Hawthorn: Crataegus spp

Plant family: Rosacea

Hawthorn is for the heart! From indigenous cultures who integrated hawthorn into their food to modern research looking at the mechanisms of action, we see that this plant has a wide reaching support for disorders of the cardiovascular system and a protective/preventative place in our diets as an herbal food.

Hawthorn not only protects and heals the heart muscle and vasculature, but it is also viewed as a plant ally for situations of emotional and spiritual heart ache: loss, grief, and transition. This wider meaning of hawthorn shows us how our hearts, emotions, and spiritual strength are interconnected, and that nature has created perfect medicine for us to stand strong in the face of the major challenges that we face.

We use both the leaves and flowers harvested in the spring, and the berries harvested in late summer as medicinal foods and herbal medicines.

Energetic qualities: Cooling, stable, liquid, soft, grounding

Mechanisms of action for hawthorn: Berries, leaves, and flowers improve coronary circulation, dilate coronary arteries, enhance activity and nutrition of cardiac muscle tissue, increase the force of contraction of the heart (via improved utilization and availability of energy for the muscle), and increase collagen integrity in the tissue of the blood vessels (which strengthens them). Leaves and flowers scavenge free radicals and inhibit an enzyme that is responsible for damage to the heart under situations when there is a lack of oxygen, thus preventing damage that can result from cardiovascular disease and oxidative stress. Hawthorn is, in many ways, perfect food for our hearts. Wow!

Let's look at the different parts of Hawthorn individually:

Hawthorn Flowers (some herbalists also include leaves)

• Herbal Actions: Diuretic, astringent, hypotensive, cardiotonic, vascular tonic especially strengthening to vasculature and the heart after disease, infection, or in aging.

• Constituents: Oligomeric procyanidins & flavonoids including; quercetin, glycosides & flavone-C-glycosides.

• Harvesting and preparing: harvest in the spring when buds are opening. Flowers and leaves can be separated from branches and dried for tea, or made into tincture or glycerite.

Hawthorn Berries

Herbal Actions: cardiotonic, diuretic, astringent, hypotensive, cholesterolemic, coronary and

peripheral vasodilator.

• Constituents: Oligomeric and polymeric procyanidins, flavonoids.

• Harvesting and preparing: Fresh herries can be harvested as they are ripening or when they are ripe. Research shows that there is a higher concentration of procyanidins when less ripe, potentially increasing their effectiveness for cardiovascular health. Fresh berries can be made into jam, tincture, and glycerite. Dried berries can be used for infusions, tinctures, and glycerites.

Fresh is ideal for tincture or glycerite.

Recipe for fresh hawthorn jam:

Ingredients:

1.5 Ibs fresh hawthorn berries

2-3 chilies, cayenne or other hot ones will do, fresh or dried (optional)

6 cups water

5-6 cups sugar, preferably raw, unrefined or an equivalent in honey

3 Tbsp. lemon juice

Regular Pectin if using sugar and Low to No Sugar Pectin if using honey

Equipment

• Pot large enough to hold 6 cups or 1.5 I of water plus the haws and chilies

Spoons for stirring

Potato masher or similar for mashing the haws and chilies

• Measuring cups

• Scale (optional)

• Jars & lids

Instructions:

1. Simmer the hawthorn berries and chill in the water for 30-40 minutes, mashing them a few times throughout.

2. Strain and keep liquid, which is your hawthorn decoction. Discard or compost the herbs. Do not squeeze the herbs if you want a really clear jelly. If you don't mind a bit of cloudiness, squeeze the herbs to get as much liquid out as possible (plus those amazing compounds within them!) You should have approximately 5 cups of liquid when you're done. If not, add enough water to make 5 cups

3.Stir the herbal infusion over medium heat, adding the sugar or honey until it's dissolved.

4.Add the lemon juice to the sugar-herb infusion.

5. Add the pectin. Follow the instructions for apple jelly on the pectin package.