I should have put this together prior to Valentine’s Day, but it’s been a month! My Dad has been in the ICU with active heart failure since Jan 28. Today, the 15th as I write this, he is getting his new heart!

Yesterday, on Valentines Day the herb Hawthorn was brought to my mind! Hawthorn has a long history of supporting and strengthening the heart. Both physically and emotionally. So here are some quick highlights on Hawthorn that I love.

The leaves and flowers of Hawthorn I typically use for High Blood Pressure in teas. I’ve never used it alone, but I use it in combination with other herbs and have found great success.  The rest is a focus on the berries.

To experience the benefits of Hawthorn, it should be taken in large amounts.

• For those stuck in grief or need emotional uplifting, I like to combine the Hawthorn berry, which is part of the rose family, with Rose. I combine these in either tea or tincture for clients.
• Hawthorn is rich in bioflavonoids which will always be helpful for the cardiovascular system as a whole.
• Hawthorn is a trophorestorative which is an herb that can nourish, strengthen, and restore the function of a specific organ or tissue (T. Easley, 2023).
• I have regularly included hawthorn in my family’s infusions since COVID-19 started for the extra added benefits of supporting the heart in case we got it. When we did get Covid I included it more regularly post Covid to make sure our hearts recovered well. Covid can damage the tissue in the heart, and Hawthorn can help restore that tissue damage.

Use Hawthorn to strengthen the heart physically and emotionally.

PREPARATIONS:

If you have a tincture, you can evaporate off the alcohol and dehydrate it to have a nice concentrate!

Hawthorn has a natural pectin in it so you can do a 1:10 preparation in water.  (1 Part Hawthorn to 10 Parts Water). Then just simmer until the water drops below the berries. Strain the berries, press all the juice out, add back to the pot, and continue to simmer. At one point, it will start to get pretty sticky, so continually stirring can be helpful. You can simmer it down until it is 1/10^th what you started so it is a 1:1 recipe. You can then preserve it with 25% Alcohol, 50% Honey or glycerine. You can also freeze the juice in little cubes and pop them out when you need to.

This Hawthorn/Bilberry Syrup by Jim Mcdonald is another favorite way to make a hawthorn concentrate. Bilberries are also high in bioflavonoids to help support the heart.

Here is a lovely Hawthorn Berry Solid Extract by Herbalist and Alchemist. Eat a spoonful every day!

DOSAGE:

1 TSP 3-4 times a day of any of the extracts above.

Capsules: 4:1 Extract 2 caps 3x/day (T. Easley, 2023).

CAUTION: If you are in active heart failure or have Congestive Heart Failure and are on any heart medications, please work with an experienced herbalist.