» Hawthorn

Hawthorn has long been famous for its beneficial properties. An ornamental bush with large red fruits has been known since Ancient Greece. The Greeks often used the plant in the treatment of various diseases. It was also a tradition of the Greek people to weave a wreath from hawthorn branches at the conclusion of marriage. It was believed that such a rite would make the marriage happy. Nowadays, hawthorn has not lost its popularity and helps to cure many diseases.. Let's take a closer look at the beneficial properties and contraindications to the use of this fruit for the human body.

Hawthorn is enriched with useful elements and includes:

• flavonoids;
• organic acids;
• fixed oils;
• pectins;
• trace elements (zinc, potassium, iron, copper, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and others);
• vitamin C, P, riboflavin, carotene, choline;
• tannins;
• ursolic acid.

Valuable chemical elements are part of the fruits and all other parts of the shrub, which are used for medicinal purposes.

There are 14 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams of hawthorn fruit, there are no proteins and fats. The calorie content is 52.5 kilocalories.

Positive and healing properties of hawthorn

Hawthorn, regardless of variety and species, black or red, has many medicinal qualities that are beneficial. What are these qualities? Let's list them:

1. Effective effect on the activity of the heart. Trace elements and vitamins have a positive effect on blood flow, saturate the heart with oxygen, and reduce the incidence of coronary disease.
2. Decreased nervous excitability and normalization of the heart rhythm.
3. Decreased mental stress and physical exhaustion.
4. Decrease cholesterol.
5. Decrease in indicators Sahara.
6. Normalization exchange activity.
7. Normalization of work thyroid gland.
8. Treatment shortness of breath.
9. Antimicrobial, vasodilator, anti-inflammatory and antitumor effects.

It is also used for:

• coronary insufficiency;
• angina;
• tachycardia;
• arrhythmias;
• weak heart;
• atherosclerosis;
• diarrhea
• rheumatism;
• allergies;
• glaucoma;
• hormonal disruptions among women;
• insomnia;
• nervous exhaustion;
• seizures of epilepsy;
• migraine attacks;
• diseases of the biliary tract and liver;
• diseases of the genitourinary system.

Harm and contraindications

Before using the cultivated large-fruited hawthorn, be sure to consult a doctor, especially in case of deviations in activity of cardio-vascular system and kidneys. The plant is useful for human health only when used appropriately.

Reception features:

1. Reception for a long time causes a decrease in heart rate.
2. Ingestion of fruits in large quantities causes mild poisoning.
3. Treatment on an empty stomach causes spasms in the intestines and blood vessels, vomiting. It is necessary to take a medicine with hawthorn a couple of hours after eating.
4. After taking fresh hawthorn, it is not recommended to drink immediately cold water. Can happen intestinal colic and paroxysmal pain.
5. In the treatment of heart disease in hypotensive patients for best effect it is worth using hawthorn flowers.

The fruits of the shrub and drugs based on them are contraindicated:

• children under 12 years of age;
• hypotensive patients;
• with intolerance to the components included in the plant;
• in the post-stroke period;
• with kidney disease.

Means with hawthorn should be accurately dosed. You can not use the fruits at the same time as heart drugs. An adult is recommended to take 150 grams of fruit. Unripe berries cause intoxication of the body.

A decoction of flowers is forbidden to drink, if required increased concentration attention. When the dosage of funds with hawthorn is exceeded, weakness, dizziness, and an increase in lethargy occur.

Hawthorn-based tincture is harmful when:

• reduced pressure;
• gastritis;
• arrhythmias;
• ulcer of the digestive system;
• liver diseases.

The use of tinctures in some cases causes allergic swelling, itching and rash.

Can hawthorn be consumed during pregnancy?

The components of hawthorn relax the smooth muscles of the uterus. This causes bleeding and miscarriage. They are can cause a sharp drop in pressure and thereby provoke a decrease in milk production. The use of drugs during feeding causes an allergic reaction, intoxication of the body, diarrhea and vomiting in the baby.

The use of dried flowers and fresh hawthorn berries for medicinal purposes

Hawthorn has a positive effect on the entire human body. Let's see what are the benefits of growing this plant.

Therapeutic effect for the cardiac system, instructions for use

Components of garden hawthorn tone up the heart. Due to this, the required amount of oxygen enters the heart muscle, the number of heartbeats decreases, the rhythm normalizes, cardiac fatigue disappears and blood flow improves. Hawthorn helps fight atherosclerotic plaques and vascular spasms.

With insomnia, dizziness, shortness of breath, and to stabilize the activity of the heart, hawthorn tincture can be used. How to do it? For cooking at home Pour a tablespoon of flowers or fruits into 250 milliliters of boiling water and insist in a water bath for 15 minutes. Cool the mixture and filter. Drink 100 milliliters 3 times a day.

The drug is contraindicated in people with individual intolerance, low pressure and serious illnesses hearts.

For vascular diseases

With cholesterol deposits elasticity decreases, the lumen narrows or becomes uneven. As a result, the required volume of oxygen does not enter the organs and blood outflow occurs.

For preventive measures and treatment it is recommended to take 3 teaspoons of hawthorn flowers, 3 teaspoons of oregano, 4 teaspoons of St. John's wort and 4 teaspoons of motherwort. tablespoon medicinal mixture mix with a glass of water and insist. Drink an infusion of half a glass one hour before meals.

Hawthorn flowers are useful for atherosclerosis. For infusion, brew 1 tablespoon of dried flowers and leave for 15 minutes. Filter the mixture. Take half a glass 30 minutes before eating.

To normalize pressure 3 tablespoons of hawthorn flowers, 2 tablespoons of the initial drug pour 3 cups of water and boil. Leave for about five hours. Drink half a glass 3-4 times before meals for an hour.

Benefits for the nervous system

Hawthorn components relieve excitement, act with a sedative effect, but do not cause drowsiness. Trace elements of the plant normalize the functioning of the nervous system.

With a strong nervous shock take 3 tablespoons of flowers and brew 3 cups of boiling water. Leave for a couple of hours. Drink a glass of liquid 3 times a day.

For the digestive system and kidneys

Hawthorn struggles with problems digestive system, flatulence, gastritis and diarrhea, activates choleretic action normalizes the functioning of the liver and kidneys.

To eliminate heartburn mix 1 teaspoon of hawthorn flowers and 1 teaspoon of peppermint. Collection pour a glass of boiling water and wait 30 minutes.

Hawthorn infusion normalizes metabolic actions in gallbladder . For cooking medicinal liquid brew a tablespoon of the product with a glass of boiling water and wait an hour. Take an infusion of 60 milliliters an hour before eating.

For men with prostatitis, a recipe for making an infusion at home

The use of the plant prevents the development of prostatitis and prostate adenoma in men. Drinking tea from it helps to restore sexual function. It is useful for male representatives to drink the following infusion: 1 serving of hawthorn flowers, 1 serving of peppermint, 2 servings of Veronica officinalis, 3 servings of willowherb flowers and 3 servings of knotweed, mix thoroughly. Pour a tablespoon of the collection with 250 milliliters of boiling water and wait half an hour. Use medicinal infusion 80 milliliters an hour before meals.

To strengthen immunity

Hawthorn has restorative action. His used for dizziness fatigue, loss of strength, as well as to restore the body after the transfer of diseases and infections.

Hawthorn is one of the best medicinal plants. It effectively affects the human body and has healing properties. It is important to consult a doctor before using hawthorn remedies and get dosage recommendations and instructions for use. They are used only according to indications and in the appropriate amount. Only in this case, the treatment will be useful.

Hawthorn - grows well in the city and in the dense forest. Shrubs or small hawthorn trees have been familiar to us since childhood. The growth limit in height is fixed at 15 meters, but usually the bush does not overcome the 5 meter mark. The formidable weapon of the hawthorn is its thorns, which are small branches with a sharp tip that climb from the trunk and all branches. Spines usually do not grow in length more than 1-3 cm.

The development of hawthorn leaves occurs spirally twisting along the entire length of the shoots of the branches, and in clusters of thorns on the branches. The leaflets of most species are serrated and somewhat variable in shape. Mature fruits are red, reminiscent of berries, but structurally it is a tiny apple containing from one to five seeds. If you take a closer look at the “drupe”, it looks exactly like a plum or peach seed.

Hawthorn is a deciduous tree that has beneficial properties and contraindications. Surprisingly, the shrub belongs to the rose family. About 200 species of hawthorn are known to biology, and its numerous varieties are almost impossible to count.

Hawthorn prefers lands with a temperate climate, it can be found in the European part of the planet, in Asian countries, on the African continent and in North America. Hawthorn grows well in moist, well-drained soil, in sunny places in woodlands and shrubs.

Often hawthorn is grown artificially. Urban landscaping uses almost all types and hybrid combinations of hawthorn. In parks and squares, the Scarlet Pavla variety is planted as an ornamental tree. In spring, it fills the city streets with pink-red clusters of inflorescences and does not bear fruit.

Hawthorn - decorative tree

Certain types of hawthorn trees are grown as a miniature art - bonsai. Hawthorn provides birds with food and provides shelter for small animals, and flowers with nectar serve as a food base for nectar-forming insects (bees, bumblebees, etc.). Individual varieties of hawthorn are cultivated by people as a source of healthy food.

The stem of the hawthorn can be used as a base in the practice of grafting. The tree goes well with the pear and hardens its rhizome. The second most compatible with hawthorn is apple fruit trees. Quince takes root well, but its grafting to hawthorn rhizome causes a number of problems, since many shoots are formed in the root zone.

Agronomists say that several types of trees can be grafted onto a hawthorn trunk. A variety such as pink hawthorn perfectly combines pear and medlar, as a result of which the trees give a May pink color, and the fruits ripen by the end of summer. Medlar is an evergreen tree of the apple family, found on the Black Sea coast.

Paul Scarlett is a well-deservedly popular type of hawthorn and with a maximum height of about 6 m is ideal for small garden. In spring, masses of dark pink, two-color inflorescences bloom and saturate the garden with real fireworks. Pink colour. The flowers are beautifully complemented by an abundance of slightly glossy, dark green leaves that further enhance the pink.

Healing properties of hawthorn

Since the 16th century, hawthorn has been used to stimulate blood circulation. This effect is partly due to the content of the substance - rutin, which is known for its ability to prevent bruising. In addition, hawthorn tea helps lower cholesterol levels. In the traditional Chinese medicine, there is a particularly revered variety of hawthorn that has been used for thousands of years.

The Chinese hawthorn is known as Shan Zha - the ripe fruits are called pinyin. In traditional Chinese medicine, hawthorn takes pride of place among herbs that solve digestive problems, especially problems with the digestion of proteins and fats. Also, decoctions of hawthorn are used for diarrhea or dysentery. In Chinese medicine, hawthorn is regarded as a plant that can eliminate blood stasis, lower cholesterol and high blood pressure.

In Russia, in ancient times, healers hardly guessed about the diversity chemical composition hawthorn fruit. But they knew for sure that berries, leaves, inflorescences and even bark - in in large numbers contain useful substances. traditional healers hawthorn was successfully used in the treatment of patients, healing a number of diseases with tinctures.

A handful of hawthorn fruit (100g) provides the daily value of:

• beta-carotene - 14g;
• vitamin A, C, E: 230 mg, 90 mg., 2 mg;
• you don’t have to worry about the calorie content of berries, for 100 grams it does not exceed 52 kcal.

Exceptional healing properties hawthorn was repeatedly rescued by soldiers of the Red Army during the Second World War. Decoctions and tinctures of hawthorn partly compensated for the lack medicines on the battlefields and rear hospitals.

The well-known program “Live Healthy”, devoted a whole plot to analyzing useful and side properties hawthorn. We invite you to stop reading:

Useful properties of hawthorn

For the human body, valuable substances contained in hawthorn berries have an undeniably positive effect. Exposed to the curative content of the fruit, internal organs quickly bounce back. We list the main positive points:

1. The high content of Flavonoids instantly affects the recovery processes of liver health.
2. Ursolic acid is present in hawthorn berries, burning fat deposits, it is responsible for the favorable well-being of the muscular belt.
3. Pectin with remarkable antioxidant properties is involved in the fight for human health.
4. Unique combination nutrients in hawthorn fruit, has a positive effect on heart rate. The rhythm of the heartbeat is restored, and as observations show, a steady tendency towards recovery is formed in patients.
5. Medical luminaries have concluded that Crataegus [hawthorn] preparations have high potential as useful tool for the treatment and prevention of diseases of the cardiovascular systems.
6. In experienced research work, noted the ability of hawthorn to increase tolerance physiological load in patients suffering from heart failure. When taking drugs based on hawthorn, there is a reduction in cardiac arrhythmias and hypertension.
7. Good performance in the treatment of arteriosclerosis, in lowering blood sugar levels, in cases where it is required to reduce general content cholesterol.
8. A drug based on hawthorn fruits is prescribed as menopause occurs, the drugs effectively cope with unpleasant symptoms.
9. Tinctures and decoctions of hawthorn are indicated for headaches and migraines. Put in order nervous system person after stressful situations preventing acute depression from developing. You can prepare the tincture at home, you will need hawthorn fruits, motherwort herbs and valerian. The ingredients are mixed in equal proportions, brewed with boiling water and infused.

Hawthorn fruits help against diseases

The fruit may be helpful in preventing and relieving stomach pain and digestive ulcers. Hawthorn is prescribed for metabolic disorders. Leaves and inflorescences of hawthorn are brewed, it is believed that the drink cleanses the blood, reduces acute symptoms allergic reactions and heals eczema.

If an organ disease is diagnosed urinary system, also appoint hawthorn. Hawthorn tincture facilitates well-being with prostatitis and other diseases in urology. Hawthorn fruits have beneficial effect on the thyroid glands with their dysfunctions. Like an energy drink, hawthorn tincture is credited with high tonic properties.

Indications for the use of hawthorn

Hawthorn in various forms is prescribed for the treatment of painful symptoms:

• heart disease;
• rheumatoid arthritis;
• atherosclerosis;

Hawthorn is prescribed for glaucoma and diarrhea. Fruits smooth out allergic reactions well, in some cases they cope with neurodermatitis and dermatitis. Hawthorn is shown as a normalizing agent against nervous exhaustion, he perfectly fights insomnia, migraine and epilepsy. The best way hawthorn participates in the normalization hormonal disorders female body. Tinctures cope with the difficulties of the biliary tract and help patients cope with liver diseases.

• Hawthorn can grow as a small tree or thorny shrub. The bush can reach 1.5 meters in height.
• The hawthorn has a knotty, twisted trunk covered with gray or reddish-brown, scaly bark. The branches are thin and studded with thorns. Spines 1 to 3 cm long.
• Hawthorn has thin, lobed leaves with serrated edges. The leaves are alternately arranged on the branches. They change color from dark green to orange-red in early autumn before falling from the tree.

What is hawthorn

• Hawthorn produces white flowers with both types reproductive organs(bisexual flowers). Parts of a man are easily recognizable thanks to the pink tips. The flowers are arranged in clusters of 16 individual inflorescences.
• Hawthorn blooms from May to June. Fragrant clusters of inflorescences attract butterflies and other insects, which are responsible for the pollination of this plant.
• From a botanical point of view, the fruit of the hawthorn is a berry, fleshy pea, known as the "bread box". The berries are arranged in clusters and ripen during October and November. Mature fruits contain from 1 to 5 seeds covered with a hard membrane.

• Birds, squirrels, raccoons and rabbits love to eat hawthorn fruit and seeds. Animals play important role in seed dispersal (undigested seed is spread by faeces, away from the mother plant).
• People are happy to include hawthorn berries in their diet, as their beneficial properties are widely known. The fruits can be consumed raw, the berries are dried for the winter, jams are made from them, brewed and sauces are prepared.

• Young hawthorn leaves are edible. They were often consumed in the past when other food sources were not available.
• Hawthorn flowers are edible and are usually consumed as a salad. The inflorescences are also used to decorate various desserts and to make flower tea.
• Hawthorn leaves do not contain nicotine and can be used as a substitute for tobacco. To make a tincture, you need 30 g of hawthorn leaves. We put in a container of 300 ml, pour boiling water. Let it brew for 30 minutes, strain. Take 50 ml, up to 6 times a day before meals. The elixir will form a stable aversion to cigarettes.

The use of hawthorn in everyday life

• Of course, the hawthorn does not grow forming forests and is not harvested in large quantities. However, its wood is actively used in handicraft production. Due to its density, wood is ideal for making various household items, tool pens, fences and sculptures. Hawthorn root is used to make combs and jewelry boxes.
• During the Middle Ages, wine made from hawthorn fruit was used to treat high blood pressure. Today, hawthorn fruit is used to ease digestion and strengthen the cardiovascular system.
• A plant with a very long healthy growth period, hawthorn can live in wild nature up to 400 years.

How to prepare an excellent tincture from hawthorn fruits will be told to us by a beekeeper and an expert in this field:

Side effects of hawthorn

You should not use hawthorn fruits with excessive zeal, the beneficial properties are fully revealed if you take only 100 grams of berries per day. An overdose can cause cardiac arrhythmia and dangerously low blood pressure. Light degree side effects expressed in a sedative effect (drowsiness), in rare cases nausea is observed. Patients taking Digoxin (a medicine prescribed for patients with heart disease) should avoid taking hawthorn.

In the skillful hands of the hostess, ripe fruits turn into marshmallow, jam or jam. Dried hawthorn is brewed as a tea in the coming winter season, in which all the beneficial properties of the product are manifested.

Simultaneous reception of tincture of hawthorn and motherwort

It helps to maximize the healing effect joint application motherwort and hawthorn. To neutralize stressful conditions, doctors recommend combining herbal tinctures. Mixed elixir of motherwort with hawthorn helps to cope with depression and disorders of the nervous system, participating in the normalization of healthy sleep.

In addition to suppressing irritation, motherwort with hawthorn lower blood pressure, helping to stabilize the work of the heart muscle and cause an increase in the overall tone of the body.

The only negative is the categorical prohibition of tinctures during pregnancy and lactation. The ban is related to great content alcohol and sedative response to motherwort and hawthorn. Allergy sufferers should take the mixture of hawthorn with motherwort with caution, due to possible unpredictable reactions.

In general, it is excellent and most importantly not expensive. medicinal tincture, which for little money perfectly copes with anxiety and neuroses. Reducing pressure in women, a mixture of motherwort and hawthorn is prescribed during menopause. hawthorn is undeniable, calming the nervous system, tincture helps to forget about insomnia.

Planting a hawthorn

Good growing conditions for hawthorn are fertile, drained heavy soil. At the summer cottage, planting should be done with ready-made cuttings in a specially prepared pit. The size of the hole is determined by the root development of the cutting. Since we need excellent drainage, gravel and crushed stone are poured to the bottom.

In the absence of such materials, a brick broken into small pieces is suitable - we observe a layer thickness of at least 15-20 cm. Add a little lime to the crushed stone. On top of the drainage and fall asleep a pre-mixed mixture of peat, sand, and humus from last year's leaves. Spreading the roots, gently dig in the tree.

It is better to choose a sunny place for hawthorn, this will help to secure flowering and bring much more fruit than if the tree was in the shade. It is better to choose planting material no older than 5 years, since then it develops too long root system making transplanting difficult.

Hawthorn Care

The hawthorn does not require specific care, only as painful or dead branches appear on the tree, you should pay attention to them and remove them. The hawthorn shrub lends itself well to shearing and is actively used in landscape gardening when there is a need for a hedge. Once a year, with the advent of spring, the bush is cut. Experienced gardeners cut hawthorn bizarre forms pleasing to the eye all summer.

One more piece of advice. Not long before the start of flowering, fertilize the hawthorn with manure solution and the tree will thank you with lush flowering. Once every 30 days if worth it sultry heat and rain is not expected, you can water the tree abundantly. But as a rule, in middle lane hawthorn has enough rainwater, and it does not have to be watered additionally.

An expert in this field will help us clarify the intricacies of planting and caring for hawthorn. We are watching detailed video pro review:

If you are over 50, then for healthy work hearts brew wild rose and hawthorn in a thermos:

Hawthorn is a tall shrub from the genus Pink. It grows in temperate latitudes, grows wild in North America and Eurasia. On the territory of the Russian Federation, two types are most common: large-fruited hawthorn and blood-red (popularly - the so-called garden hawthorn, about the benefits and dangers of which will be discussed). No less famous is the black hawthorn, which grows in the Czech Republic, Hungary and the Balkan Peninsula.

It is a valuable medicinal plant, planted for decorative purposes, it is considered a good honey plant.

Wild hawthorn berries have been used for health benefits as far back as Ancient China and Asia, first to treat diarrhea, and then to improve the functioning of blood vessels and the heart. Cultivated plant species were bred in the 16th century.

What helps and what is hawthorn useful for, how to take it correctly and to whom phytotherapy with plant preparations can be harmful, read in our new article.

Healing properties of hawthorn

All parts of the plant have medicinal value, the flowers and fruits of hawthorn are the most valuable. From leaves, bark, flowers, young twigs and fruits (dry and fresh) they make various drugs both in pharmacology and folk medicine. Fresh fruits are good raw materials for jam, marmalade, marmalade, marmalade and even wine. Dry fruits are a frequent component of teas and herbal teas.

Dried and frozen hawthorn fruits contain almost all the phytonutrients found in fresh berries.

Hawthorn has the following medicinal properties:

• cardiotonic;
• venotonic;
• vasodilating;
• hypotensive;
• hypocholesterol;
• antispasmodic;
• sedative;
• cleansing;
• immunomodulatory;
• astringent;
• anti-inflammatory;
• antiseptic;
• diuretic;
• antimicrobial;
• vitaminizing;
• antioxidant;
• tonic.

Beneficial features hawthorn for the heart and blood vessels, the most common reasons for its use are as follows:

• renders vasodilating action;
• tones the myocardium;
• ensures the supply of oxygen in the required amount;
• reduces the frequency, but increases the strength of heart contractions;
• normalizes rhythm;
• reduces the excitability of the heart;
• improves coronary blood flow.

Eliminates the symptoms of mild forms of tachycardia and atrial fibrillation. Normalizes cholesterol levels and blood coagulability, prevents atherosclerotic plaques. Eliminates vasospasm.

It has been proven that hawthorn has a calming effect without inhibition of the central nervous system, reduces the excitability of the nervous system, and helps to normalize sleep. The antioxidant effect allows the plant to be used to prevent the formation of tumors (malignant and benign), increase immunity and recuperate after illnesses.

hawthorn renders positive influence on all body systems and is indicated for the following diseases and conditions:

• dizziness;
• insomnia;
• migraine;
• neurasthenia;
• constriction of cerebral vessels;
• arterial hypertension;
• heartache;
• coronary insufficiency;
• angina;
• atherosclerosis;
• elevated blood cholesterol levels;
• diabetes;
• obesity;
• hyperfunction of the thyroid gland;
• biliary dyskinesia;
• pathology of the liver and gallbladder;
• dyspnea;
• infertility (male and female);
• climacteric disorders;
• prostatitis;
• poisoning;
• intoxication;
• diarrhea;
• hypovitaminosis;
• rheumatism;
• allergy;
• epilepsy.

Chemical composition

Fresh fruits contain:

• vitamins ( vitamin C, tocopherols, K, PP) and carotenoids;
• minerals (magnesium, iron, aluminum, potassium, calcium, copper, cobalt, molybdenum, batt, iodine, manganese);
• choline and acetylcholine;
• triterpenic acids:
  • oleic - tones and enhances the blood supply to the heart, brain;
  • ursolic - has a wound healing and anti-inflammatory effect;
  • chlorogenic - normalizes the function of the kidneys and liver, has a choleretic effect.
• organic acids (tartaric, coffee and citric). Caffeic acid has antibacterial properties, promotes bile secretion;
• fiber (dietary fiber);
• bioflavonoids:
  • quercitrin - reduces permeability vascular wall improves capillary elasticity. Antioxidant;
  • quercetin - improves cerebral circulation.
• pectins;
• Sahara;
• saponins;
• phytosterols;
• tannins;
• glycosides:
  • hyperoside - improves myocardial contractility and cardiac output;
  • vitexin - has a vasodilating effect, improves metabolism in the heart muscle.
• essential oil.

Harvesting hawthorn

For harvesting, raw materials should be collected from healthy plants without mold, dry branches and pests growing far from highways and the city.

fresh hawthorn

Freshly picked fruits can be stored in the refrigerator on the fruit and vegetable shelf, in a ventilated tray. Berries should not be washed before storage - it is better to do this immediately before use. This method allows you to save hawthorn for several weeks or more.

Freezing

The berries should be sorted out, washed and dried, then placed in a plastic bag or container and a freezer with a deep freeze mode (-18 C). Similarly, freeze mashed berries.

Frozen fruits retain all properties for 1 year. When frozen, tannins are destroyed, the berries become less tart. Re-freezing of berries is unacceptable, so it is better to harvest hawthorn in portions, in small bags.

Drying

Dry raw materials can be bought at a pharmacy, but it is better to prepare them yourself, from the end of September until the very frost. Ripe fruits are bright red, orange or yellow.

• Sort the berries, rinse and dry, spread in one layer on a wire rack or baking sheet and place in a well-ventilated place. hawthorn dries up natural way within 5-7 days. You can dry the fruits in an electric dryer at T up to 60 C or in an open oven, setting T 30 C. Dry fruits lose 3-4 times in volume and weight, acquire a specific smell and a bitter taste.
• Corymbose inflorescences and buds are also suitable for harvesting, but the ovary is not. Hawthorn blooms in late May-early June: abundantly, but not for long, only 4-7 days. Dry in ventilated attics.

Dry raw materials are stored in glass jars or canvas bags. Dry fruits and flowers retain their properties for 2 years - this is official data, but folk healers claim that the period is much longer, up to 8 years.

Hawthorn jam

Numerous jam recipes involve boiling berries, during which most useful substances is destroyed. Rather, such products are a delicacy than a medicine.

Infusion for long-term storage

This is a useful analogue to compotes that require boiling berries. Dry flowers are mixed with boiling water in a ratio of 1:1 (1 glass of raw materials to 1 glass of water), infused for 30 minutes, cooled, filtered and poured into sterile jars, after which they are rolled up.

Hawthorn Wine

Useful product that moderate use protects against colds, maintains the tone of the coronary vessels, speeds up the metabolism, helps in the treatment and prevention of neuroses. Recommended for cholesterol high level in blood).

Pre-make sourdough: about 70 gr. unwashed raisins are put in a glass dish, add 50 gr. sugar and 200 ml of water. Cover with a cloth and keep warm. The sourdough is ready when it begins to foam, sizzle, and have a slight fermentation smell.

Frozen, unwashed hawthorn fruits (this is important) weighing about 2.5 kg are put into a clean and dry sterile glass container, poured with syrup obtained from 5 liters of water and 500 gr. sugar and introduce sourdough. It is important that about 25% remain free space for the release of gases. Put in a room with T 18-24 C, put on a glove upstairs, pierced in several places. After 3 days, drain 500 ml of the must, dilute 1 kg of sugar in it and reintroduce it into the bowl with wine. After 7 days, filter the wine, enter 500 gr. sugar and stand for another 30-35 days. When the wine stops fermenting and emitting gas, it becomes transparent - it can be consumed. The output is about 5 liters of wine, which should be packaged in clean bottles and put in a cellar for storage (valid for 3 years). Take 100 ml 1-2 times a day.

Pharmacy preparations of hawthorn

In the pharmacopoeia, flowers and fruits of prickly hawthorn, ordinary, blood-red are used to obtain medicines, which are very numerous. Let's talk about the most popular.

Drops with a multicomponent composition, including hawthorn extract. They have a sedative effect, stimulate the contraction of the heart muscle, dilate blood vessels, improve sleep.

Valemidin Multicomponent phytopreparation (drops and syrup). Appointed for cupping VVD attacks, normalize heartbeat, relieve vasospasm, eliminate anxiety and stress.

Phytorelax Tablets based on extracts of hawthorn and valerian, which have a sedative effect, help to cope with stress and nervous excitability. Recommended for astheno-neurotic conditions and functional disorders ah cardiac activity.

Kedrovit

Vegetable raw materials (fruits, hawthorn flowers) They are used for the preparation of infusions, decoctions for the complex treatment of diseases of the cardiovascular system and the central nervous system, normalization of sleep, and strengthening of the immune system.

Hawthorn lozenges Appointed in complex treatment hypertension, tachycardia, angina pectoris, angioedema, neurotic diseases, with elevated blood cholesterol levels.

Alcohol tincture of hawthorn Indicated in the complex treatment of functional disorders of cardiac activity, arterial hypertension, ischemic disease, atrial fibrillation, with angioedema, paroxysmal tachycardia, atherosclerosis, climacteric neurosis.

Traditional medicine recipes

fresh fruits

You can consume no more than 1 glass of fresh fruits per day. Exceeding the recommended dose can lead to cardiac arrhythmias.

Fresh Juice

Freshly squeezed hawthorn juice, diluted boiled water in a ratio of 1:1, taken to improve blood circulation, normalize the digestive system (several teaspoons before meals).

Juice can also be prepared from thawed berries, but in this case it is not necessary to dilute with water.

Berry cake can be used for brewing as an infusion.

Vitamin hawthorn tea

It is useful even for those who do not have indications for hawthorn treatment. It helps to saturate the body with vitamins, strengthen the immune system and heart muscle.

Take 1 tbsp. dry fruits and pour them with a glass of boiling water, cover, leave for 20 minutes and filter. Add the resulting infusion in the amount of 40-50 ml to a glass of green tea. Take 1-2 times a day.

The second recipe (it turns out more concentrated). Take 20-30 dried hawthorn fruits, a few pieces of rose hips and pour 1 liter of boiling water in a thermos, leave overnight. You can drink in the morning.

Alcohol tincture of hawthorn

Take 1 part of dry hawthorn fruits and add 10 parts of 70° alcohol, insist in a dark closed bottle for 21 days, filter. How to take: 30 drops, diluted in ½ cup of boiled clean water, three times a day, half an hour before meals. Course 30 days.

Hawthorn decoction

Take 15 gr. dry berries and pour into a glass hot water, put to languish in a water bath for 15 minutes. Cool the composition for about 45 minutes, then filter. Bring the broth to a volume of 200 ml with chilled boiled water. Take 100 ml twice a day for 30 minutes. before meals.

Water infusion of hawthorn

Take a couple of handfuls of dry fruits, chop and brew with boiling water (1 l). Leave overnight. Take 1/3 cup 60 minutes before meals 3-4 times a day. Useful for arrhythmia, angina pectoris, increased nervous excitement.

Alcohol tincture of hawthorn from pressure

Prepared from dried crushed fruits or flowers. Take 4 tbsp. vegetable raw materials, add 500 ml of vodka and insist in a dark place for 14 days. Then strain. Drink 25-30 drops diluted with water one hour before meals for hypertension, angina pectoris.

tea balm

Recommended for heart failure. Take 100 gr. good black tea, add 2 tbsp. rose hips, 1 tsp hawthorn fruit, 1 tbsp. motherwort herbs, 1 tbsp. peppermint and 1 tsp. valerian rhizomes and chamomile flowers. Brew like regular tea. You can drink 1 glass 2 times a day.

Infusion for hypertension

Take 1 tsp. crushed hawthorn fruits, motherwort, cudweed and chamomile flowers. Brew a glass of boiling water and filter after 60 minutes. Take 1 tbsp one hour before meals.

Restorative agent after myocardial infarction

Remedy for weak vascular tone

Take 3 tsp. hawthorn flowers, 2 tbsp. herbs of a medicinal initial cap and pour the mixture into three glasses of cold water. Boil and leave to infuse for 5 hours. Drink 1 glass an hour before meals.

Skin lotion

Water infusion of hawthorn is recommended to be used as a lotion to restore natural moisture. skin, improve skin tone, eliminate puffiness and fine wrinkles. The infusion can be frozen and wiped with cubes on the skin before going to bed and in the morning.

When is hawthorn harmful to the body?

Hawthorn berries and plant-based dosage forms are harmful when the dosage is exceeded. Read the instructions for preparations from hawthorn, observe the duration of administration and dosage, and consult your doctor about the advisability of using it.

Hawthorn is harmful to health if there are contraindications for use:

• Allergy;
• Children's age up to 12 years;
• Atrial fibrillation;
• Heart defects;
• VSD on hypotonic type;
• Hypotension;
• Apatoabulic syndrome;
• Autism, oligophrenia, mental retardation;
• Depression;
• kidney failure;
• chronic fatigue syndrome;
• Pregnancy.

The use of plant preparations during breastfeeding is only upon agreement with the doctor (in some sources it is interpreted as a lactagon remedy). During pregnancy, hawthorn is prohibited.

In combination with drugs against arrhythmias, drugs for pressure, hawthorn can also be harmful.

You should listen to the signals of the body at the beginning of treatment: headaches, nausea, vomiting, rashes and other uncharacteristic reactions indicate intolerance to hawthorn.

Having considered medicinal properties and contraindications of hawthorn, we can conclude that it is an affordable, effective natural medicine, which helps in the treatment of many diseases and allows you to maintain health for a long time.

Hawthorn fruits are credited with mass positive properties which are used in the treatment of many diseases. Despite its benefits, it still has some side effects. Consider how you can use medicinal hawthorn and contraindications to be aware of and remember.

Hawthorn - contraindications for use

For treatment, hawthorn fruits are most often used, but leaves, flowers or even roots of this medicinal plant can also be brewed. The pharmacy sells already prepared infusion, ready to use. If taken in the right doses, then it has practically no side effects, but it is still worth knowing the contraindications before treatment with hawthorn, which are always indicated in the instructions. And it is best to consult a doctor who will tell you how to take it correctly without consequences for the body.

So, hawthorn tincture contraindications for use:

• pregnancy:
• the period of breastfeeding;
• children under 12;
• low pressure:
• arrhythmia;
• vegetative-vascular dystonia;
• traumatic brain injury;
• brain diseases;
• liver disease.

Usually people do not show any reactions to this drug, but there are cases when there is hypersensitivity and intolerance to the component. When using it, you may experience side effects as:

• dizziness;
• allergic reaction such as itching or hives;
• bradycardia;
• lowering blood pressure.

You should be very careful when using such tinctures for people who drive a car, as they can cause drowsiness and a weakening of concentration. Knowing all the contraindications of hawthorn tincture, follow the correct doses and intake. Most often, the instructions describe how many drops and for how long it is necessary to take the tincture for a particular type of disease.

Hawthorn berries - contraindications

Most often, in the treatment, already dried berries are used, which are simply brewed in the form of tea. But sometimes it is recommended to use fresh berries. It is worth remembering that you can not eat more than one glass at a time. This may reduce arterial pressure, as well as to provoke a violation of the heart rhythm.

Hawthorn fruits have contraindications, non-observance of which can lead to irreversible consequences. Therefore, it is very important to know the state of your body so as not to harm it.

Be aware that hawthorn can be life-threatening. So if you eat unripe fruits, then you can get poisoned. Moreover, the degree of poisoning directly depends on how green they are.

Hawthorn decoction - contraindications

You need to be careful with the decoction of this plant. It should not be drunk on an empty stomach, as this can provoke vasospasm and vomiting. If you drink cold water after eating hawthorn, you may experience . Tea from hawthorn flowers has contraindications for theriotoxicosis and clemacteric syndrome. Also, it should not be used by people suffering from low blood pressure.

How to dry hawthorn?

If you are preparing yourself medicinal plant, then we must remember that it should be stored for no more than a year. Flowers and leaves should be collected during the flowering period, and the fruits after they are fully ripe. The ripened fruit has a bright red, orange or yellow saturated color. It is best to collect it at lunchtime, when there is no more morning dew. It is necessary to dry in a dry room that is ventilated. During drying, be sure to turn the berries over several times so that they do not cake.

Almost throughout Russia, you can find hawthorn - a small discreet shrub with red berries. What are the benefits and harms of hawthorn, and why are funds based on it used by more than one generation of people?

What does hawthorn look like

It is quite easy to distinguish this plant from others. Hawthorn rarely reaches large sizes in height, it has bright green leaves pointed at the ends. In late spring, from May to June, the plant produces small white flowers that form small inflorescences. The flowering shrub emits a pleasant sweet smell.

The fruits on the bushes of the plant appear closer to autumn, not earlier than August. Bright red berries have a shiny smooth skin. Distinctive feature plants - the presence of sharp spines on the branches.

Chemical composition and calorie content

Hawthorn is one of the most useful fruit plants. With a low calorie content - only about 50 calories per 100 g of berries - the fruits contain a lot useful elements, vitamins and acids.

Namely, it includes:

• vitamins A, E, C and D, as well as not the most common K and P;
• B vitamins;
• natural acids in large quantities - tartaric, citric, malic, ursolic, oleic, cretone;
• copper, potassium, iron;
• chrome and aluminum;
• rare boron, cobalt and molybdenum;
• organic ester compounds, antioxidants, tannins and flavonoids;
• starch, sorbitol, carotene and dietary fiber.

Important! The carbohydrates in this plant are categorized as fructose, so the fruit is safe for diabetics. In moderation, they will only benefit.

What is useful hawthorn

The rich vitamin-acid composition of hawthorn is a benefit for almost the entire body.

In particular, the berries and flowers of the plant:

• contribute to the improvement of the liver;
• qualitatively cleanse the body of accumulated harmful substances;
• improve the functioning of the heart and blood vessels, preventing the development of atherosclerosis and arrhythmias;
• reduce cholesterol in the blood;
• relieve migraine pain;
• normalize the work of the stomach and intestines, improve metabolic processes in the body;
• well calm the nervous system during prolonged stress;
• alleviate allergy symptoms;
• improve thyroid function.

Does hawthorn increase or decrease blood pressure? The benefits of the plant are for hypertensive patients - when using infusions, the pressure drops "down".

For women

The benefits of hawthorn for women are expressed mainly in its fat burning properties. Regular intake of drinks from this plant helps to maintain harmony and beauty. Great benefit from tinctures and decoctions will be during periods of menstruation and during menopause - hawthorn has a beneficial effect on the nervous system.

The plant can serve as a prevention of diseases of the mammary glands, as it prevents the development of mastopathy and tumors.

For men

For the representatives of the stronger sex, the benefit is that the fruits of the plant stimulate potency and help improve the condition of the prostate. Hawthorn tea and other drinks improve blood circulation, have a slight anti-inflammatory effect and relieve tumors and swelling of the reproductive system.

For kids

The benefits of hawthorn for children are unconditional, but there is important nuance- Before the age of 12, it is impossible to offer infusions and decoctions to a child in any form. But in adolescence in small doses, they will serve as a prevention of cardiovascular disorders, will have a calming effect.

Is it possible to drink hawthorn during pregnancy and lactation

Pregnancy is one of the contraindications for taking hawthorn. Plant-based drinks and foods can cause early miscarriage.

Advice! If you really want to include vitamin fruits in your diet, you should pay attention to tea with a low content of hawthorn - the concentration of potentially harmful substances in it is very low. But even this should be done only after consulting a doctor.

Hawthorn at breastfeeding absolutely contraindicated. Not only can it cause allergies in the baby, but it will also bring inconvenience to the mother herself, as it will increase the production of breast milk.

Medicinal properties of hawthorn flowers

For therapeutic and prophylactic purposes, you can use not only the fruits of the plant. Great benefit is contained in its spring flowers.

In particular, infusions and decoctions:

• help to restore healthy sound sleep;
• relieve vascular spasms;
• downgrade bad cholesterol in blood;
• help to get rid of disturbances in the heart rhythm.

Useful properties of hawthorn leaves

Considerable benefits are stored in the sharp green leaves of the plant.

Decoctions based on them have the following healing properties:

• eliminate heartburn;
• normalize the work of the stomach and intestines;
• positively affect the endocrine and metabolic system;
• strengthen resistance to viruses and infections.

What helps hawthorn

The benefits of the plant are highly valued in folk medicine.

Homemade hawthorn tincture, decoctions and teas will help:

• with migraines and epilepsy;
• with heart failure and tachycardia;
• at depressive states and during insomnia;
• with stomach disorders;
• with hormonal failures and diseases of the genitourinary system;
• with violations in the liver;
• with allergies, dermatological irritations;
• with atherosclerosis, rheumatism.

Hawthorn recipes in folk medicine

There are dozens of recipes that use hawthorn, but only a few of them are the most popular.

Hawthorn decoction

It takes no more than half an hour to prepare the broth. A small amount of berries - 2 - 3 handfuls - pour warm water and then boil for 15 minutes. The finished drink is filtered, if necessary, topped up with warm water. Take a decoction of hawthorn 3 times a day for a couple of sips.

hawthorn tincture

You can make a tincture from any part of the plant. Flowers, fruits or leaves are poured with vodka, and then the dishes are tightly sealed and put away in a dark place for 2 months. Shake the dishes from time to time. When the drink is infused, it is consumed in an amount of no more than 2 teaspoons per day.

Attention! Alcohol tincture of hawthorn is alcoholic drink. Only in small doses it can be useful - in no case should you abuse such a remedy.

Infusion of hawthorn

Ordinary medicinal infusion prepared as follows - any parts of the hawthorn, fruits, flowers or leaves, pour boiling water and leave for about 2 - 3 hours. If desired, chamomile flowers can be added to the infusion. Use the remedy 2 tablespoons a day on an empty stomach.

Juice

The simplest drink based on the fruits of the plant - Fresh Juice. All you need to prepare it is a sufficient amount of ripe berries and a juicer. If necessary, you can also squeeze the berries manually, carefully straining them through cheesecloth. Drink juice 3 times a day, but in total no more than 1.5 glasses.

How to brew hawthorn for the heart

Drinks based on hawthorn - proven and effective remedy from tachycardia and arrhythmias.

The classic "heart" infusion is prepared as follows:

• a tablespoon of berries is poured with a glass of hot water, covered with a lid and left to infuse for an hour;
• if desired, other useful ones are added to the infusion herbal preparations- mint, chamomile or lemon balm;
• the finished drink is consumed 3 times a day, in volumes not more than half a cup.

Important! Hawthorn for the heart will be most useful if you pour the ingredients not with boiling water, namely hot water- approximately 85 degrees.

The use of hawthorn in cosmetology

The medicinal properties of hawthorn fruits are in demand not only in medicine, but also in cosmetology. The benefits for hair and skin are that the processed fruits of the plant:

• protect the skin from excess ultraviolet radiation and from bad ecology;
• quickly relieve irritation and inflammation;
• even out skin tone;
• nourish the skin and hair with vitamins E, C and K, promoting cellular renewal.

For face

To cleanse the skin, eliminate aesthetic defects and slightly rejuvenate the face, it is enough to wash your face with ordinary hawthorn infusion in the morning and evening. To prepare it, you need to pour the berries with hot water and insist for 30 - 60 minutes.

For hair

The plant will help strengthen the hair, give it shine and eliminate excess fat, if you rinse your hair with a classic decoction during washing. This should be done at least 3-4 times a week - then the benefits will be maximum.

What can be cooked from hawthorn

Decoctions, infusions, juices and teas are not the only options for using the plant's berries. The fruits are widely used in cooking.

In particular, they make:

• jams, jams and marmalade;
• compotes and fruit drinks;
• jelly and sweet pastille.

Often the mashed berries of the plant are added to pastries as a filling. Another popular dish is the so-called "raw" hawthorn jam. It differs from the usual one in that the berries are not boiled, but simply ground with sugar in a ratio of 1: 2.

The benefits are found in any dishes, the ingredient for which was a fruit plant. Of course the concentration valuable substances less in jams, compotes or sweets than in fresh berries. But all these delicacies have pleasant taste and help to strengthen the body.

When to collect and how to store

Fresh fruits of the plant can be collected independently - fortunately, the shrub grows throughout Russia.

1. The best time to harvest the fruit is autumn, from September to October.
2. Berries plucked from the bush must be thoroughly washed in clean water, and then immediately use for the preparation of sweets or infusions - or dry.
3. Hawthorn is dried most often in the oven at a low temperature of about 60 degrees, until the fruits wrinkle and darken. Their usefulness is fully preserved. Dried hawthorn can be stored up to 2 years in the refrigerator.

As for the flowers of the plant, they are harvested in the spring and only in dry weather, giving preference to fully opened inflorescences. Flowers are also dried by laying them out thin layer in a shady place for a few days. In dried form, the benefits of flowers last up to 1 year.

Contraindications and harm of hawthorn

Basically, hawthorn benefits the body. But sometimes the plant can go to harm.

Contraindications for admission are as follows:

• pregnancy and lactation;
• age less than 12 years;
• severe cardiovascular diseases in acute form;
• hypotension - hawthorn from pressure is good only for hypertensive patients.

Drinks from the plant can be consumed before meals, but it is not recommended to take them with a strong feeling of hunger - this will cause vomiting and abdominal pain. Fresh fruits should be eaten no more than 150 g per day.

Attention! Infusions and decoctions can not be taken on an ongoing basis for longer than 1.5 months.