Hawthorn has long been famous for its beneficial properties. An ornamental shrub with large red fruits has been known since ancient Greece. The Greeks often used the plant in the treatment of various diseases. It was also the tradition of the Greek people to weave a wreath of hawthorn branches at the time of marriage. It was believed that such a ceremony would make the marriage happy. Nowadays, hawthorn has not lost its popularity and helps to cure many diseases.... Let's take a closer look at the beneficial properties and contraindications to the use of this fruit for the human body.
Valuable and useful components of fruits for the human body
Hawthorn is enriched with beneficial elements and includes:
- flavonoids;
- organic acids;
- fixed oils;
- pectins;
- trace elements (zinc, potassium, iron, copper, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and others);
- vitamin C, P, riboflavin, carotene, choline;
- tannins;
- ursolic acid.
Valuable chemical elements are part of the fruits and all other parts of the shrub, which are used for medicinal purposes.
There are 14 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams of hawthorn fruit, there are no proteins and fats. The calorie content is 52.5 kilocalories.
Positive and healing properties of hawthorn
Hawthorn, regardless of variety and species, black or red, has many medicinal properties that are beneficial. What are these qualities? Let's list them:
- Effective effect on heart activity... Trace elements and vitamins have a positive effect on blood flow, saturate the heart with oxygen, and reduce the incidence of coronary artery disease.
- Decrease in nervous excitability and normalization of the heart rhythm.
- Decreased mental stress and physical overwork.
- Decrease cholesterol.
- Decrease in indicators Sahara.
- Normalization exchange activities.
- Normalization of work thyroid gland.
- Treatment shortness of breath.
- Antimicrobial, vasodilator, anti-inflammatory and antitumor effects.
It is also used for:
- coronary insufficiency;
- angina pectoris;
- tachycardia;
- arrhythmias;
- weak heart;
- atherosclerosis;
- diarrhea;
- rheumatism;
- allergies;
- glaucoma;
- hormonal disruptions in women;
- insomnia;
- nervous exhaustion;
- epileptic seizures;
- migraine attacks;
- diseases of the biliary tract and liver;
- diseases of the genitourinary system.
Harm and contraindications
Before using cultivated large-fruited hawthorn, be sure to consult a doctor, especially with deviations in the activity of the cardiovascular system and kidneys. The plant is beneficial for human health only if it is used appropriately.
Reception features:
- Long-term reception causes a deterioration in the heart rate.
- Taking fruits in large quantities causes mild poisoning.
- Treatment on an empty stomach causes spasms in the intestines and blood vessels, vomiting... It is necessary to take the hawthorn medication a couple of hours after eating.
- After taking fresh hawthorn, it is not recommended to immediately drink cold water. Can happen intestinal colic and paroxysmal pain.
- In the treatment of heart disease in hypotensive patients for the best effect it is worth using hawthorn flowers.
Shrub fruits and drugs based on them are contraindicated:
- children under 12 years of age;
- hypotonic;
- with intolerance to the components that make up the plant;
- in the post-stroke period;
- with kidney disease.
Means with hawthorn should be dosed accurately. You can not use the fruit at the same time as cardiac drugs. An adult is advised to take 150 grams of fruit... Unripe berries cause intoxication of the body.
It is forbidden to drink a decoction of flowers if increased concentration is required. When the dosage of drugs with hawthorn is exceeded, weakness, dizziness, and increased lethargy occur.
Hawthorn-based tincture is harmful for:
- reduced pressure;
- gastritis;
- arrhythmias;
- ulcer of the digestive system;
- liver diseases.
The use of tinctures in some cases causes allergic swelling, itching and rash.
Can you eat hawthorn during pregnancy?
Hawthorn-based products are not recommended for use during pregnancy and during breastfeeding.
Hawthorn ingredients relax the smooth muscles of the uterus. This causes bleeding and miscarriage. They can cause a sharp drop in blood pressure and thereby provoke a decrease in milk production... The use of drugs during feeding causes an allergic reaction, intoxication of the body, diarrhea and vomiting in the baby.
The use of dried flowers and fresh hawthorn berries for medicinal purposes
Hawthorn has a positive effect on the entire human body. Let's see what is the use of growing this plant.
Therapeutic action for the cardiac system, instructions for use
Garden hawthorn ingredients tone the heart... Thanks to this, the required amount of oxygen enters the heart muscle, the number of heartbeats decreases, the rhythm is normalized, cardiac fatigue goes away and blood flow improves. Hawthorn helps fight atherosclerotic plaques and vascular spasms.
For insomnia, dizziness, shortness of breath, and to stabilize the activity of the heart, hawthorn tincture can be used. How do you do it?For home cooking Pour a tablespoon of flowers or fruits into 250 milliliters of boiling water and insist in a water bath for 15 minutes. Cool the mixture and filter. Drink 100 milliliters 3 times a day.
The remedy is contraindicated for people with individual intolerance, low blood pressure and severe heart disease.
With vascular diseases
With cholesterol deposits elasticity decreases, the lumen narrows or becomes uneven. As a result, the required volume of oxygen is not supplied to the organs and blood outflow occurs.
For preventive measures and treatment it is recommended to take 3 teaspoons of hawthorn flowers, 3 teaspoons of oregano, 4 teaspoons of St. John's wort and 4 teaspoons of motherwort. Mix a tablespoon of the medicinal mixture with a glass of water and insist. Drink the infusion in half a glass one hour before a meal.
Hawthorn flowers are useful for atherosclerosis... For infusion, brew 1 tablespoon of dried flowers and leave for 15 minutes. Filter the mixture. Take half a glass 30 minutes before eating.
To normalize pressure 3 tablespoons of hawthorn flowers, 2 tablespoons of herbal tea, pour 3 cups of water and boil. Insist for about five hours. Eat half a glass 3-4 times before meals for an hour.
Benefits for the nervous system
Hawthorn components relieve arousal, have a sedative effect, but do not cause drowsiness. Trace elements of the plant normalize the functioning of the nervous system.
In case of a strong nervous shock, take 3 tablespoons of flowers and brew 3 cups of boiling water. Insist for a couple of hours. Drink liquid in a glass 3 times a day.
For the digestive system and kidneys
Hawthorn fights against digestive system problems, flatulence, gastritis and diarrhea, activates choleretic action, normalizes liver and kidney function.
To eliminate heartburn mix 1 teaspoon of hawthorn flowers and 1 teaspoon of peppermint. Pour the collection with a glass of boiling water and wait 30 minutes.
Hawthorn infusion normalizes metabolic actions in the gallbladder... To prepare the healing liquid, brew a tablespoon of the product with a glass of boiling water and wait an hour. Take an infusion of 60 milliliters one hour before eating.
For men with prostatitis, a recipe for making an infusion at home
The use of the plant prevents the development of prostatitis and prostate adenoma in men. Drinking tea from it helps to restore sexual function. It is useful for males to drink the following infusion: Mix 1 portion of hawthorn flowers, 1 portion of peppermint, 2 portions of Veronica officinalis, 3 portions of willow-herb flowers and 3 portions of Knotweed. Pour a tablespoon of the collection with 250 milliliters of boiling water and wait half an hour. Drink a medicinal infusion of 80 milliliters one hour before a meal.
To strengthen immunity
Hawthorn has a tonic effect. Him used for dizziness, increased fatigue, loss of strength, as well as to restore the body after suffering diseases and infections.
Hawthorn is one of the best medicinal plants. It effectively affects the human body and has healing properties. Important, before using hawthorn remedies, consult a doctor and get recommendations for dosage and instructions for use... They are used only according to indications and in the appropriate amount. Only then will the treatment be beneficial.