Hawthorn has many positive effects for the heart, including:
• Helps steady the heartbeat and can normalize an irregular heartbeat
• Is a potent antioxidant that can neutralize free radicals
• Increase blood flow to the heart by dilating the arteries
• Has a mild sedative effect on the neurological system, which can help tone down heart arrhythmias
• Lowers total cholesterol levels and LDL cholesterol levels
Hawthorn can also help with digestive conditions such as indigestion and diarrhea and improving asthma, hypertension, hypotension, and skin infections.
Hawthorn can also help treat fatty liver disease, which is a common issue in those who are overweight.
In a case of atrial fibrillation, hawthorn helps by lowering the blood pressure and relaxing the heart, while at the same time increasing the return of blood flow to the heart.
This allows the heart to pump more efficiently and helps the heart receive the proper nutrients it needs to function.
There is solid research behind the positive heart benefits of hawthorn. In treating patients with congestive heart failure, two meta-analyses found that when used with other therapies, hawthorn significantly increased the heart’s maximal workload tolerance, increased exercise tolerance, and increased the efficiency of the heart to pump blood.