Research Confirms Hawthorn Berry’s Heart Health Benefits
The latest in herbs for cardiovascular health is a member of the rose family that was hung over doorways during the Middle Ages to prevent evil spirits from entering. Doctors took notice of the hawthorn berry in the 1800s and used it to treat irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, chest pain, hardening of the arteries and heart failure.
Fast forward to present day, and science is showing that this berry may indeed have real heart health benefits. A 2008 review done by the Cochrane Collaboration concluded that the science surrounding hawthorn suggests “a significant benefit in symptom control and physiologic outcomes from hawthorn extract as an adjunctive treatment for chronic heart failure.” (Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008 Jan 23;(1):CD005312.) Currently, there is also an international, multicenter, prospective clinical study testing hawthorn’s long-term therapeutic effects. (Am J Chin Med. 2005;33(1):1-10.)
The Anti-Aging Bottom Line: We’ll have to keep an eye out for more research to surface, but in the meantime we can guess that hawthorn berry extract’s hearty benefits come from it’s antioxidants — specifically, flavonoids and oligomeric procyanidins (OPCs). These compounds may help improve blood flow and protect blood vessels from damage.
