There is evidence that berries and flowers from the hawthorn plant can help lower your high blood pressure. In the January 2005 issue of the "American Journal of Chinese Medicine," Dr. Wei-Tien Chang wrote that hawthorn effectively lowered the blood pressure of patients in a clinical trial, particularly those with heart failure. According to Dr. Chang, the antioxidants found naturally in hawthorn may be responsible for the hypotensive effect. Before taking hawthorn, consult your physician.
Improved Blood Flow
Hawthorn helps lower blood pressure by allowing blood to flow more easily through arteries. There are two measurements for high blood pressure. Systolic pressure measures how hard the heart must work to pump blood through the arteries. Diastolic pressure measures the actual force of blood being pumped through arterial walls. When arteries are clogged, pressure rises. According to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, hawthorn dilates, or widens, coronary arteries, increasing the blood flow.
Hypotensive Action
In a February 2002 article published in "Phytotherapy Research," Dr. Ann F. Walker wrote that hawthorn had a hypotensive, or blood pressure lowering, effect on patients with mild high blood pressure. In the study, researchers measured the blood pressure of patients at rest, after exercise, and after a stress test. The hypotensive effect lasted up to 10 weeks. During the study, patients received daily doses of 500 to 600 mg hawthorn extract.
Reduced Lipids
In one study, rats given hawthorn experienced a hypolipidemic effect, or the reduction of blood lipid levels. Cholesterol and triglycerides are types of lipids. Excessive blood levels of some lipids increases the risk of developing high blood pressure and heart disease. In the March 2002 issue of "Food Research International," Dr. Zesheng Zhang wrote that 87 percent of the rats in the study had lower blood cholesterol levels after being given hawthorn and 80 percent had lower triglyceride levels.
References
- "American Journal of Chinese Medicine"; Hawthorn: Potential Roles in Cardiovascular Disease; Wei-Tien Chang, Ph.D.; 2005
- "Phytotherapy Research"; Promising Hypotensive Effect of Hawthorn Extract: A Randomized Double-Blind Pilot Study of Mild, Essential Hypertension; Ann F. Walker, Ph.D.; February 2002
- "Food Research International"; Hypocholesterolemic Activity of Hawthorn Fruit; Zesheng Zhang, Ph.D.; March 2002
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