Hawthorn Crataegus oxycantha

Description: a common deciduous shrub or small tree, often used in hedging, with deeply lobed obovate leaves and pink or white scented flowers in late spring. Dark red oval fruits form in early autumn and are usually eaten by birds.

Parts used: flowering tops, collected in spring, and berries, collected when ripe in autumn

Actions: antispasmodic, astringent, heart tonic and restorative, normalises blood pressure, peripheral vasodilator, sedative

Like many members of the rose family, hawthorn is astringent and will help stop bleeding; as such it was largely used as a remedy for diarrhoea and heavy menstrual bleeding. Taking a Doctrine of Signatures approach, old herbals also recommend the plant for drawing thorns and splinters. It has been used for centuries as a hedging plant to divide farms and fields and the name “haw” is actually an old word for a hedge — hence hedgethorn.

Herbal BeautyToday we regard hawthorn primarily as a heart herb — a valuable tonic that will help normalise action and is widely used for high blood pressure. This is, however, a comparatively recent use as, apart from occasional mentions suggesting the herb as a remedy for dropsy (which can be related to blood pressure problems), there is little historic evidence linking hawthorn with heart disorders.

Now we know that it acts as a peripheral vasodilator, improving blood supply throughout the body as well as relaxing the coronary blood vessels, while it also has a general tonic effect on heart action and contains procyanadins which relax the central nervous system. It is used to reduce high blood pressure as well as counter the risk of angina attacks and helps to soften the fatty deposits of atherosclerosis which lead to hardening of the arteries. Both flowering tops and berries are used in this way, although the Chinese use only the berries and consider them primarily as a digestive remedy.

Hawthorn combined with linden flowers or yarrow makes a pleasant tea for those prone to high blood pressure. As an astringent, it is also worth remembering that hawthorn infusions can be used as a gargle for sore throats, a douche for vaginal discharges, and will be helpful for diarrhoea and other digestive upsets in Russia as kapoorie tea. The young shoots were also boiled and eaten as a vegetable.

Medicinally, the root and leaves can be helpful for stomach upsets and gastroenteritis and can be ideal for diarrhoea in children.The root is made into a decoction using one teaspoon of chopped root to a cup of water, simmered for 15 minutes, and taken three times daily, while the leaves and flowers can be used in standard infusions.

As an astringent rose-bay willow herb is useful as a gargle for sore throats and mouth ulcers; it was also once used in ointments for childhood eczema.

Rose-bay willow herb Epilobium angustifolium

Description: a tall, dramatic wild flower growing to 250 cm in height with brilliant pink flower spikes and long, narrow, minutely toothed leaves.

Parts used: aerial parts collected before and during flowering, root collected in autumn

Actions: some antibacterial action, astringent, demulcent, diuretic, styptic

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Heart Tonic, Hawthorn: Deciduous Shrub small Tree, often used in Fence