Hawthorn - Crataegus oxyacantha
COMMON NAMES
May Blossom, Haw, Maybush, Mayhaw, Whitehorn, Whitethorn, Mother-die, Bread and cheese
Herb
LATIN NAMES
Crataegus oxyacantha, C. monogyna
FAMILY
Rosaceae
PARTS USED
Leaf, flower, berry
DESCRIPTION
Hawthorn, a deciduous tree, can reach 30 feet in height and can also be grown as a shrub. Clusters of white flowers bloom in spring, and bright red berries, called haws, form in the fall.
HABITAT
This tree grows in temperate regions in Europe, North Africa, India, and North America.
FOLKLORE AND TRADITIONAL USES
Hawthorn's name comes from "haw" derived from the Old English haga, which also meant "hedge," because its thorns and sturdy twigs made it a perfect barrier for cattle and pigs. It earned its former nickname "bread and cheese" when people ate the leaves during hard times. The branches were used in Maypole ceremonies to symbolize renewed life, fertility, and spring. Romans attached hawthorn sprigs to the cradle of a newborn baby to protect it against illnesses and evil influences. This was reputedly the plant used in Christ's crown of thorns. For centuries, people believed that lightning, the work of the devil, would never strike a hawthorn tree, because this plant had rested upon the forehead of Christ.
MEDICINAL USES
Historically hawthorn was used as a diuretic and to treat kidney stones. By the late 19th century, doctors understood the connection between hawthorn and the heart. An extract of the flowers and leaves improves cardiac output and the contractility of the heart muscle itself. Flavonoids in hawthorn have been shown to increase blood flow in the heart by dilating blood vessels in coronary arteries. Hawthorn has lowered cholesterol in animal studies, probably due to its oligomeric procyanidins (OPC), a type of bioflavonoids similar to that found in the extracts of grape seed and grape skin.
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