Clinical Data of Hawthorne Berry

[Jaysannn22]

The safety and efficacy Hawthorne Berry has not been established. There is no clear evidence that use of Hawthorne Berry is beneficial. Conventional treatments such as ACE inhibitors or digoxin offer better data to support their use.

Hawthorne Berry does appear to have fewer side effects, but these side effects could act cumulatively with other cardioactive agents, so combination therapy with Hawthorne berry should not be recommended.

Introduction:

Hawthorne Berry (Craaegus oxyacantha), is a small fruit bearing plant that is found in North America, parts of Asia and Europe and is a member of the Rosaceae family. Hawthorne Berry has a long history, and was first used in the thirteenth century for the treatment of nausea and vomiting. The Chinese used the berries for the treatment of digestive aliments. Hawthorne Berry was then used in the eighteenth century for the treatment of kidney disorders. In 1896 the herb was first used in the United States for the treatment of cardiovascular disorder such as; angina, hypertension, arrhythmia, hyperlipidemia and congestive heart failure. Since that time it as been shown that Hawthorne Berry can be part of an effective drug therapy treatment plan in patients with congestive heart failure and other cardiac disorders.

Hawthorne Berry grows as a shrub or a small tree in sunny wooded areas. Its defining characteristics are its shiny green leaves, grayish bark and clustered white flowers. The fruit of plant is a bright red when ripe or sometime black.

Precautions and Possible Complications

Hawthorne Berry is not approved by the FDA and is listed as an herbal supplement with unknown safety or efficacy. Hawthorne Berry contains chemicals that may increase the force of heart beats as well as decrease their rates. It also works same manner as the heart medication digoxin thus, taking these two medications together is not recommend. In addition, Hawthorne Berry may relax the muscles of the uterus, and should not be taken by women who are pregnant or breast feeding.
Due to hawthorn berry’s ability to change the force and rate of heart beats, it may increase the side of effects of the following medications:

Albuterol (Proventil, Ventolin, Accuneb, others)
Clonidine (Catapres, Catapres TTS, Combipres)
Sildenafil (Viagra)
Phenylephrine (Various OTC products)
Theophylline (Theo-Dur, Theodrine, Quibron T, others)

Comparison to Conventional Treatments:

There are several FDA approved medications to treat cardiovascular disorders, for our purposes we will focus on Digoxin, and ACE-inhibitors for the treatment of congestive heart failure. In the following table efficacy, adverse effects, treatment, safety, and cost are compared.

References

1) Fugh-Berman, Adriane MD., Herbs and Dietary Supplements in the Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular
Disease, . Prevent Cardiology, winter 2000
2) Mashour, Nick H MD., Lin, George I MD., Frishman, William MD., Herbal Medicine for the Treatment of
Cardiovascular Disease, Arch Intern Med. 1998; 158:2225-2234
3) Fong, Harry PhD., Bauman, Jerry L. Pharm D., Hawthorn, J of Cardiovasc Nurs, 2002; 16 (4): 1-8
4) Rigelsky, Janene M., Sweet, Burgunda V., Hawthrown: Pharmacology and Therapeutic uses, Am J Health-Syst
Pharm. 2002 Mar 1; 59(5):417-422
5) Urestsky, BF, Young JB, Shahidi FE, Yellen LG, Harrison MC, Jolly MK, Randomized study assessing the effects
of digosin withdrawal in patients with mild to moderate chronic congestive heart failure. , J Am Coll
Cardiol. 1994 Aug;24(2):578-579
6) J McMurray, HJ Dargie. Diagnosis and management of heart failure. British Medical Journal 1994 308: 321-8.
7) CONCENSUS Trial Study Group. Effects of enalapril on mortality in severe congestive heart failure. New England
Journal of Medicine 1987 316: 1429-35.
8)Comparing the Toxicity of Digoxin and Digitoxin in a Geriatric
Population: Should an Old Drug Be Rediscovered?
9) Levo, Yoram , Renal toxicity of enalapril in very elderly patients with progressive, severe congestive heart failure.
Chest; 12/1/1991
10) Rigelsky and Sweet, Hawthorn: Pharmacology and Therapeutic uses, American Journal of Health Systems
Pharmacy 2002; 59 417-422
11) American Botanical council webpage Expanded Commission E: Hawthorne Berry

 

[A_I_Sports_Nutrition]

Hawthorne berry has been taken by many people and most report it helps with blood pressure.

 

[matthias7]

Hmmm.... we are not saying hawthorn berry will replace say propanolol for hypertension/ blood pressure.

It is used on cycle to reduce the elevated blood pressure and in Cycle Support along with celery seed and saw palmetto. The ability of Cycle Support to drop 10 points from a blood pressure reading is widely known.

Hawthorn isn't "alternative medicine" but its very useful. It is useful for young people who find they have blood pressure problems due to obesity and are committed to weight loss. Celery seed is considered more potent.

Hawthorn / celery seed interaction is interesting area of debate.

Sure danger "alternative medicine" partic. for the elderly, for young guys on a cycle ... well you try getting a script to counter blood pressure, the response is simple "stop the cycle". Get the point?

 

[tnubs]

hawthorne works for me at higher dosages ~2g/day. i used it for several months nonstop and no side effects. i do prefer celery seed extract, tho. coq10 is another good one that im playing with now (200mg/day). there are SOOOO many benefits from it and zero sides.