Hawthorn Berries for Heart Health
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Hawthorn berry is a great herb for heart health. You can make an herbal honey with hawthorn.
The dried fruits of Crataegus pinnatifida (called shān zhā in Chinese) are used in naturopathic medicine and traditional Chinese medicine, primarily as a digestive aid. A closely related species, Crataegus cuneata (Japanese Hawthorn, called sanzashi in Japanese) is used in a similar manner. Other species (especially Crataegus laevigata) are used in Western herbal medicine, where the plant is believed to strengthen cardiovascular function.
In recent years, this use has been noted and adopted by Chinese herbalists as well. Hawthorn is also used as an aid to lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and treat some heart related diseases.
Clinical trials
Several clinical trials have assessed the ability of hawthorn to help improve exercise tolerance in people with NYHA class II cardiac insufficiency compared to placebo. One trial, at (300 mg/day) for 4 to 8 weeks, found no difference from placebo. The second trial, including 78 subjects (600 mg/day) for 8 weeks, found “significant improvement in exercise tolerance” and lower blood pressure and heart rate during exercise. The third trial, including 32 subjects (900 mg/day) for 8 weeks, found improved exercise tolerance as well as a reduction in the “incidence and severity of symptoms such as dyspnea” and fatigue decreased by approximately 50% .
In the HERB-CHF (Hawthorn Extract Randomized Blinded Chronic HF Study) clinical trial, 120 patients took 450 mg of hawthorn extract twice daily for 6 months in combination with standard therapy and a standardized exercise program. “No effects of hawthorn were seen on either quality-of-life endpoint (Tables 1 and 2), or when adjusted for LVEF”.
One study, consisting of 1,011 patients taking one tablet (standardized to 84.3 mg procyanidin) twice daily for 24 weeks, found “improvements in clinical symptoms (such as fatigue, palpitations, and exercise dyspnea), performance and exercise tolerance test, and ejection fraction”
Source: Wikipedia
Video Courtesy: Learning Herbs.com
photo credit: onnola
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chinese herbalists, chinese medicine, dried fruits, dyspnea, hawthorn berry, heart health, herbal honey, herbs, lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, palpitations, western herbal medicine
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