Hawthorne uses and benefits

Hawthorne uses and benefits

Popular legend tells us that the body of King Arthur is buried under a hawthorn tree in Glastonbury Abbey, although this is impossible to confirm there is firm evidence proving  that Hawthorne was first cultivated way back in the 1st century BC throughout the Mediterranean.

The bible writes of Jesus being crowned with a ring of hawthorn on the cross, this was due to the sharp thorny nature of the plant.

Hawthorne first made its way to the new world along with the first settlers from England, hawthorn is often also referred to as ‘the Mayflower’ which also happens to be the name of the boat first used to cross the Atlantic.

Nowadays Hawthorne is a popular garden and hedge shrub that is hardy enough to grow in most climates worldwide.

Top 5 health benefits of Hawthorne & Rose hips:

• Promotes cardiovascular health - Many studies have shown Hawthorne to be amazing at helping our heart to pump more blood around our bodies, not only this, but regular consumption of Hawthorne I thought to help repair damage to the heart after surgery.

• Beneficial for people suffering from arthritis or gout - Hawthorne offers our bodies a steady supply of collagen and protein that aid our joints to move more freely. Hawthorne has been used as a natural treatment for gout since the 1300’s.

• Treat and sore throat or cough - Hawthorne leaves and berries can be made into a tea that is used for the treatment of a sore throat and loss of voice. The powerful astringent properties mean that it can even be used to promote the healing of cuts and grazes.

• Treatment for people suffering from IBS -  This remedy dates back to the turn of the century, but is still recommended by many expert herbalists to this day, simply add hawthorn berries to warm water a brew for around 5 minutes before drinking.

• Great source of natural antioxidants - Free radicals enter our bodies in the form of toxins in food, stress, alcohol, environmental pollution and the list goes on. These so called; free radicals are unpaired electrons that travel around the body causing oxidative stress. Antioxidants can remove these from our blood by offering up the needed electron to make the molecule stable.

Caution: When eating rose hips, be sure to never eat the seeds, as they contain cyanide bonded with sugar, called amygdalin.

If you know any uses of the hawthorone we haven’t included please let us know.

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