Blog Layout

Hawthorn ~Crataegus laevigata

Hawthorn ~Crataegus laevigata

Sweet Hawthorn has mend more souls since the days of Adam. The bush grows a mere five feet tall and is found in abandoned fields and healing places. Hawthorn has a use for every season; as food, medicine or wildlife habitat, it keeps us warm in the winter months as its hard, dense wood burns hot without being too smoky. The Latin name, Crataegus, comes from the Greek word for strong. Whilst this is thought to reflect the qualities of the wood, it may actually refer to the nature of the tree itself; resilient, hardy and above all abundant and unfailingly generous. The hawthorn bush, both leaf and berry provide a deeply healing medicine for the heart. The leaf drunk as a tea soothes the most sorrowful of hearts, from loss or grief, the hawthorn who finds her way into your heart will bring you ease. Lucinda of Whispering Earth speaks of Hawthorn as a fascinating medicinal because it’s one of the few recognized Western herbal adaptagens, loosely meaning it helps to bring the body into balance, irrespective of whether it is over or under functioning. Widely used as a heart tonic it can help stabilize both high and low blood pressure and will benefit almost any problem that affects the heart or circulatory system, from high cholesterol to chilblains. It helps to dilate coronary arteries, improving circulation and bringing relief from angina. It also increases the heart’s ability to pump blood effectively by improving the contractility of the muscle. High levels of antioxidants protect the capillaries. The hawthorn berries are also a Super food. They are “rich” in digest enzymes and overtime will improve and strengthen weak digestive chi.

Share by: