The winter berry that is good for your heart

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My passion has been Herbal medicine for many, many years now, it’s helping me in my own health journey and I have seen time and time again the amazing results achieved with simple herbs.
 
This time of the year I’m all about the Hawthorn berries, lining nearly every hedgerow in this beautiful island we live on.  Mythology connects Hawthorn to the fairy folk.  Hawthorn has been used in traditional medicine for thousands of years, prescribed by the Ancient Greek physician Dioscorides in the first century AD as a remedy for heart problems. Those red berries could remind you of blood cells.   
 
The beauty of herbal medicine is when you consult with a practitioner that loves the craft, it is through knowledge and intuition that they will create a formula that targets your specific needs.  Some herbs I would have often used alongside hawthorn would be – black pepper, ginger, cayenne, gingko, garlic, motherwort, nettle, cleavers etc.  But let’s get back to the hawthorn berry and what we herbalists traditionally use it to help:

• Protect against heart disease
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Studies show increase in coronary artery flow
• Supports strong healthy heart beat
• Symptoms of heart failure
• Improves hearts ability to withstand stress
• Angina
• Improves circulation
• Reduce histamine production
• Digestive health
• Physical and emotional heart strength

 
 
What is in hawthorn berries that make them such a powerhouse:

• Antioxidants
• Specifically high in high in oligomeric procyanidins (OPCs) – known for heart health benefits
• Flavones
• Enhance the availability of Vitamins A, C & E
• Quercetin

 
Remember as with all forms of medication, if you are currently on a medication regime, check first for interactions or contra-indications.  
 
 
 
 
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