Hawthorn is an herb that's been used for centuries for a variety of health issues, probably the most common of which was heart problems. Other, more scientific names for hawthorn include Crataegus laevigata and Crataegus oxyacantha.
Previously I had written reviews on the Chinese weight loss supplement Zi Xiu Tang. Because ZXT contains hawthorn, people taking this supplement asked if I would review hawthorn.
Hawthorn contains a variety of ingredients including quercetin, rutin and OPCs (oligomeric proanthocyanidins). Many of these ingredients are found in other foods. Hawthorn also appears to have some antioxidant activity due to some of these compounds. This is not surprising given that many herbs (as well as fruits and vegetables) are antioxidants.
There is research that hawthorn can effect how the heart pumps. The problem is that heart disease is a very serious medical disorder.
At least one study showed that hawthorn INCREASED the rate of death from heart disease.
Not all hawthorn supplements are the same. Some hawthorn supplements may have too much (or too little of the herb). Some may use hawthorn from the wrong parts of the plant. Some may use the wrong species of hawthorn (there are over 100 species). Some supplements may not contain any hawthorn at all.
Do NOT use hawthorn to treat yourself for heart disease. Please see your doctor!
Does hawthorn help weight loss?
I could not find any clinical evidence that hawthorn helps weight loss.
Hawthorn side effects
Because hawthorn can effect the way the heart pumps, dizziness can be a side effect of using hawthorn supplements. This effect may be magnified if people are also using medications to treat heart disease or high blood pressure. Other hawthorn side effects range from upset stomach, decreases in blood pressure, to headache and skin reactions.
Hawthorn drug interactions
There is little evidence one way or the other about how hawthorn interacts with medications. That said, in theory, hawthorn may interact with the following classes of drugs:
- Heart drugs
- Blood pressure drugs
- Sex drugs (e.g. Viagra etc.)
- Any supplement (herb etc.) that effects blood pressure or heart rate
It is beyond the scope of this review to cover all hawthorn-drug interactions and the list above may be far from complete so it's strongly suggested that people discuss hawthorn with a doctor or pharmacist to get the most up to date information.
My thoughts
Because of how hawthorn effects the heart I feel that it should not be in supplements (like zi xiu tang) that are marketed to people who have health problems or who are trying to lose weight. Even healthy people may feel side effects from hawthorn supplements. Side effects are are probably more likely in those who may not be healthy. I was at Vitamin Shoppe recently and found hawthorn supplements sitting on a shelf where anyone could buy it. Just as cigarettes are often placed behind the counter, out of reach of most people, I feel certain supplements – like hawthorn – should likewise be behind the counter as well.
What do you think?
As a kid in ireland my house was surrounded by whitethorn and blackthorn hedges, both varieties of Hawthorn, I was introduced into the habit of eating Hawthorn berries and leaves, I did so on a regular basis in the summertime, I can also remember suffering from prolonged dizzy spells and weakness, now I was an extremely healthy child, suffered all the normal, at the time, childhood diseases like mumps measles etc, and grew into a healthy adult,
I once seriously poisened myself by eating a pound or two of laburnium seeds, which another boy called tree peas, and ended up in hospital for a stomach pump.
But back to Hawthorn, I never realised until I read your article, what caused that childhood dizziness and weakness, it was definately caused by Hawthorn.
one other note every year we had a twenty mile run, ten miles there and back I was the only kid who ever won that race at the age of nine, I once estimated I could run forever as long as someone could hand me water and food, of course this was in between dizzy spells.
Hi Peter, happy to have helped. wow that is quite a runner you were at 9 years of age!
Hawthorn is also found in Celestial Seasonings’ Sleepytime tea. If you’re not sure whether hawthorn is healthy for you, you should probably talk to your cardiologist before drinking it.
Red, I would agree with that.
Peer review articles that demonstrates the benefits of Hawthorn. I am sure you did not read these one.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22228939
http://www.phcogrev.com/article.asp?issn=0973-7847;year=2010;volume=4;issue=7;spage=32;epage=41;aulast=Tassell
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18254076
Evidence of the fats lowering effects of hawthorn
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19385191
http://www.mendeley.com/research/regulation-effects-crataegus-pinnatifida-leaf-glucose-lipids-metabolism/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12798455
Even aspirin has side effect and drug-drug interactions; the fact that there may be THEORETICAL side effect does not in anyway render Hawthorn a ‘dangerous’ drug…
Mike, you are right I did not see those studies. Thanks so much for showing them to me! I think we would both agree though that hawthorn is something that should be supervised by somebody who knows what they are doing rather than haphazardly taken in supplements without any knowledge of what hawthorn might do.
You make a weak, theoretical argument of the drug’s dangers that is anecdotal in nature. Why take a position of saying it should not be available for open public consumption if you know less about it than somebody who is more informed as a healthy consumer of the product.
Nobody, I did not just give my ideas about Hawthorn, I also linked to peer reviewed research where hawthorn appeared to increase the risk of death in people who had heart disease http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18490196?dopt=Abstract How is that a theoretical argument? I come in contact with many consumers and I can tell you that many of them are not as “informed” about as you say. Would you care to show me where I went wrong?
Hi Mike, correct I was not able to find any proof that hawthorn helps weight loss. are you aware of any? I’d like to see if if you have any proof.
As for hawthorn side effects, as far as I can see a lot of them appear to be theoretical -yet very dangerous if they do indeed occur
Here are some references on hawthorn side effects
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18490196?dopt=Abstract
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12043949?dopt=Abstract
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16752934
You did not find any clinical evidence indicating that hawthorn helps in weight loss… I wander what literature you read. Did you find any clinical evidence on the side effects of hawthorn??? Cite your references.