Hawthorn fruit (or Shan Zha, as it is known in Traditional Chinese Medicine) is used in Traditional Chinese Medicine as an heart herb, and is especially used to treat high cholesterol (or hyperlipidemia). It is known to digest fats and this is also why it has been made into a candy called ‘Haw Flakes’ – typically eaten after a meal to aid digestion just like we in the west will eat a mint candy after a meal for digestion.
Hawthorn is now being used in Plant Stem Cell Extracts, or Gemmotherapy. It is called a ‘polycrest’ for the heart, or has the ability to treat any condition related to the heart and without side effects! It has a bipolar, or balancing action, and therefore, can treat both hypo- and hypertension. In the case of hypertension, it acts like a beta-blocker, or in the case of hypotension, it a cardiac tonic. In the case of a heart attack, or Myocardial Infarction (MI), this herb will strengthen and repair the heart muscle. It will help regulate the heart rate in the cases of both tachycardia (fast heart rate) and brachycardia (slow or irregular heart rate). On a related note, this herb is also a ‘polycrest’ for the arteries, treating Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), although another herbal medicinal may be best in certain patients since many Plant Stem Cell Extracts can treat CAD (reference soon). As one doctor quotes in his book on this natural medicine, this herb’s “action is superior to digitalis with a wider scope” and “this product is like gold to the heart”.1
However, as with any herbal medicinal, a professional diagnosis is needed to obtain the best results. Plant Stem Cell Extracts are very strong herbal medicinals and usage without supervision is highly NOT recommended. (For example, this herb could be too strong for an elderly patient with a weak constitution and the proper dosage along with monitoring is needed.)
1Greaves, Marcus, M.D., N.M.D., Gemmotherapy and Oligotherapy Regenerators of Dying Intoxcated Cells, p. 73.