Hawthorn flowers, the "mayblossom"

Crataegus aestivalis

Review of Rare Berries

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• Saskatoon
• Norton grape
• Yumberry
• Cape Gooseberry
• Other Gooseberries
• Aronia
• Blackcurrant
• Elderberry
• Seaberry
• Macqui
• Huckleberry

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Hawthorn Berries in Recent Science

Anti-inflammatory, gastroprotective, free-radical-scavenging, and antimicrobial activities of hawthorn berries ethanol extract. click for complete abstract

Feature finding: In comparison to indomethacin, given in a dose producing 50% reduction of rat paw edema, the hawthorn berry extract given in the highest tested dose (200 mg/kg) showed 72.4% of its activity.

hawthorn berries or "hawberries", also called "Paul's Scarlet"

Crataegus spp. (numerous species and cultivars)

Family Rosaceae (same as rose, apple, strawberry)

Hawthorn Facts

• native across the Northern Hemisphere

• extensively planted as a hedge plant, especially for agricultural hedgerows and wind-breaks

• flowers contain tannins, flavonoids, a fragrant essential oil (from leaves)

• fruits contain tannins, flavonoids, anthocyanins and various micronutrients

• young leaves are good in salads

A drawing of the hawthorn plant by German botanist, Otto Wilhelm Thomé, 1885

Other Research on Hawthorn Berries

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• Phenolic constituents and antioxidant capacities of Crataegus monogyna (Hawthorn) callus extracts.

• Antioxidant capacity of polyphenolic extracts from leaves of Crataegus laevigata and Crataegus monogyna (Hawthorn) subjected to drought and cold stress.

• Adverse-event profile of Crataegus spp.: a systematic review of its potential use in treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Summary of safety studies:

Crataegus spp. (hawthorn) preparations are predominantly used for treating congestive heart failure. The effectiveness of hawthorn preparations (flowers with leaves; berries) is documented in a number of clinical studies, reviews and meta-analyses. The aim of this article is to assess the safety data of all available human studies on hawthorn preparations.

All data reviewed indicate that hawthorn is well tolerated even if some severe adverse events were reported. This suggests that further studies are needed to better assess the safety of hawthorn-containing preparations. Moreover, the unsupervised use of this drug can be associated with problems, especially if given with concomitant medications.