Hawthorn

the leaf and flower of hawthorn (Crataegi folium cum flore)

The hawthorn (Crataegus) is a thorny shrub or low tree with white flowers in flat heads and red fruit that stays on the branches late into autumn. It grows at the edges of woods, in hedges, on pastures and beside paths; here it is mainly the common and the midland hawthorn that grow.

The flowering shoot with its leaves is gathered when most of the flowers are open, usually in May; the flowering lasts barely a week or two. The fruit is gathered in autumn, when it is dark red and soft. The flower is dried quickly and in the shade, or it turns brown; the fruit is dried at a low temperature.

Several species of the genus Crataegus and their hybrids may be used for the medicinal drug, and they are treated together. The hawthorn is a plant Father Ašič associated with the heart and the blood vessels.

Use and evidence

The EMA monographs usually cover the leaf with flower of the species C. monogyna, C. laevigata or their hybrids, for the traditional relief of temporary complaints of the heart once serious disease has been ruled out. This is not the treatment of heart failure.