Flowers, leaves and fruits of this plant have been used since ancient times in various fields of traditional medicine to treat many diseases. For the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular pathologies, berry-based products are more often used. The question of whether hawthorn increases or decreases blood pressure is not clear-cut and you can still find opposing opinions, as well as various discussions on this matter.
This article will help the reader understand this dilemma, as well as learn about the most effective recipes for promoting health and normalizing blood pressure.
Hawthorn berries
What is pressure
This parameter indicates the peculiarities of the circulatory system. Blood pressure shows the characteristics of blood movement through the vessels. Thanks to it, the passage of fluid through the arteries is ensured, normal microcirculation and metabolic processes between the cellular elements of the body are maintained.
Blood pressure includes 2 indicators:
- Systolic – upper. It shows the force with which blood exerts pressure on the walls of blood vessels during contraction of the heart muscle. Normally, this parameter should be 100-140 mmHg. Art.
- Diastolic – lower. It shows the pressure in the arteries when the heart muscle is active. The normal level should be 70-90 mmHg. Art.
Berries ground with sugar
Products:
- hawthorn berries – 1 kg,
- sugar – 700 g,
- citric acid – 2 tbsp.
Procurement process:
- Remove the seeds from the berries, then crush them with a wooden pestle.
- Rub the mixture through a hard sieve.
- The result is a puree that is mixed with sugar and citric acid.
- Transfer the berry mass into sterilized containers, leaving 1 centimeter from the neck.
- Pour sand into jars.
- Cover the layer of granulated sugar with parchment soaked in vodka.
- Close the jars with lids and transfer to the refrigerator.
Beneficial properties of hawthorn
Hawthorn is a plant that has stimulating properties. Its fruits contain a whole range of useful components:
- calcium – maintains normal enzyme activity, reduces cholesterol levels in the bloodstream;
- potassium – helps regulate water balance and restores normal heart rhythm;
- carotene – affects cholesterol levels and prevents pathologies of the heart and blood vessels;
- hyperoside – has a cardiotonic effect, reduces blood pressure, copes with discomfort in the chest, normalizes blood flow;
- vitamins A, E, K, C;
- quercetin – strengthens the walls of blood vessels;
- sorbitol – is a sugar substitute;
- iron – is a component of hemoglobin, which is required to supply organs with oxygen, supports the immune system and takes part in detoxification of the body;
- tanning components.
Hawthorn berries are beneficial for arrhythmia, angina pectoris and atherosclerosis. For arterial hypertension, the drug is prescribed at the initial stage of its development.
The pharmacological characteristics of the fruits of the plant include the following:
- decreased excitability of the central nervous system;
- tonic effect on the heart;
- stimulation of blood circulation;
- elimination of heart rhythm disturbances;
- elimination of chest discomfort;
- normalization of general condition.
Alcohol or water infusion of hawthorn fruits is often used for edema of cardiac origin, rheumatism, hypertension, and nervous disorders. The flower extract of the plant successfully copes with insomnia.
Hawthorn berries can be consumed fresh or prepared. They can be dried and ground to a powder. Crushed roasted fruits can serve as an alternative to coffee.
Hawthorn can also be brewed as tea. This drink helps normalize blood pressure. Plant-based products can be taken by people with gastritis. The substance helps restore intestinal microflora and normalizes the functioning of the digestive organs.
Hawthorn for high blood pressure
Arterial hypertension is characterized by impaired blood flow. This causes the development of stroke and heart attack. Hawthorn acts on blood vessels, helping to cope with their spasm. This helps normalize blood flow. Thanks to this, hawthorn reduces blood pressure.
The product can be consumed in the form of tinctures, decoctions or teas. It reduces blood pressure in grade 1-2 hypertension. Sometimes the composition is used as an additional remedy, combined with medications.
Sometimes hawthorn increases blood pressure. The product normalizes a person’s condition, helps eliminate dizziness and weakness with low blood pressure. However, hypotensive patients should be careful. The daily dose at a reduced level should not exceed 250 ml.
Effect on blood pressure
There is no consensus as to whether hawthorn lowers or increases blood pressure. The product includes useful components that can act in different directions. In herbal medicine, the plant is usually used to reduce blood pressure. Therefore, hypotensive patients need to take the drug very carefully. But sometimes hawthorn raises blood pressure.
Quercetin, which is present in hawthorn, strengthens the walls of blood vessels, making them less permeable. This helps to avoid the occurrence of pathologies of the heart and blood vessels, which are often accompanied by pressure changes. The plant also includes chlorogenic acid, which normalizes blood flow and helps avoid the appearance of atherosclerosis.
The macroelements present in the substance have a complex effect on the body. Vitamin C stimulates the restoration of thinned vessel walls. Hyperoside increases the volume of blood that the heart pumps out.
The combination of these components helps to avoid the development of pathologies of the cardiovascular system and improves well-being. As a result, hawthorn lowers blood pressure.
It is worth considering that a single use of a hawthorn-based product will not give tangible results. To normalize blood pressure parameters, you need to drink it for a long period of time.
Jam
The hawthorn harvest is always very generous, just have time to process it.
Hawthorn contains ursolic acid, which restores collagen in the skin. Any preparations are useful for improving the condition of the skin.
Make healthy and tasty jam.
To obtain it you will need:
- Hawthorn – 9 kg (62 cups),
- Granulated sugar – 3-4 kg,
- Water – 31 glasses,
- Citric acid - 1 tsp.
Preparation:
- Pour water over the berries (half a glass of water for 1 cup of berries), cook for 20 minutes until soft. Drain the broth, but do not pour it out.
- Rub the berries through a colander. What remains in the sieve - peels and grains - is waste. Pour the broth over the waste, boil for 15 minutes, strain again through a colander.
- Combine with previously pureed puree and weigh. Add 1 kg of sugar to 1 kg of pureed mass and pour in the drained broth. Let sit overnight to dissolve the sand.
- Boil, stirring over low heat for 2.5 hours. Check the readiness like this: drop it on a plate, if it doesn’t spread, then the jam is ready. Roll hot into jars.
Contraindications
Hawthorn-based products are not recommended for use in the following cases:
- The need to maintain reaction speed. This applies to people who drive a car or work with complex machinery. Sometimes the plant causes increased drowsiness.
- Pregnancy and lactation. The fruits of the plant can provoke undesirable consequences.
- Kidney pathologies.
- Stroke in the recent past.
- Allergy to the plant or the presence of individual intolerance.
This unique plant has virtually no side effects. To avoid negative effects on the body’s condition, it is important to take the composition in the volume recommended by the doctor, without exceeding the dosage. However, you should not expect instant results. They usually appear gradually.
General information
The plant belongs to the rose family and is a relative of the rose hips. But unlike the latter, it is not only a shrub, but also not a very tall tree. Under natural conditions it grows in the forest; in central Russia it is a common garden crop. The spherical crown is easy to decorate; by trimming it can be given the desired shape. Branches with thorns, dark red color. Blooming with small white or pink flowers with an unpleasant odor does not last long. Delicious, fleshy, sweetish fruits ripen in late August - early September and for a long time delight the eye with bright red splashes against a background of greenery.
Interesting! Among the variety of species, and there are more than one and a half thousand of them, the blood-red hawthorn stands out. It is used for medicinal purposes.
How to use
The regimen for using fruits should be selected by an experienced doctor. This is done on an individual basis. When choosing a dosage, you need to take into account the form of the drug and the severity of the pathology:
- It is recommended to drink infusions based on hawthorn no more than 3 times a day. Treatment should last 1 month. You should drink no more than a glass of the product at one time.
- Decoctions are usually taken 150 ml three times a day. They should be drunk after meals.
- It is recommended to drink 20-30 drops of hawthorn tincture three times a day. This remedy should be taken 30 minutes before meals.
Hawthorn recipes for blood pressure
The medicinal plant is used to prepare teas, infusions, and decoctions.
Hawthorn fruits and flowers can be poured with boiling water and taken in small portions throughout the day. To lower blood pressure, you can use the following recipes:
- Tea. For this remedy you will need 4 large spoons of flowers and berries and 1 liter of boiling water. The raw materials need to be poured into a thermos, add boiling water and leave. Then strain and dilute with water. Take half a glass 2 times a day.
- Drink with rose hips. Take 50 g of hawthorn and rose hips, pour into a thermos, add boiling water and leave for 24 hours. Strain and drink with meals. Treat for 1 month.
- Juice. Take 500 g of fresh fruits, wash, peel and place in an enamel pan. Add 300 ml of purified water and place on the stove. Cook for 20 minutes, cool, strain. For treatment, mix 50 ml of the product with half a glass of water. Take the resulting mixture three times a day.
- Decoction. Grind 100 g of fruits in a blender, place in a saucepan, add 10 g of hawthorn flowers and 500 ml of clean water. Cook for 10 minutes, then leave for another 2 hours. Drink 1 large spoon 30 minutes before meals. The course of therapy is 3 weeks. As a result, hawthorn helps with blood pressure.
Tincture on water
To prepare an aqueous tincture of hawthorn for pressure, you can use different fragments of the plant - flowers, leaves, fruits. Berries have a milder effect compared to other parts.
To make a healthy tincture, you can use the following recipes:
- Take 1 large spoon of crushed fruits and mix with a glass of boiling water. Cook until the volume is reduced by 2 times. Drink half a small spoon 3 times a day. This should be done before meals. It is recommended to be treated with this remedy for 3 months.
- Mix 10 g of dried berries with 200 ml of boiling water. Leave in a warm place for 2 hours, then strain. For high blood pressure, drink 2 tablespoons. This should be done 30 minutes before meals.
- Take 20 g of berries and 40 g of hawthorn flowers, add a glass of boiled water and leave for 1 hour. Drink 2 large spoons before bed.
- In late autumn, dig up the hawthorn roots. They need to be washed and dried. Make a decoction of water in a ratio of 1:10. Boil the product over low heat for 10 minutes. Cool and strain. The composition helps lower blood pressure and reduce the number of heart attacks.
- Mix propolis tincture and hawthorn in equal parts. This remedy not only helps reduce blood pressure, but also eliminates sleep disorders. The composition also strengthens the heart and activates the body's defenses.
Vodka tincture
To make this remedy, you need to take the flowers and fruits of hawthorn. You will also need medical alcohol or vodka. It is recommended to mix the components in a ratio of 1:10. Infuse the product in a glass container for 3 weeks. Mix the prepared composition with water and drink 1 small spoon before meals.
When used correctly, hawthorn reduces blood pressure, helps cope with arterial hypertension, and strengthens the cardiovascular system. To achieve good results, you should consult your doctor before using plant-based products.
Precautionary measures
Treatment with folk remedies, especially for cardiovascular problems, is carried out according to certain rules. Violating them causes undesirable consequences. The following precautions should be observed when treating with hawthorn:
- Do not take medications on an empty stomach, so as not to provoke vomiting, intestinal or vascular spasms;
- Eat no more than one glass of fresh berries to avoid mild poisoning and headaches;
- Long-term uncontrolled use of hawthorn greatly reduces blood pressure and causes arrhythmia;
- For low blood pressure, infusions of plant flowers rather than fruits are recommended.
Important! To ensure maximum benefit and the plant does not cause harm, consult your family doctor before taking hawthorn.
Treatment with hawthorn under the supervision of a doctor will strengthen the immune system, restore the body after illness, and stabilize blood pressure. Reasonable use of a medicinal plant will help cope with nervous disorders, sleep disorders, and arrhythmia.
Proper use of hawthorn decoctions and infusions is useful for normalizing blood pressure for both hypertensive patients and those prone to hypotension.
