Eastern mayhaw seeds

Eastern mayhaw or large-fruited hawthorn / Crataegus aestivalis - a shrub or small tree. Ripening period – early September. Begins fruiting in the second year after planting. Fruits weigh up to 20 g, dark red with light speckles. Leaves are large, and the plant has no thorns. High winter hardiness. Fruits remain on the plant until spring.

Medicinal and beneficial properties of hawthorn

In terms of medicinal and beneficial properties, hawthorn fruits are comparable to rose hips. They contain 4 to 11% sugars, mainly fructose, making them suitable for consumption even by people with diabetes. They also contain a complex of biologically active substances — triterpenic acids (oleanolic, ursolic, and crataegolic), choline and acetylcholine, quercetin, tannins, phytosterols, tartaric and citric acids, and vitamins A, C, and P.

Vitamin content reaches: vitamin C — 31–108 mg%, vitamin P — 330–680 mg%, carotene — 2–4 mg%. Hawthorn is also rich in pectin, which not only forms jelly during processing but also helps remove heavy metal salts and other harmful substances from the body.

The medicinal properties of hawthorn have been known since ancient times. Old manuscripts mention its widespread use in treating various ailments, especially heart disorders.

A decoction of hawthorn leaves improves coronary circulation and strengthens heart muscle contractions. Hawthorn fruits contain substances that affect heart rhythm. Hawthorn extract is low in toxicity and stimulates heart function.

Hawthorn is especially recommended for elderly people experiencing age-related heart dysfunction due to weakened contractile function and poor coronary circulation.

It is also beneficial for young people whose hearts are under strain due to illness or stress.

Hawthorn-based preparations are not directly intended to lower blood pressure, but they help normalize heart contractions and improve vascular function, which contributes to pressure stabilization. Hawthorn is also prescribed to patients recovering from myocardial infarction and those with chronic heart conditions.

Its astringent properties are used in treating liver and bile duct disorders. Hawthorn berries also positively affect the excretory system, normalize thyroid function, and relieve shortness of breath.

Ursolic acid in hawthorn has antimicrobial, vasodilatory, and anti-inflammatory effects. Hawthorn-based remedies also exhibit anti-tumor properties.

Medicinal uses of hawthorn

Hawthorn is most commonly used in the form of tinctures, infusions, and decoctions. Infusions are perhaps the simplest herbal medicine to prepare.

Their only drawback is short shelf life — even in the refrigerator, they last no more than a day. Therefore, a fresh infusion should be prepared daily.

Alcohol-based tinctures last much longer, which is a clear advantage.

Hawthorn tincture on alcohol

Alcoholic tincture can be purchased at a pharmacy or made at home. Fruit tincture is prepared from 25 g of berries per 100 g of medical alcohol or vodka and taken 30–60 drops 3 times a day 15 minutes before meals. Flower tincture is made at a ratio of 1 part flowers to 2 parts alcohol, infused for 15 days, and taken 40 drops 3 times a day 15 minutes before meals.

Hawthorn tincture primarily benefits the central nervous and cardiovascular systems. Regular use reduces irritability and anxiety and improves sleep.

Experts also recommend this folk remedy for vegetative-vascular disorders, cardioneurosis, and arrhythmia.

Hawthorn tincture positively affects blood vessel walls, relaxing them and lowering blood pressure. If taken in the early stages of hypertension, it can fully normalize pressure.

In later stages, it should be combined with other antihypertensive medications.

Infusion and decoction of hawthorn

For heart defects, neurosis, arrhythmias, and improved coronary circulation, an infusion of blood-red hawthorn flowers is recommended.

To prepare it, pour 3 cups of boiling water over 3 tablespoons of dried flowers, steep for 30 minutes, strain, and take 1 cup 3 times a day.

A fruit decoction is made by boiling 20 g of dried berries for 15 minutes in 1 cup of water, straining, pressing, and topping up with boiled water to the original volume. Take 1 tablespoon 3 times a day.

Interestingly, flower infusions are often more effective than fruit decoctions.

It’s very convenient to make a hawthorn fruit infusion by pouring boiling water over whole berries and steeping overnight (8–10 hours). In the morning, the infusion is ready to drink.

Ideally, hawthorn should be steeped in a thermos. For a liter thermos, use two handfuls of dried berries; for a cup, about 20 berries. If no thermos is available, a regular pot can be used, but it must be well wrapped or placed in a warm spot.

Crushed berries steep faster and don’t require a thermos. The quickest recipe: put a tablespoon of crushed berries in a cup, pour in about 200 ml of boiling water, and wrap for about half an hour.

Both hawthorn fruits and flowers can be brewed and consumed as tea. Especially tasty teas result from adding dried rose hips, raspberries, strawberries, and dried fruits and leaves of black currant. Infusions and teas are best consumed at night for a calming, mildly sedative effect.

Hawthorn is also used in pharmaceutical preparations — tinctures, syrups, extracts, and in the composition of “Cardiovalen.”

And of course, hawthorn is used in cooking: for making fruit drinks, compotes, jams, preserves, jellies, sauces, pie fillings, and more.

Contraindications of hawthorn

Hawthorn can be taken without major concerns, as it is completely non-toxic. However, caution is advised for people with hypotension, bradycardia, during pregnancy, or breastfeeding.