A Treatise on Crataegus Drug Treatise No. XI, Lloyd Bros., 1917 (88 KB)
The mayflowers of hawthorn brighten up the British landscape every year, bringing gladness to the heart. There is a good reason for this. They contain flavonoids which have a profound tonic action on the heart and circulation. They have the properties of being positively inotropic, meaning that they have the effect of strengthening the force of the heart contraction, and negatively chronotropic, meaning that they slow down the rhythm of the heart. This combined action has the overall effect of improving blood flow in coronary arteries thereby nourishing the heart.
The berries also contain similar compounds. A double tincture made from the hawthorn, by making a tincture of the flowers in Spring, and then using this to make a tincture of the berries in Autumn, is one of our most prised herbal medicines. This is used to treat hypertension (raised blood pressure) and many other circulatory disorders. It needs to be used consistently over a long period, and can be used as a daily tonic by anyone who feels they might be at risk from heart and circulatory complications. It can be taken safely for years, and is often used in combination with other herbs such as yarrow, lime flowers, motherwort, and viburnum opulus.
Home Use:
Try making a tea with the dried flowers combined in equal parts with lemon balm and lime flowers. This is delicious and relaxing to sip in the evening, helping to promote restful sleep.
An interesting link:
“If your patient would get well he must think healthy thoughts. We are all familiar
with the mischief wrought in our heart cases, by the patient’s mental condition.
Have you not seen one, when he thought no-
Finley Ellingwood, American Herbalist, 1909