History

• Medicinal uses of hawthorn extract date back to the 1st century. In the early 1800s, doctors in the U.S. began using it to treat circulatory disorders and respiratory illnesses. Heart problems treated with hawthorn extract include chest pain, hardened arteries, high blood pressure, heart disease, heart failure and irregular heartbeat.
  
  

Benefits

• Hawthorn extract contains the antioxidants oligomeric procyandins and quercetin. These antioxidants destroy free radicals, which destroy body cells and contribute to cancer and heart disease. Free radicals occur naturally in the body and increase as we get older. Ultraviolet light and pollution, among other environmental toxins, also can lead to an increase in free radicals.
  
  

Use and Side-Effects

• Patients can generally take 160 to 1,800 mg of hawthorn extract daily for three to 24 weeks or longer under the supervision of a doctor without a problem. In rare cases, headache, heart palpitations and nausea have been reported as side-effects. Children should not take hawthorn extract.