Dear Reader,
You probably haven’t heard a big media buzz about it. That’s because Western medicine still doesn’t know much about herbs.
I’m talking about the hawthorn berry. The Greek herbalist Dioscordes first wrote about its heart healing benefits in the first century A.D. It’s loaded with bioflavanoids more powerful than antioxidants like vitamins C and E.
One study proved hawthorn’s power to lower high blood pressure. Patients were given hawthorn extract, magnesium or a placebo. Over the course of 10 weeks, the group taking the hawthorn extract showed a significant therapeutic reduction in blood pressure. Hawthorn also reduced anxiety better than the magnesium and placebo groups.1
One of my least favorite options is the mainstream approaches to lowering blood pressure by prescribing beta-blockers. Beta blockers come with some of the worst side effects, like:
• Impotence
• Weakness
• Dry mouth
• Moodiness
Hawthorn berry on the other hand, works more gently. It also lowers the risk of angina and irregular heart beat. It also prevents cholesterol deposits from forming in the arterial walls and helps the blood vessels expand.
Recent studies are now finding it can even ease the symptoms of congestive heart failure (CHF)…in addition to lowering blood pressure.
CHF is a result of the heart’s inability to supply enough blood to the body’s other organs because of a weak heart. Normally this weakness is caused by narrowed arteries, high blood pressure, or a past heart attack.
The most recent study, published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, reviewed 14 different studies involving hawthorn extract and its effects on the heart. Researchers found that it was effective at treating the symptoms of heart failure.
You don’t have to wait another decade before mainstream medicine discovers what ancient cultures have known for centuries. Hawthorn is a powerful and safe, heart tonic.
You can find it at any health food store but check with your doctor before using it or stopping any prescribed medications. I usually start with 250-500mg daily.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, M.D.
1 Walker A., et al., Promising hypotensive effect of hawthorn extract: a randomized double-blind pilot study of mild, essential hypertension. Phytother Res 2002 Feb; 16(1): 48-54
2 Pittler MH, Guo R, Ernst E. Hawthorn extract for treating chronic heart failure. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2008, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD005312.