hawthorn

n.
Any of various usually thorny trees or shrubs of the genus Crataegus having clusters of white or pinkish flowers and reddish fruits containing a few one-seeded nutlets.

[Middle English, from Old English hagathorn : haga, haw + thorn, thorn.]

For more information on hawthorn, visit Britannica.com.

Brand names: HeartCare®

Español:
• Espino blanco o Crataegus laevigata en sus formas de dosificación oral

Hawthorn, Crataegus laevigata oral dosage forms

What is hawthorn?

HAWTHORN (Faros® 300) also known as Crataegus laevigata or Crataegus oxyacantha, is a dietary supplement (a herbal remedy) that that is being promoted for its ability to help support heart function. However, due to the fact that heart-related symptoms could be serious if not properly diagnosed by a health care provider, self-treatment of heart conditions with hawthorn is not recommended. Consult your health care professional prior to use of this herb.

What should I tell my health care provider before I take this medicine?

It is important for you to tell your prescriber or other health care professional that you are using hawthorn. Some herbs exert potent effects and may interact with other drugs you are taking.

You should discuss hawthorn with your health care professional BEFORE taking it if you have any of these conditions:
• angina
• chest pain or pressure
• heart disease, irregular heart-beat, or palpitations
• high or low blood pressure
• kidney disease
• liver disease
• an unusual or allergic reaction to hawthorn, other herbs, other medicines, foods, dyes, or preservatives
• pregnant or trying to get pregnant
• breast-feeding

How should I use this medicine?

Hawthorn is administered as a tablet or liquid extract that should be taken orally (i.e., swallowed). It is recommended that hawthorn be taken with meals and followed with a full glass of water or other fluid. Follow the directions on the package labeling or talk to your health care professional.

Hawthorn is not recommended for use in children.

What if I miss a dose?

Missing a dose is probably not harmful. If you miss a dose, simply resume taking it on your previous schedule. Do not take double doses to catch up, however.

What drug(s) may interact with hawthorn?

• cisapride
• digoxin
• isosorbide dinitrate or isosorbide mononitrate
• nitroglycerin
• medicines used to treat irregular heart-beats
• medicines for high blood pressure
• other medicines for heart conditions

For many herbs, interactions with other medications are unknown. That is why you should always be careful when mixing herbal remedies with traditional medications.

Tell your prescriber or health care professional about all other medicines you are taking, including non-prescription medicines, nutritional supplements, or herbal products. Also tell your prescriber or health care professional if you are a frequent user of drinks with caffeine or alcohol, if you smoke, or if you use illegal drugs. These may affect the way your medicine works. Check with your health care professional before stopping or starting any of your medicines.

What should I watch for while taking hawthorn?

Consult a health care prescriber if symptoms continue without improvement within 6 weeks of beginning this herb. Seek medical attention immediately if you have chest pain that occurs suddenly, lasts greater than 20 minutes, wakes you from sleep, or that occurs at rest. You should also seek medical attention if you develop shortness of breath or fluid starts to appear in your legs or ankles.

Since hawthorn is derived from a plant, allergic reactions are possible. Stop using this herb if you develop a rash. Take care not to get liquid forms of hawthorn on the skin, as these extracts may cause skin irritation.

Different brands of hawthorn contain different amounts of active ingredient so be careful to use the same brand. It is recommended that you use a brand from a reliable manufacturer and one that has been standardized. A standardized product is more likely to contain the same amount of herb from dose to dose. Your health care professional or pharmacist can assist you in finding a standardized product.

If you are going to have surgery, tell your prescriber, surgeon, anesthesiologist, or health care professional that you are taking hawthorn.

What side effects may I notice from using hawthorn?

Seek medical attention immediately if you have chest pain that occurs suddenly, lasts greater than 20 minutes, wakes you from sleep, or that occurs at rest.

Side effects that you should report to your prescriber or health care professional as soon as possible:
• difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, or wheezing
• dizziness
• fainting or falls
• irregular heartbeat or palpitations
• itching
• low blood pressure
• severe nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
• skin rash
• swelling of any area of the face, throat, or tongue
• unusual tiredness or weakness

Side effects that usually do not require medical attention (report to your prescriber or health care professional if they continue or are bothersome):
• mild drowsiness
• nausea

Where can I keep my medicine?

Keep out of the reach of children.
Store at room temperature; do not freeze. Throw away any unused hawthorn after the expiration date on the label.

GENERAL INFORMATION REGARDING DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS:
Dietary supplements include amino acids, vitamins, minerals, herbs, botanicals, and other plant-derived substances, and extracts of these substances. These products are easy to identify as they must state "Dietary Supplement" on the label. A "Supplement Facts" panel is provided on the label for most products. Supplements are not drugs and are not regulated like drugs. You should note that rigid quality control standards are not required for dietary supplements. Big differences in potency and purity of these products can occur. Scientific data to support the use of a dietary supplement for a certain disease or ailment may not be available. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

The Food and Drug Administration suggests the following to help consumers protect themselves:
• Always read product labels and follow directions.
• "Natural" doesn't mean a product is safe for humans to take.
• Look for products containing ingredients with the "USP" notation. This indicates the manufacturer followed the standards of the US Pharmacopoeia.
• Supplements produced or distributed by a nationally known food or drug company are more likely to be made under tight controls as these companies have standards in place for their other products. You can write to the company for more information about how the product was made.

Last updated: 7/1/2002

Important Disclaimer: The drug information provided here is for educational purposes only. It is intended to supplement, not substitute for, the diagnosis, treatment and advice of a medical professional. This drug information does not cover all possible uses, precautions, side effects and interactions. It should not be construed to indicate that this or any drug is safe for you. Consult your medical professional for guidance before using any prescription or over the counter drugs.

Description

Hawthorn is a dense, thorny shrub that grows 5–13 ft (1.5–4 m) high. It has white flowers that look like roses and is considered one of the most beautiful of all the shrubs that flower in the spring. A member of the rose family, it has been planted along hedges to deter trespassers since the Middle Ages. Hawthorn grows throughout the world anywhere that is moist.

Hawthorn is the common name for Crataegus oxyacantha or other Crataegus species. There are more than 300 species throughout the world. Hawthorn's flowers, leaves, and fruit (berries) are used as medicine, although the flowers have an unpleasant smell and taste slightly bitter. The hawthorn fruit is sour.

Hawthorn is one of the oldest medicinal plants known in Europe, where it has been used since the Middle Ages for heart problems. The ancient Greeks and Native Americans also recognized hawthorn's heart-healthy properties.

Hawthorn also is called Crataegus extract, mayflower, maybush, and whitethorn. Common trade names for hawthorn include Cardiplant, Hawthorn Berry, Hawthorn Formula, Hawthorn Heart, Hawthorn Phytosome, and Hawthorn Power.

General Use

Hawthorn most commonly is used to treat heart disease and to treat and prevent cardiovascular disorders. Herbalists consider hawthorn to be the world's best heart tonic. It increases blood flow to the heart by dilating the coronary arteries; lowers blood pressure and eases the heart's workload by dilating arteries in the arms and legs; and increases the force of the heart's contractions.

In Europe, scientific studies have shown that the hawthorn leaf expands the blood vessels and lets more oxygen-rich blood reach the heart muscles; increases the strength of the heartbeat and slightly increases its speed; and helps the heart by reducing resistance throughout the rest of the circulatory system. Hawthorn leaf is used for angina and weak heart. A 2001 report on a European study stated that patients using hawthorn extract reported improved exercise intolerance, fatigue, and shortness of breath.

Hawthorn also is a powerful antioxidant. There is strong evidence that antioxidants lower the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and deaths from heart diseases, but this has not been proven in studies. Antioxidants are believed to help the coronary arteries dilate and increase blood flow to the heart. They may prevent blockages from coming back after a surgical procedure called angioplasty.

Hawthorn is used, in conjunction with standard medical treatment, for heart failure classified as mild to moderate (stage II) by the New York Heart Association and to prevent angina. Mild to moderate heart failure includes patients with heart disease who do not have any limitations in their physical activities due to the heart disease. They are comfortable when resting and feel symptoms such as fatigue, palpitation, shortness of breath, or angina pain when performing ordinary physical activities.

Hawthorn has long been used in Europe to treat mild cases of heart failure. In Germany, the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices has approved the use of hawthorn leaf with flower extracts as a treatment for New York Heart Association functional stage II heart failure. The treatment also is listed in the German Pharmacopeia and approved in the German Commission E monographs. Several recent studies conducted outside the United States, primarily in Germany, have studied hawthorn's effects. In one study, patients who took hawthorn after having moderate heart attacks showed some improvement compared to patients who took a placebo; however, this study only lasted eight weeks. Other studies have shown that hawthorn can be used safely and effectively for congestive heart failure, that it can improve heart function in patients with chronic heart disease, and that it compared well with a heart drug called Captopril in treating stage II heart disease patients. Most of these studies only lasted eight weeks.

In 2003, a longer trial, consisting of 16 weeks of treatment of more than 200 patients, showed that use of hawthorn increased exercise capacity and decreased signs and symptoms on heart failure. Hawthorn was slightly more effective at a higher dose (1,800 mg per day).

Hawthorn also is taken in liquid form for insomnia and nervous conditions and is used as a gargle for sore throats. In folk medicine, hawthorn is used as a heart tonic and treatment, to regulate blood pressure, and as a sedative, but it hasn't been proven effective yet in clinical studies.

Preparations

Hawthorn is most commonly used in liquid or dry extracts or as capsules. It is collected and dried at room temperature. The dosage of hawthorn varies and the manufacturer's directions should always be followed. A typical dose of hawthorn might be 160 to 900 mg of extract given in two or three doses a day or 1 gram of crushed herb taken up to five times a day. Hawthorn should be taken for at least six weeks. It should be stored in a tightly sealed container and protected from the light.

Precautions

Hawthorn should only be used for diagnosed heart conditions. Women who are pregnant or breast feeding should take hawthorn only under the advice of a physician. Patients who are sensitive to other types of Rosaceae plants should not take hawthorn.

Hawthorn leaf only is useful for angina when it is used over a long period of time. It can sometimes prevent angina, but it cannot treat an angina attack.

Side Effects

Hawthorn rarely has side effects. In high doses, hawthorn can cause a severe drop in blood pressure, arrhythmias, and sedation.

Interactions

Since hawthorn performs the same function as some nitrates, cardiac glycosides, central nervous system depressants, and medications for high blood pressure, lower doses of these medications might be needed. Consult a qualified practitioner for appropriate dosages.

Resources

Books

Fetrow, Charles W. and Avila, Juan R. Professional's Handbook of Complementary & Alternative Medicines. Spring-house, 1999.

The PDR Family Guide to Natural Medicines & Healing Therapies. Three Rivers Press, 1999.

PDR for Herbal Medicines. Medical Economics Company, 1998.

Periodicals

Gaby, Alan R. "Hawthorn (Crateagus) Effective Against Heart Failure: Double-blind Study." Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, (May 2003): 32.

"Heart Effects of Herbal Medicine." Harvard Health Letter (March 2000): 3.

"Herbs and Drugs for Your Heart: Sorting Out What's Safe." Herbs for Health (Nov/Dec 1999):28-29.

Walsh, Nancy. "Hawthorn Extract Limits CHF, Mild Heart Ailments." Internal Medicine News (October 1, 2001):9.

Other

onhealth. "Hawthorn Leaf."http://onhealth.com/alternative/resource/herbs/item,77150.asp

"Hawthorn for the Heart: A Cardiologist's Perspective." Heart Watch, from the publishers of The New England Journal of Medicine, http://www.allhealth.com/heartwatch/jul99/nejm/0,4802,7016_127324,00.html.

[Article by: Lori De Milto; Teresa G. Odle]

Traditional beliefs concerning the hawthorn are contradictory. One particular tree, the Holy Thorn of Glastonbury, was regarded as sacred since it blossomed at Christmas; its real or reputed descendants are pointed out with respect. A few others had individual names or tales: one, called Beggar's Bush, used to stand on the boundary between Sutton Coldfield and Birmingham, and was said to mark the spot where a beggar was found dead, lying partly in one parish and partly in the other, and so was buried where he lay. Doble's Thorn, at St Giles-in-the-Heath (Cornwall), is said to be where a treasure was found by a man led by a dream, like the Swaffham Pedlar; Cornishmen thought that whenever people buried treasure they planted a thorn over it.

Under its alternative name of ‘may’, hawthorn was frequently mentioned as one of the trees from which branches were taken to decorate houses on May Day. Early texts can be ambiguous, since any tree used for this purpose might be called a ‘may-bush’, whatever its species; Aubrey, however, is quite clear: ‘At Woodstock in Oxen, they every May-eve goe into y^e Parke, and fetch away a number of Hawthorne-trees, w^ch they sett before their dores, ‘tis pity that they make such destruction of so fine a tree’ (Aubrey, 1688/1880: 118n.). Related to this was a Suffolk custom, mentioned in 1830 as old but disused, that any farm servant bringing hawthorn in full bloom into the house on May Day would get a dish of cream for breakfast.

In Herefordshire farms it was customary on New Year's Day to burn a hawthorn ‘bush’, i.e. a branch whose twigs had been forcibly bent into a thorny globe, which had hung in the kitchen for a year as a luck-bringer. It was burned in the wheatfield in a straw fire, to protect the future crop from evil spirits, witches, and the disease called ‘smut’. Then a new ‘bush’ would be made, and singed on the embers of the old one (Leather, 1912: 92). Another farming custom based on the protective power of hawthorn is that of hanging a cow's or mare's placement on a thornbush. This was seen in Hampshire in 1939, with the explanation that it would prevent fever in the cow (Vickery, 1995: 170); and again in Bilsdale (Yorks.) in 1998, to bring luck to the newborn foal (Jan Ekermann, FLS News 28 (1998), 8).

On the other hand, hawthorn blossom is the most widely dreaded of all unlucky flowers; over 500 contributors to a survey on flower-lore in the 1980s reported that bringing it indoors would cause a death, a major illness or accident, or some form of serious ill luck. In many cases they themselves had been rebuked for doing this. This taboo is sometimes linked to the idea that hawthorn blossom stinks of death or of the plague, first mentioned by Francis Bacon in 1627 (Sylva Sylvarum, § 912) and still common among countrymen in the 19th century. This has a scientific basis; one species, Crataegus monogyna, has a chemical in its blossoms identical to one in decaying meat, and so smells of corpses.

Bibliography
The full bibliography list is available here.

• Opie and Tatem, 1989: 242-5
• Vickery, 1995: 166-72
• Roud, 2003: 243-5
• Allen and Hatfield 2004: 155-6

The hawthorn (Crataegus oxyacantha), a small tree of the rose family, was prevalent throughout southern Europe. The plant is also known as the whitethorn and is typical of a number of related thorn bushes (wild mountain rose, black thorn) that are substituted for hawthorn in different locations. In ancient times, hawthorn was used both as a symbol of hope and as a charm against witchcraft and sorcery. As such, it was often placed in the cradles of infants. As a protection against witchcraft, people might build a barrier of hawthorn around their house or doorway. The Greeks placed pieces of hawthorn in the casements of houses to prevent the entrance of witches. In Bohemia, hawthorn was put on the thresholds of the cow houses, also to prevent witches from entering. The antiwitchcraft use of hawthorn easily transferred to the closely related vampire.

The hawthorn united two ancient practices. First, to protect one's home or another place, people commonly erected a symbolic barrier such as a hawthorn bush. While unable to stop or even slow down the usual physical forces, hawthorn was believed to be capable of blocking intruding supernatural forces or spirits. Second, hawthorn was thought by many to have a sacred quality as it was one of several plants designated as the bush from which Christ's crown of thorns was made. Hawthorn branches were variously placed on the outside of a coffin in the corpse's sock, or on top of the corpse.

In Bosnia, a particular twist to the hawthorn legend developed. When visiting the home where a person had just died, women placed a small piece of hawthorn behind their headcloth,and then threw the twig away on their way home. If the deceased person was a vampire, it would focus its attention upon the hawthorn rather than follow the woman home. According to the Bram Stoker character, Dr. Abraham Van Helsing a branch of wild rose on the coffin would keep a vampire confined inside. Stoker probably learned of this practice from Emily Gerard. Her book, Land Beyond the Forest (a major source for Dracula), stated that the people of Transylvania often "lay the thorny branch of a wild rose bush across the body to prevent it from leaving the coffin." In spite of Stoker's use of it, the thorn did not attain a prominent role in modern literary and movie vampire lore. The hawthorn made a brief appearance at the end of Hammer Films' The Satanic Rites of Dracula, in which Christopher Lee as Dracula was destroyed by being trapped in a hawthorn bush.

In addition to the plant's thorn and bush applications, among the southern Slavs the wood of the hawthorn or blackthorn was to be used in the stake that impaled the vampire's corpse. It might be hammered through the head, heart, or stomach.

Gerard, Emily. Land Beyond the Forest. 2 vols. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1888.
Lehner, Ernst, and Johanna Lehner. Folklore and Symbolism of Flowers, Plants and Trees. New York: Tudor Publishing Company, 1960. 128 pp.
Perkowski, Jan L. The Darkling: A Treatise on Slavic Vampirism. Columbus, OH: Slavica Publishers, 1989. 169 pp.
Porteous, Alexander. Forest Folklore, Mythology, and Romance. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1928. 319 pp. Reprint. Detroit: Singing Tree Press, 1968. 314 pp.
Summers, Montague. The Vampire in Europe. London: Routledge, Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner, & Co., 1929. 329 pp.
New Hyde Park, NY: University Books, 1961. 329 pp.

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - tjørn

Nederlands (Dutch)
haag-/meidoorn

Français (French)
n. - aubépine

Deutsch (German)
n. - Weißdorn, Rotdorn

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (φυτολ.) κράταιγος, μπουρμπουτζελιά, λευκάκανθος

Italiano (Italian)
biancospino

Português (Portuguese)
n. - espinheiro (m) (Bot.)

Русский (Russian)
боярышник

Español (Spanish)
n. - espino, oxiacanta

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - hagtorn

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
山楂

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 山楂

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 산사나무

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - サンザシ

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) الزعرور البري‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮עוזרד‬

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hawthorn	Botanical Cleansing Milk With Hawthorn