Hawthorn, a tiny flowering shrub, belongs to the family of roses and it may offer you some health benefits. Common names associated with hawthorn include haw, hawthorne, harthorne and English hawthorn. Hawthorn used as an herbal product may help your cardiovasular system to become healthier. Although the U.S. Food & Drug Administration has as yet not approved hawthorn as a medicine, Drugs.com states that it helps to open blood vessels, thus allowing more blood flow and potentially decreasing high blood pressure. Before starting any type of herbal products you should talk to your doctor.
Circulation Benefits
This herbal product helps in the dilation of blood vessels, creating an increased blood flow to and from your heart, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine reports. Your body benefits from the increased blood flow, which also helps increase oxygen levels in your body. This may help you if you have circulation problems, such as those in your extremities that can make your feet and hands feel cold.
Lowering Blood Pressure
Another potential health benefit from hawthorn, for the same reason the herb helps blood circulate, is the lowering of high blood pressure, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine notes. Your blood pressure becomes directly affected by the widening of your arteries this herbal product can cause.
Reducing Plaque
Atherosclerosis, a health issue in which plaque builds up in your blood vessels, causing them to bleed and to become increasingly brittle, may be altered by this herbal product. This reduction in plaque may put years back on your life by decreasing the risks of heart attack and stroke, the American Heart Association states. The University of Maryland Medical Center states that several studies have demonstrated that hawthorn can make your heart function better if you suffer from heart failure.
Stomach Upset
Despite its many purported beneficial aspects, hawthorn may induce some non-serious and minor side effects, primarily when you first use it. For example, your stomach may feel ill after you eat a meal, Drugs.com indicates. The feeling of nausea may occur as well. When your body has adjusted to hawthorn in it, your gastric system should return to normal, eliminating nausea and upset. If it continues, you may want to seek help from your physician.
Headaches
Taking this medicinal herb also may produce headaches, again usually when you begin its use, Drugs.com reports. Headaches may occur as your blood vessels are widened. Widening blood vessel can cause slight pressure in and around your brain. Once your body has acclimated to the herb, headaches should cease.
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