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Hawthorn Benefits:
Natural Loving Support for Your Sensitive Heart

Are you going through a lot of ongoing stress and anxiety? Does your sensitive heart need a little help? Hawthorn is here to give you some healing love! Let's learn about the hawthorn benefits for your sensitive heart.

As highly sensitive people, we tend to deal with a lot of stress and anxiety, which place a burden in our heart. Fortunately, Mother Earth has wonderful plants that can support our sensitive body and Hawthorn is one of them.

What is Hawthorn?

Hawthorn (Crataegus Oxycantha) is a flowering shrub or tree of the rose family that is well known for supporting the cardiovascular system. It grows in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, Asia, North Africa, and North America. It has been used in traditional European herbal medicine for centuries. (1)

A little bit of background of this wonderful herb:

Historically, Hawthorn has been used to treat heart disease as far back as the 1st Century. In the early 1800s, Doctors in America were using it to treat circulatory and respiratory conditions. The berries were traditionally used to treat heart conditions such as, irregular heartbeat, chest pain, high blood pressure, hardening of the arteries, and heart failure. Today its leaves and flowers are used for medicinal purposes. (2)

Interestingly, in Celtic mythology Hawthorn is a tree considered one of the most sacred trees and symbolizes love and protection. It is also known as the Fairy Tree, as it was believed that fairies lived under the Hawthorn as its guardians, so it was treated with great respect and care. Hawthorn is a tree of magical enchantment associated with Beltane – the ancient festival celebrating spring. (3)

Hawthorn is used as energy medicine for the heart, in every aspect. It is a heart healing herb from Physical to Spiritual. “As a flower essence, Hawthorn helps open the heart to giving and receiving love, and can help in healing heartache. It encourages self-love and self-acceptance. As with many heart-acting energy remedies, hawthorn helps us to develop courage”. (4)

Hawthorn benefits: Support for a healthy heart!

The stresses of life... Work, family, relationships, finances... often require us to overwork, sending us right into stress mode (sympathetic dominance). When that happens, our heart ends up overworking as well, and heart contractions might become infective.

Hawthorn strengthens your heart and improves the efficiency of your heart contractions by pumping blood more efficiently. When there is enough blood supply pumped in every contraction, your cells get enough oxygen and nutrients to function properly; however, when they don’t get enough, they send chemical messengers (cytokines) to the nervous system to speed up the heart to pump blood more times per minute so they can get what they need to do their job. (5)

Here is when you feel that fight or flight activation of your sympathetic nervous system, which speeds up your breathing and your heart, making it beat faster to pump more blood to your cells, potentially giving you heart palpitations, rising your blood pressure, and even causing breathing issues. (6)

By making each heart contraction more efficient, Hawthorn slows down your system allowing your heart work less and more efficiently, conserving energy. This makes Hawthorn a parasympathetic herb because it engages the rest and digest response of your autonomic nervous system, helping you to slow down, focus on one thing at a time, and reduce stress and anxiety.

Hawthorn is a must for all heart conditions, and for when you feel your heart is out of rhythm, you are going through tremendous amount of stress, or maybe you are dealing with a lot of anxiety, worry, and even love pain. This loving herb is here to give your heart a helping hand and make things easier for you.

Hawthorn helps your cardiovascular system and nervous system, making it a great aid for your heart and lungs. It can help regulating heart rhythm, lowering blood pressure, even might help easing breathing during asthma. (7)

The reason why Hawthorn provides all these medicinal actions is thanks to its active constituents: Polyphenols, Bioflavonoids, and Proanthocyanins.

Polyphenols are powerful antioxidants produced by plants to offset infections. They neutralize unstable molecules called free radicals that can damage cells, when they are present at high levels. The antioxidants in this class offer anti-inflammatory properties and even anti-viral in some cases. Bioflavonoids and Proanthocyanins are members of the Polyphenol family, which impart color to fruits and flowers and are essential for cardiovascular health. (8)

These antioxidants in Hawthorn, help protect the cardiovascular system from oxidative stress caused by free radicals, and support overall vascular health. Hawthorn promotes and supports optimal heart function and healthy circulation by promoting blood flow and maintaining healthy blood pressure. It has also been traditionally used to support emotional wellness during times of grief, stress and love pain.

What parts are used of this herb?

Hawthorn berries, leaves, and flowers are used for medicinal purposes, thanks to their content of flavonoids which are potent antioxidants.

What is the best way to take it for optimal delivery?

You might eat the raw berries or drink the tea from the plant’s dried berries, flowers, and leaves. However, one of the best ways to take Hawthorn for optimal delivery is by taking it as a supplement. You can find it in liquid phyto-caps, powder capsules, liquid extracts or tinctures.

Are there any toxicity or contraindications?

Hawthorn Berry has almost no side effect or contraindications. It is a very safe herb to use. In case of pregnancy or lactation, it is better to consult with a Naturopathic Doctor. (9)

Herbs and nutrients that work synergistically with Hawthorn:

Some other herbs that can work synergistically with Hawthorn because of their ability to strengthen the heart, relax the nervous system, help with anxiety and stress, reduce blood pressure, and increase resiliency are Motherwort, Bilberry, and Linden Tree. These are all wonderful parasympathetic herbs that can work great together by amplifying the intended supportive effect on the heart.

Final thoughts

In conclusion, there are many Hawthorn benefits for the heart, especially for highly sensitive souls, who not only have a beautiful empathetic heart but also are more prone to high levels of stress and anxiety.

Hawthorn can be seen as a loving herb for your sensitive heart. Its energy and medicinal properties range from the physical to the spiritual. It is an herb that truly support you and your heart physically and emotionally. Hawthorn is a beautiful natural gift that you can give to your hard-working heart, which never stops or takes a break during your entire life. Without a doubt, Hawthorn is a truly wonderful herb for you as a highly sensitive person.

With Love & Light,

Angela

Citations & References:

(1) Wikipedia, “Crataegus”
(2) Mount Sinai, “Hawthorn”
(3) The Present Tree, “Every Hawthorn Tree Has a Story...”
(4) Traditional Roots Institute – National University of Natural Medicine, “Hawthorn: Heart Healing from Physical to Spiritual”
(5)(6)(7)(9) Energetic Health Institute, Dr. Henele, Holistic Nutrition Certification, "Herbs for a Healthy Heart"
(8) Energetic Health Institute, Dr. Henele, Holistic Nutrition Certification, “Vitamins, Antioxidants, and Green Superfoods”

Health Disclaimer

All information shared in this article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice, care, therapy, or any form of health treatment or diagnosis. Any information presented in this article is not intended to advise, diagnose, treat, heal, cure, or prevent any disease. This information should not be used to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting a doctor. Always consult with qualified licensed medical professionals before relying on any information in this article or on this website.

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