High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a risk factor for stroke and heart disease. Normal blood pressure is 120/80. If your blood pressure reading is 140/90 consistently, take steps to reduce it. Losing any excess weight and reducing your salt and alcohol may help to lower high blood pressure. You might also need to take prescription medicines known as anti-hypertensives if your blood pressure is 160/100 or over. Hawthorn might also help to lower blood pressure, but evidence is limited. Talk to your doctor before using it.
Properties and Potential Benefits
Also known as Crataegus monogyna, hawthorn is a traditional remedy for indigestion in Chinese medicine, but might also play a role in the treatment of a number of ailments including congestive heart failure, angina and cardiovascular disease. The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center states that it is also sometimes used to treat hypertension and may work by relaxing smooth muscle in coronary blood vessels and increasing blood flow.
Administration
The flower, leaves and fruits of the hawthorn plant are used to make herbal preparations including teas, tinctures, capsules and tablets. Mississippi Baptist Health Systems states that the usual dosage of hawthorn is 300 mg to 600 mg of an extract standardized to contain 2 percent to 3 percent flavonoids, or 18 percent to 20 percent procyanidins, three times daily. However, this is only a guideline. Ask your doctor whether this dose is suitable for you.
Effectiveness
Hawthorn extract has not been extensively studied as a hypertension treatment. However, the results of a clinical trial published in the February 2002 issue of "Phytotherapy Research" show that hawthorn extract helps to reduce blood pressure, compared to placebo. Research published in "The British Journal of General Practice" in June 2006 show that hawthorn extract also helps to lower high blood pressure in patients with type 2 diabetes taking prescribed drugs.
Safety Considerations
Hawthorn may cause mild dizziness, headache, nausea, fatigue and allergic reactions, but Mississippi Baptist Health Systems states that it generally appears to be safe. Don't take hawthorn extract if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Also avoid it if you have liver or kidney disease. Don't use hawthorn extract in place of medicines your doctor prescribes or as a substitute for lifestyle changes to lower high blood pressure.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Hypertension
- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center: Hypertension
- Mississppi Baptist Health Systems: Hawthorn
- "Phytotherapy Research"; Promising Hypotensive Effect of Hawthorn Extract: A Randomized Double-Blind Pilot Study of Mild, Essential Hypertension; A.F. Walker, et al.; February 2002
- "The British Journal of General Practice"; Hypotensive Effects of Hawthorn for Patients with Diabetes Taking Prescription Drugs: A Randomised Controlled Trial; A.F.Walker, et al.; June 2006
