Hawthorn, also known as haw or maybush, has been used both as a food and for medicinal value for centuries in various traditional medicine systems throughout the world. A variety of health conditions have purportedly responded to treatment with hawthorn, including digestive problems, circulatory conditions and breathing difficulties. Some scientific research has revealed information that hawthorn could reduce arterial plaque formation. Check with your doctor before using hawthorn to treat a medical condition.
Post-Surgery
Hawthorn extract helped prevent re-blockage of coronary arteries after balloon angioplasty, a surgical procedure that clears blockages in arteries by inserting a balloon into an artery and inflating the balloon, according to a study conducted at the Department of Pharmacy, University of Munich, Germany. In the study on laboratory animals, 100 mcg/mL of hawthorn extract decreased excess growth of muscle cells in the linings of arteries -- one of the processes that initiates plaque formation -- by 44 percent. Hawthorn also inhibited scar tissue from forming at the location of the surgery. The study was published in the August 2010 issue of the journal "Atherosclerosis."
Antioxidant
Antioxidant effects of hawthorn may reduce plaque in arteries by preventing oxidation of LDL cholesterol, say researchers at the Laboratoire de Pharmacognosie, Institut Pasteur, Lille, France. Oxidized LDL cholesterol is one of the initiators of plaque formation. Polyphenol antioxidants in hawthorn flower buds, flowers, young leaves and green fruits have been shown to effectively inhibit lipid oxidation. This study revealed specific protection against copper-induced LDL oxidation. Researchers identified a flavanol procyanidin compound and a flavanol glycoside compound as being responsible for the beneficial effects. The study appeared in the August 2003 issue of the journal "Pharmazie."
Triglycerides
Researchers at the School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Victoria University, Australia, reported that hawthorn extract lowered triglyceride levels and improved the ratio between low density lipoprotein, LDL, the bad form of cholesterol, and total cholesterol, in a study on laboratory animals. Hawthorn showed similar effectiveness to the cholesterol drug simvastatin, in this regard. However, hawthorn was ineffective at lowering LDL levels. The researchers concluded that hawthorn may contribute to the prevention of arterial plaque formation by virtue of its triglyceride-lowering effects and its improvement in the ratios of good and bad cholesterol. The study appeared in the 2009 issue of the "American Journal of Chinese Medicine."
Multiple Effects
Hawthorn has been used in the treatment of hyperlidipdemia and to prevent atherosclerosis in China and Europe for centuries, according to Victor Preedy, editor of the book "Botanical Medicine in Clinical Practice." Hawthorn is approved as a registered therapeutic agent for congestive heart disease and heart failure in Germany. Hawthorn may serve as a suitable alternative therapy for a variety of cardiovascular conditons, including angina, high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol and associated arterial plaque formation.
References
- "Atherosclerosis"; The Crataegus Extract Ws 1442 Inhibits Balloon Catheter-Induced Intimal Hyperplasia in the Rat Carotid Artery by Directly Influencing Pdgfr-Beta; R.Fürst et al.; August 2010
- "Pharmazie"; Hawthorn Extracts Inhibit LDL Oxidation; C. Quettier-Deleu et al.; August 2003
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; A Study of the Comparative Effects of Hawthorn Fruit Compound and Simvastatin on Lowering Blood Lipid Levels; H. Xu et al.; 2009
- Botanical Medicine in Clinical Practice; Victor R. Preedy;2008
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