Always Where The Wild Things Are

Hawthorn Tree, Crataegus flabellata, Pittsburgh, PA 2019


     Last fall I happened upon a sharp, long-thorned, spindly tree bearing bright red fruit, growing atop a steep ravine that has been designated a bird sanctuary because the land is otherwise useless.  This spring I revisited the tree, too late to photograph it in bloom (mental note for next year), though able to capture an image of the unripe fruit set with those infamous thorns.
     The genus name of this tree comes from the Greek kratos 'strength' because of hardiness of the wood, and akis  'sharp' referring to its thorns.  My God those thorns...reportedly native Americans in the pacific Northwest adapted them for use as fishing hooks.  As for the common name, haw comes from the Old English word for 'hedge', derived from the Anglo-Saxon haguthorn 'fence with thorns'.  I cannot stress enough how one would want to avoid these thorns, and indeed, if these low growing trees were planted densely as a hedge, most creatures would go around instead of through.
     Medicinally the berries are quite remarkable in their use for many heart conditions, though care must be taken to not overdose, which should go without saying, but I cannot account for some people's lack of sensibilities.  Webmd as this to say about its uses:

Hawthorn is a plant. The leaves, berries, and flowers of hawthorn are used to make medicine.

Hawthorn is used for diseases of the heart and blood vessels such as congestive heart failure (CHF), chest pain, and irregular heartbeat. It is also used to treat both low blood pressure and high blood pressure, “hardening of the arteries” (atherosclerosis), and high cholesterol. So far, research suggests that hawthorn might be effective in treating congestive heart failure, but there hasn’t been enough research on other heart-related uses to know if it is effective for them.

Some people use hawthorn for digestive system complaints such as indigestion, diarrhea, and stomach pain. It is also used to reduce anxiety, as a sedative, to increase urine output, and for menstrual problems.

Hawthorn is also used to treat tapeworm and other intestinal infections.

Some people apply hawthorn to the skin for boils, sores, and ulcers. Hawthorn preparations are used as a wash for sores, itching, and frostbite.

You will find hawthorn among the ingredients in candied fruit slices, jam, jelly, and wine.

Before taking hawthorn, talk with your healthcare professional if you take any medications. It has major interactions with several prescription medications.

How does it work?

Hawthorn can help improve the amount of blood pumped out of the heart during contractions, widen the blood vessels, and increase the transmission of nerve signals.

Hawthorn also seems to have blood pressure-lowering activity, according to early research. It seems to cause relaxing of the blood vessels farther from the heart. It seems that this effect is due to a component in hawthorn called proanthocyanidin.

Research suggests that hawthorn can lower cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL, or “bad cholesterol”), and triglycerides (fats in the blood). It seems to lower accumulation of fats in the liver and the aorta (the largest artery in the body, located near the heart). Hawthorn fruit extract may lower cholesterol by increasing the excretion of bile, reducing the formation of cholesterol, and enhancing the receptors for LDLs. It also seems to have antioxidant activity.