Hawthorn: Crataegus spp.
Rose Family
“Everything's going to be OKAY plant”
Herb for the <3 HEART <3
Environment: grows in open places, roadsides, along streams & in forests at low to mid elevations. 
Description: Tall shrub/tree. “Hawthorns are members of the rose family, as their patterns reveal. They have oval-shaped leaves (albeit in hawthorn's case often deeply-lobed), with serrated margins. The flowers produce five green sepals behind the five white petals, surrounding the numerous stamens at the centre. You will likely find a pink tinge to ripe stamens, and some specimens show pink petals. The flowers are usually in full bloom during May, though some cultivars used in hedging flower earlier.” SOURCE: https://www.permaculture.co.uk/articles/many-benefits-hawthorn
Harvest: flowers and leaves in the spring. Red berries in early-mid May to June. (West Coast) Do NOT harvest flowers with a pink stamen. Pink means the flower has been pollinated. White stamen is good to harvest for medicinal purposes.
Hawthorn leaves and flowers contain high quantities of bioflavonoids. Flavoniods in plants aid in the reductions of abnormal cells in the body by killings the free radicals which cause the abnormalities. The bioflavonoids in hawthorn aid in treating disorders of the heart such as angina, stroke, hypertension and palpitations. The bioflavonoids dilate the blood vessels and increase blood flow to the heart muscles which leads to a reductions in the peripheral resistance.
Hawthorn is valued for treating anxiety and panic attacks, relieving the effects of stress and insomnia. It has a strong relaxing effect on the central nervous system. Very helpful for those going through life transitions & dealing with grief. Can be used daily as nerve tonic or as needed. Safe for long-term use.
Hawthorn possesses strong astringent chemicals which makes it effective in the treatment of digestive problems, diarrhea, & dysentery. It boosts the appetite and aids in the removal of stagnant food in the digestive tract. Hawthorn is also helpful for women in menopause.
- Notes from Rosalee de la Floret E-book Nourishing Infusions
Taste: sweet/astringent
Properties: slightly cooling/drying, cardiac trophorestorative, relaxing, nervine, digestive, astringent, diuretic and high in antioxidants.
Used for heart health, to support digestion, & correctly balance high and low blood pressure.
Nutrients: high in vitamin C & antioxidants, chromium, selenium, and choline.
- Notes from Earthwise Herbal Volume 1 by Matthew Wood
Emotional healing/ relaxing nervine, good for grief. - Useful for “anger before tears” situations.
- High anxiety/stressful unexpected situations.
*Possibly helpful in small doses for people on autism spectrum*
Traditional Chinese Medicine uses Hawthorn for stagnant digestion, heartburn and indigestion.
Suzanne of Cedar Mountain Herbs Recipe for HEART-EASE TEA
- 2 parts hawthorn - leaf, berries, and flowers
- 1 part green milky oat tops
- 1 part lemon balm leaf
- 1 part St. Johns Wort - flower and leaf
Brew as INFUSION and drink 3-4 cups daily - *A Remedy for grief and sadness*
- www.cedarmountainherbs.com
Hawthorn Electuary Recipe from Kami McBride
(
)
Very useful and informative. Thanks @cassiopeia I just voted and followed. I look forward to your upcoming posts.
Thank you! I love herbalism and will be sharing more like this :)
I've just recently started researching herbs and their benefits; things like salves, tinctures and infused oils.
So many health benefits and this is the first I have heard of hawthorn- so thanks for sharing the information.
Yes and infused oils are great. One of my favorite herbs to infuse in oil is calendula. It is great as a base for a salve or just applied in oil form to the skin. Very healing.
A nice book if we are just getting started is Rosemary Gladstar's - Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide: 33 Healing Herbs to Know, Grow, and Use.
Really anything by her is fabulous!
I love Rosemary's books! I'd love one day to visit her community!
Calendula oil is hard for me to find locally; every time I go to Younger Living they are out of that one and the valerian oil. Going to have to order online I suppose soon.
Are you referring to medicinal oils or essential oils?
Rosemary offers a home study course which I have heard great things about!
Great information...I have gotten away from making herbal remedies until I need it.
When I was working on a herbal remedy for headaches, especially migraines, I did add infusion of Hawthorn berries. But as I further researched it I read somewhere that if someone was on Beta-Blocker meds it was contraindicated. The primary person I was experimenting for was on Beta Blockers so I took it out of my remedy. I looked through a couple of my books and could not seem to locate the information.
I have a nice size tree in my yard so have plenty to experiment with. I will print your write-up and add it to my collection. There is some excellent information in your article. Hope to read more of your writings. Thank you!
I have never seen that in my research. I did a lot of searching for contraindications because I wanted to make sure it was safe for my grandma. When I do find informative I always triple check it.
I love books by respected herbalists like Matthew Wood, Rosemary Gladstar, and Micheal Moore. They are very resources for well researched information.
I cannot seem to find my notebook where I recorded information when I was working on the headache remedy. I looked through a few of my books and one place says it mixes well with most heart drugs except digitalis. If I find the resource that talked about beta blockers I will pass on the information. It has been 8 - 10 years since I was working on the headache remedy.
Yes! Please do share :)