” meaning strong, referring to its durable wood. The plant develops slender, grayish branches emerging from the axils of 2–3 cm long thorns, with alternately arranged lobed leaves measuring 3–6 cm in length and 2–5 cm in width.

The bisexual flowers of Common Hawthorn are pink to white, around 15 mm across, five-petaled, appearing in clusters of 5–10, and noted for their characteristic unpleasant scent. These flowers are insect-pollinated. Its fruits are dark red pomes, 6–10 mm long, containing 2–3 seeds, and ripen in the autumn months.

Origin and Distribution

Common Hawthorn is native to areas of the northern hemisphere stretching from Central Europe, North America, and Asia to North Africa. Its ancestral homeland includes modern Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and extends westward to the farthest reaches of Spain. Today, it is widespread throughout central and western Europe and is partially present in Asia and North Africa. Hawthorn grows along roadsides, near streams, woodland edges, slopes, and thickets in both lowlands and higher altitudes. In the Czech Republic, it has become naturalized and is commonly used as a component in hedgerows.

Usage / Dosage

Common Hawthorn is a plant whose leaves, berries, and flowers can be used to prepare medicinal products. Hawthorn-based foods, such as compotes, jam, preserves, and wine, are also popular. Across various historical periods and regions, it has been especially valued for its cardiovascular support, which has led to its widespread use in folk as well as conventional medicine. Hawthorn’s bioactive compounds have been shown to improve heart function and stimulate cardiac muscle in chronic and congestive heart failure. It is frequently recommended as an adjunct to standard therapy for circulation and heart strengthening, particularly for its ability to help clear arteries and blood vessels.

In folk medicine, Hawthorn is also taken to help compensate for both low and high blood pressure. Constricted arteries increase blood pressure, which, in combination with high cholesterol, can create atherosclerotic plaques. Hawthorn helps promote blood vessel dilation, thereby lowering blood pressure.

Traditionally, Hawthorn is used globally for mild forms of angina pectoris, heart failure, and irregular heart rhythms. According to some herbalists, it may help prevent heart attacks, heart disease, and arrhythmias. Tissue remodeling in the heart—involving wall thickness, chamber size, cell dimension, and extracellular space—significantly impacts heart function. Hawthorn extract has been shown to reduce ventricular volumes following aortic narrowing and to mitigate harmful cardiac remodeling after hypertrophy.

The pharmacological effects of Common Hawthorn on cardiovascular tissues are largely attributed to its proanthocyanidins. Research suggests these compounds can reduce “bad” LDL cholesterol and decrease fat accumulation in the liver and aorta. The mechanism for lowering LDL cholesterol likely involves increased bile excretion and upregulation of LDL receptors, enhancing plasma cholesterol clearance. Thus, lowered LDL cholesterol levels may contribute to longevity and reduced cardiovascular complications.

A meta-analysis of multiple randomized, placebo-controlled studies found that hawthorn extract, in combination with standard treatments, offered various beneficial effects on cardiovascular parameters compared to placebo. The Cochrane Database (2008) notes significant benefits for symptom control and physiological outcomes when Hawthorn extract is used alongside conventional drug therapy.

Generally, Hawthorn extract is regarded as a valuable adjunct to conventional therapy in patients with diagnosed heart failure (NYHA classes I–III) due to its positive inotropic, antiarrhythmic, and vasodilatory effects. Hawthorn’s compounds also provide symptom relief (such as fatigue, breathing difficulties, rapid exhaustion, etc.).

Some people recommend Hawthorn in any of its forms for digestive troubles such as indigestion (dyspepsia), diarrhea, abdominal pain, and general poor digestion. It is also given for tapeworms and is known to tackle certain intestinal infections. Achieving optimal results requires regular, long-term use.

With extended and regular use, Hawthorn’s calming effects also become apparent. It is traditionally employed as a sedative to reduce anxiety. Its positive properties include support for insomnia and alleviating some adverse menstrual symptoms. Smaller studies suggest that, when combined with magnesium, hawthorn constituents may help treat mild to moderate anxiety.

Some healers apply Hawthorn products topically for burns, sores, and ulcers. Mass-prepared Hawthorn products are sometimes used for rinses in cases of sores, itching, and frostbite.

Evidence suggests Hawthorn’s constituents have a notable antioxidant effect. Polyphenols such as epicatechins, vitexin, and hyperoside have been tested for their antioxidant activity within hawthorn extract. Analyses confirm that both the herb’s compounds and its extract reduce lipid peroxidation and the activity of key enzymes in cardiac tissue and the respiratory chain in animal models. Cardiovascular diseases are generally associated with structural and functional mitochondrial disorders in the heart muscle. Supplemental Hawthorn helps prevent oxidative processes and preserves Krebs cycle enzyme function in the mitochondria, thus supporting a healthy antioxidant status within cells.

Hawthorn extract has also demonstrated a dose-dependent anti-inflammatory effect in animal models compared to indomethacin (as a reference substance). In the same study, the extract showed a gastroprotective effect—naturally protecting gastric mucosa compared with ranitidine (an antacid medication). Laboratory research showed “downregulation,” or reduced levels of specific inflammatory markers (COX-2, TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6) after regular hawthorn extract administration, along with reduced nitrogen and oxidative stress and apoptosis. Further studies confirmed hawthorn’s ability to reduce superoxide anion production, elastase release, chemotactic migration, production of TNF-alpha and IL-8, and leukotriene B4 synthesis. A moderate antibacterial effect was also observed against species including Micrococcus flavus, Bacillus subtilis, and Listeria monocytogenes.

Limitations

Hawthorn is not recommended for patients with low blood pressure. If you are taking medication for heart or blood pressure issues, consult your physician or pharmacist before using Hawthorn, and do not use it simultaneously with beta-blockers or digoxin without your healthcare provider’s approval. It is not suitable for pregnant or breastfeeding women.

Traditional Medicine

Beyond the indications already mentioned, traditional uses of Common Hawthorn include applications for urinary stones, relief of spasms of the urinary and digestive tracts, breathing difficulties, and asthma. In traditional Chinese medicine, Hawthorn is used for digestive system complaints, poor circulation, and chronic respiratory issues.

Active Compounds

The flavonoid profile of Common Hawthorn includes vitexin-2-rhamnoside, vitexin, isovitexin, rutin, hyperoside, isoquercitrin, derivatives of eriodictyol and luteolin, chlorogenic acid, and epicatechin. It also contains polymeric procyanidins, triterpenes, and phenolic carboxylic acids (ursolic, oleanolic, crataegolic acids). The leaves additionally contain proanthocyanidins, crataegolic, caffeic, gallic, and oleic acids. The flowers produce essential oils such as guercitin and quercetin, among others. The berries may contain varying levels of glycosides, tannins, and sugars.

Traditional Dosage

An herbal infusion can be made using the leaves, berries, or flowers—though the flowers contain the highest concentration of active compounds, while berries are used less often. About 2 teaspoons of crushed plant material are covered with 250 ml of boiling water and left to steep for about 20 minutes. Drink 1 cup (about 250 ml) twice daily, morning and evening. The bitter taste can be adjusted by mixing with honey, sugar, or lemon. As for hawthorn extract, standard recommendations are 160–1800 mg per day, divided into 2–3 doses.