Hawthorn: Herbal help for the Heart

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Hawthorn: Herbal help for the Heart

JoAnn Guest

Nov 03, 2004 20:52 PST

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Hawthorn: Herbal help for the Heart

 

LATIN NAME: Crataegus monogyna

FAMILY NAME: Rosaceae

http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/54/9.cfm

 

My genes require that I put certain herbs at the top of my herbal

hit parade. I take celery seed to prevent the gout that plagues all

the Duke boys, myself included. I take echinacea and garlic as a

precaution against colon cancer, which killed my father and two

uncles.

 

But there's no history of heart disease in my family tree, so it may

seem odd that I rank hawthorn high in the pantheon of Duke's Dozen.

My

wife Peggy, on the other hand, does have a genetic predisposition to

heart disease, since both of her parents suffered heart problems. At

first glance, hawthorn probably belongs more in her medicine chest

than mine.

 

But after mulling it over, I decided to add hawthorn to my list of

essential herbs. You see, my genes alone don't tell the whole story.

Unlike my parents, I smoked like a chimney--three packs a day for

nearly 30 years. Even though I kicked the habit way back in 1971,

I'm sure the smoking took its toll on my lungs and heart. Good genes

or not, a heart attack may be on the horizon.

 

Add to that the stress of day-to-day living. Even though I'm

retired, I'm probably under more stress now than in all the years I

worked as a botanist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. I'm

always under the pressure of writing deadlines (this book was no

exception), and I give

over 200 lectures a year. Racing to the airport, then to the hotel,

then to the lecture hall, and then back again to the airport sure

takes a toll on the ticker.

 

My trips to the Amazon aren't stress-free, either. Heat,

frustration, overexertion, and local political problems all combine

to create conditions ripe for a coronary. Add to that my penchant

for adventure, like the time I ignored my shaman's advice and waded

through knee-deep

waters in a flooded black lagoon. Electric eels, stingrays, and

anacondas lurked below the surface.

 

Just sharing the same space with an anaconda is enough to bring on

heart failure.

 

But whenever I visit my doctor, he doesn't seem concerned. My

electrocardiograms (EKGs) have never raised so much as an eyebrow,

let alone an alarm.

 

Still, an ounce of hawthorn is worth a pound of cure. It's loaded

with heart-smart oligomeric procyanidins (OPCs) and bioflavonoids,

which can help keep your heart rhythm regular and prevent a variety

of heart

problems. I take hawthorn anytime my stress levels are elevated. And

I'd take it religiously if I had a mild heart condition.

 

DR. DUKE'S NOTES

Hawthorn is often grown as an ornamental hedge in England.

 

 

 

What Hawthorn Is and What It Can Do

 

Hawthorn in a deciduous flowering shrub with small thorns, stocky

branches, and small, red, oval fruits that look a lot like

crabapples.

You'll find it residing along roadsides, in fields, and in wooded

areas throughout Europe and in parts of North America, mainly in the

Northeast but also south beyond the Carolinas and west at least as

far as Oklahoma. The hawthorn bush can soar as high as 40 feet.

 

There are at least 200 species of hawthorn, and I don't know a

trained botanist--let alone a gardener, herbalist, chemist,

pharmacist, or physician--who can tell them apart.

 

The fruit is tart to the taste. I sampled several species last year

at the Colonial Garden in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and I've tried

even tastier fruit at the Coker Arboretum at my alma mater, the

University of North Carolina. Native Americans ate many species of

Crataegus.

 

Today,

though, naturopathic physicians usually don't recommend eating the

wild fruit raw. While I consider them food plants and eat them raw

and fresh--in moderation--any time I come across one that tastes

good, I can't endorse the practice for anyone else (except for close

family and friends). A safer bet is to eat the fruit dried or

cooked, perhaps as a

jelly. The fruit can also be brewed into a heady wine, and its young

leaves and white flowers steeped to make a tea.

 

Interestingly, hawthorn contains many of the same compounds as

common teas, including black, green, and oolong teas, promoted these

days for a variety of health benefits. But the standardized capsule

is what I

recommend for heart health.

 

DR. DUKE'S NOTES

In northern China, vendors sell crataegus fruits on sticks.

 

 

 

Help for Your Heart

 

Germany's prestigious Commission E, a panel of experts roughly

equivalent to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, has approved

hawthorn for a number of heart problems.

 

It's widely used in Europe for treating angina, which causes chest

pains and is brought on by blockage in the arteries. Varro E. Tyler,

Ph.D., Sc.D., professor emeritus of pharmacognosy at Perdue

University,

discusses hawthorn's heart-health benefits in his excellent book,

Herbs of Choice.

 

The OPCs in hawthorn, he explains, have beta-blocking activities.

 

(Beta-blockers are drugs prescribed to increase coronary blood flow

and help lower blood pressure and heart rate, stopping arrhythmias.)

Hawthorn also contains flavonoids, compounds that open up the

coronary arteries.

 

It appears to stabilize heart rhythm, decrease palpitations brought

on by anxiety, increase exercise tolerance, reduce blood pressure, and

lower cholesterol levels. In their book The Natural Pharmacy, Skye

W. Lininger and his colleagues say that hawthorn " may " improve blood

flow through the coronary arteries.

 

Because hawthorn is a powerful heart medication, I do recommend the

tasty species as a preventive food for the strong of heart.

 

FROM MY SCIENCE NOTEBOOK

Modern science validates hawthorn's centuries-old use as an

effective means of strengthening the heart and staving off cardiac problems.

 

Hawthorn activity is due primarily to proanthocyanidins and

flavonoids, including quercetin, hyperoside, vitexin, vitexin-rhamnoside, and

rutin.

 

Flavonoids are a large class of pigments found in plants that

protect blood vessels, aid in circulation,

stimulate bile production, and

lower cholesterol levels.

 

Proanthocyanidins are one of 12 classes of flavonoids. Oligomeric

proanthocyanidins (OPCs) are one type of proanthocyanidin. The

cardioprotective effects of proanthocyanidins have been supported by

recent studies of red wine and grape seeds.

 

 

 

How Hawthorn Can Help

 

Hawthorn can be used to treat a variety of health problems and,

according to European clinical experience, is safe to use over

extended periods of time.

 

Here are some of the conditions for which it's shown to be

effective:

 

Good Heart Health

 

Hawthorn seems to be helpful for a variety of cardiac problems.

 

Angina pectoris. Caused by a deficient blood supply to the heart,

symptoms of angina include tightness, pressure, or burning in the

chest, and pain that may radiate to the left shoulder, down the left arm,

and to the back or jaw.

 

Exercise can exacerbate the problem, since it puts extra pressure on the

arteries as they try to deliver more oxygen-

rich

blood to the muscles. Similarly, stress, fear, and anger all get the

heart pumping faster, and they too can bring on angina.

 

The nutrients magnesium and niacin, found in fruits and vegetables

including hawthorn, have been long recommended for treating angina.

 

People deficient in these nutrients can get them from hawthorn and

other

supplements. Research supports the use of hawthorn for treating

angina.

In their book, Herbal Medicines: A Guide for Health-care

Professionals,

authors Carol Newall, Linda Anderson, and J. David Phillipson report

that German researchers gave 60 angina patients 60 milligrams of

hawthorn three times daily, with positive results.

 

Arrhythmia. Cardiac arrhythmia is an irregular beating of the heart.

If

the heart races more than 100 beats per minute, the condition is

called

tachycardia. A heartbeat slower than 60 beats per minute is known as

bradycardia. Abnormal heart rhythm can result in atrial arrhythmia,

a

" pooling " of blood if the heart can't pump it from its upper

chambers,

which can lead to clotting, heart attack, or stroke.

 

Ventricular arrhythmia affects the lower chambers in the heart,

leading

to ventricular fibrillation, a condition in which the heart flutters

weakly instead of pumping powerfully. A significant number of fatal

heart attacks are attributed to ventricular fibrillation.

 

Studies have shown that hawthorn extracts administered to rabbits

have a

beneficial effect on arrhythmia.

 

Atherosclerosis. This heart condition results when cholesterol,

lipids,

and calcium deposits clog the arteries. It's the most common form of

arteriosclerosis, in which vessels become diseased--they thicken,

harden, and lose elasticity. Arteriosclerosis is a leading cause of

death in the United States, and family history isn't the only

determining factor in developing this condition. A sedentary

lifestyle,

high cholesterol, obesity, cigarette smoking, and stress all play a

part.

 

While you can't change your genes, you can change your lifestyle.

 

Call a halt to bad habits, get off your duff and exercise, and eat a

heart-healthy diet full of OPC-laden fruits, including dried or

cooked

hawthorn, prunes, strawberries, rosehips, peaches, crabapples,

pears,

and blackberries.

All are members of the rose family, along with cherries, plums,

chokecherries, wineberries, cloudberries, and apricots.

 

Doctors often recommend aspirin, a blood thinner. Hawthorn, too, has

blood-thinning properties--in fact, it reportedly contains at least

*seven* known blood thinners.

 

Cardiovascular insufficiency.

 

This is a broad term for the inadequate performance of the heart and

blood vessels. People who have it report reduced performance in

cardiovascular activities, shortness of breath, and swelling of the

ankles. In one German study, researchers treated 136 patients with

cardiovascular insufficiency and found that their condition

improved,

with minimal risk.

 

Dyspnea. Breathing difficulty and chest pain can be caused by

circulation disturbances or blood that lacks sufficient oxygen.

According to Potter's New Cyclopaedia of Botanical Drugs and

Preparations, clinical trials in Japan showed that 80 patients given

hawthorn fruits and leaves showed improvement in dyspnea, edema, and

cardiac function.

 

Edema. Edema causes bloating, swelling, and inflammation among

patients

with heart problems.

 

Hawthorn is blessed with at least nine anti-edemics.

 

In Herbal Medicinals: A Clinician's Guide, Miller and Murray share

an

interesting case study of a 62-year-old man with congestive heart

failure.

 

An herbalist recommended that he take hawthorn, which reportedly

lessened his edema and improved his physical endurance.

 

High blood pressure. Hawthorn contains at least three

antihypertensives,

which help keep blood pressure from rising. Lucinda G. Miller,

Pharm.D.,

and Wallace Murray, authors of Herbal Medicinals:

A Clinician's Guide report that hawthorn expands blood vessels,

lowering blood pressure and reducing the heart's workload.

 

High cholesterol.

 

High cholesterol can lead to serious complications including

cardiovascular disease, a major health problem in the United States

responsible for the most deaths, the largest number of

hospitalizations,

and the greatest number of pharmaceutical prescriptions. The best

way to

prevent heart problems, of course, is to keep your heart strong and

healthy with regular exercise and a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet.

 

I would also look to hawthorn.

 

A study from the biochemistry department at the University of

Madras, India, shows that a tincture of hawthorn berries can help ward off

high blood cholesterol and atherosclerosis.

 

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

 

While hawthorn is best-known as a heart-helper, there is some

indication

that it may be useful in treating attention-deficit hyperactivity

disorder (ADHD), a condition marked by an inability to stay focused

and attentive, and a particular problem among children.

 

David Winston, a noted East Coast herbalist, tells me that he uses

hawthorn not only for heart problems but also for ADHD. While he

prefers to work with a solid extract of the fruit of the European species,

Crataegus monogyna, he says he's happy with any of the native

American

species that have white flowers, believing them to be almost as

effective as European hawthorns.

 

He believes these flowers have even more biologically active effects

than the fruits. His " Focus Formula " for ADHD includes oats, fresh

lemon balm, dried hawthorn fruit and flower, dried autumn ginkgo leaf, and

fresh skullcap herb.

 

The drug Ritalin is widely prescribed to treat ADHD in children--far

too widely, in my opinion. Instead, I'd try making a hawthorn sauce,

just as I'd make an applesauce, and spice it up with cinnamon. I'll bet that

kids like it better.

 

A CASE IN POINT

Hawthorn Successes

 

I've heard many success stories from people who've tried hawthorn.

 

Here are two:

 

Christopher Hobbs, author of Handmade Medicines, recently told me

about his father, Ken, a botanist and former university professor. Ken had

a

massive heart attack when he was 48 years old. During his recovery,

he started taking hawthorn, and his doctor was amazed at his progress.

Today, Ken is 78 and still takes hawthorn faithfully. His

circulation has improved, and his heart is strong and steady.

 

And a registered nurse who's a frequent guest on my Peruvian eco-

tours told me that hawthorn changed her family's life.

 

She has weaned her husband off his heart medication and put him on

hawthorn and linden instead. She persuaded her father to take

hawthorn for cardiomyopathy.

 

And she recommended hawthorn as a natural diuretic to her younger

sister, who has insulin-dependent diabetes and suffered an allergic

reaction to a prescription diuretic.

 

 

 

How to Take It and How Much

 

Hawthorn is available in several forms: fresh, dried, liquid

extracts, tinctures, powders, and capsules. I think everyone should make the

fruit part of a healthy diet, in cooked or dried form--not raw (even

though I eat it raw).

 

Our hungrier ancestors probably ate any ripe hawthorn

berry they encountered. If you take the dried fruit, a suggested dosage is

0.3 to 1 gram per day.

 

Standardized extracts of hawthorn, in my view, may be taken by

people

with minor heart problems, but let me reiterate: Talk to your doctor

before you take hawthorn. It's very important that you take the

right kind of standardized extract at the appropriate daily dosage,

extracts containing 1.8 percent vitexin-4-rhamnosides or 10 percent OPCs in

dosages of 120 to 240 milligrams three times per day.

 

Useful Combinations

 

Naturopaths and nutritionists often recommend other heart-wise

herbs, vitamins, and nutrients along with hawthorn.

 

Angelica.

Calcium deposits in the arteries can lead to heart complications.

Angelica can help. This natural calcium antagonist reportedly

contains

at least 15 calcium-blocking compounds. Two have been shown to have

better calcium-fighting functions that Verapamil, an angina

medication.

 

This kind of data prompted me to cook up a concoction

called " Angelade. "

 

The primary ingredient is juiced angelica, along with other foods

that

contain " calcium blockers " including carrot, celery, fennel, parsley,

and parsnip (for the recipe, see page 75).

 

Animal musk. My good friends Albert Leung, Ph.D., and nationally

known herbalist Steven Foster, authors of several useful books including

my favorite, Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients, report that

clinical trials of musk in China showed improvement in about 74

percent of heart patients--a track record as good or better than the

prescription medication nitroglycerin. To clarify: This is animal

musk, not the vegetable musks from the mallow family. As an herbalist, I

don't work with musk myself.

 

Celery juice.

Tip back a cold glass of celery juice. In one study of rats fed a

high-fat diet for eight weeks, those given a celery juice supplement

showed lowered total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides, a fatty

substance in the blood that is also an important factor in the

development of heart disease. Clinical trials in the United States

showed that the equivalent of four stalks of celery lowered blood

pressure.

 

Pineapple enzyme.

California herbalist Kathi Keville, whom I greatly admire, says that

more than 400 research papers--most of them from Germany--have been

devoted to the medicinal uses of bromelain , an enzyme found in

pineapple. One such study, done in the early 1970s, showed that

angina

patients who took bromelain enjoyed relief from their symptoms

within 4 to 90 days, depending on the seriousness of their condition. Their

heart problems returned when they stopped taking the enzyme.

 

Walnuts.

Walnuts and other nuts high in monounsaturated fatty acids, such as

almonds, filberts, macademias, pistachios, pecans, and the delicious

avocado fruit, may lower cholesterol, helping to keep the heart

strong.

 

Research has shown that a diet with 20 percent of calories from

walnuts lowered total cholesterol by 12 percent and low-density lipoprotein

(LDL), often called " bad cholesterol, " by 16 percent.

 

Herbal combination.

Dr. Leung and Foster also suggest Canada balsam, cassia, cinnamon,

and turmeric for heart and chest pain.

 

Nutrient combination.

Studies support a combination of four nutrients to treat heart

disease:

I-carnitine, Coenzyme Q10, magnesium, and vitamin E. A suggested

preventive dose is 1,000 milligrams per day of I-carnitine, 100

milligrams of CoQ10, 800 milligrams of magnesium, and 800 IU

(international units) of vitamin E. Supplements are recommended,

since it's tough to get these levels even from eating the best of my

plants.

 

HERB LORE AND MORE

Hawthorn has a long history as a heart tonic in herbal folklore.

Europeans, Chinese, and Native American peoples used the herb as a

cardiac medication, brewed as a tea or taken in tincture form. The

Cherokees also used an infusion of the bark to prevent heart spasms.

 

Besides heart conditions, hawthorn tea was also taken to soothe sore

throats and as a natural diuretic for kidney disorders. Native

Americans

often treated rheumatism with hawthorn, and its flowers and berries

were gathered for their astringent properties.

 

Today, traditional Chinese practitioners still use hawthorn as an

aid in the digestion of fatty foods.

 

 

 

Caution: Contraindications, Interactions, and Side Effects

 

Hawthorn is considered extremely safe even when used over long

periods of time. For the most part (with the exception noted below), there

are no known interactions with prescription heart medications or other

types of drugs.

 

 

Pregnancy alert.

I always caution that all medicines, both herbal and pharmaceutical,

be avoided unless approved by your obstetrician. Having said that, I

wouldn't discourage my own pregnant daughter from using hawthorn in

food form--cautiously--if she had a heart condition. I'd also suggest

other members of the rose family, including apples and crabapples, as

they're almost certainly safer than prescription drugs.

 

Pharmaceutical alert.

Studies suggest that in the early stages of heart disease, hawthorn

is more effective than the commonly prescribed digitalis, a drug

derived from the herb foxglove, and has fewer side effects.

However, if you're on digitalis, you should never try hawthorn or any herbal

medication without consulting your doctor. Hawthorn may make digitalis more

active.

 

 

A CASE IN POINT

The Frantic Father

 

The caller sounded desperately worried. He had a question about

using hawthorn for cardiac arrhythmia, a condition in which the heart

beats irregularly, typically racing ahead or skipping a beat.

Cardiac arrhythmias can lead to potentially fatal heart attacks.

 

I expected him to tell me that he himself had been diagnosed with

the condition, which usually occurs in adults over age 50. But he

explained that the person with the problem was his little girl, only 6 years

old.

 

Calcium channel-blockers--the medication customarily prescribed for

this condition--weren't working for his daughter, he told me. My first

thought was, " Oh no! He's going to ask me to prescribe an herbal

medication over the phone. "

 

This is something I never do--and I'd certainly never reconsider in

a condition as serious as a cardiac disorder in a child. To my relief,

he wasn't looking for an herbal prescription.

 

His daughter's doctor, he said, had already turned to the

alternative

medicine chest, suggesting a regimen including hawthorn, Coenzyme

Q10, and magnesium. Research has shown that all three help the heart.

 

The alternative approach, the father reported, was working for his

young daughter.

But he was concerned about hawthorn's effects used over a long period of time.

I scoured my herbal database, reviewed

the literature, and faxed him all the evidence I could muster. Turns

out, hawthorn seems to be safe even for long-term use.

 

If it were my daughter, I sure would rather give her hawthorn than a

pharmaceutically synthetic calcium channel-blocker. It certainly

worked for my caller, since his daughter got better.

 

http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/54/9.cfm

_________________

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

DietaryTi-

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Genes