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Hawthorn

Hawthorn
© Steven Foster

Common Names: hawthorn, English hawthorn, oneseed hawthorn, harthorne, haw, hawthorne

Latin Names: Crataegus monogyna, Crataegus laevigata (synonym Crataegus oxyacantha)

Background

  • Hawthorn is a flowering shrub or tree of the rose family. It grows in temperate regions throughout the world.
  • Historically, hawthorn has been used for heart disease as well as for digestive and kidney problems. It is now promoted for these uses as well as for anxiety, high or low blood pressure, and other conditions.

How Much Do We Know?

  • Hawthorn has been studied for heart failure in people. Heart failure is a condition in which the heart can’t pump as much blood as it should.
  • Not much is known about hawthorn for any other health conditions as there is little or no evidence.

What Have We Learned?

  • There is conflicting evidence about the effects of hawthorn in people with heart failure. Although some older, short-term studies suggested that hawthorn may have benefits in patients with heart failure, other, more recent, studies did not confirm these benefits. In these studies, unlike some of the older ones, patients were given hawthorn in addition to the recommended conventional treatments for heart failure. One of the studies suggested possible harm in people taking hawthorn as it appears to increase the early risk of heart failure progression.

What Do We Know About Safety?

  • In most studies of hawthorn for heart failure, no serious safety problems have been reported. However, in one study, patients taking hawthorn were more likely than those taking a placebo (an inactive substance) to have their heart failure get worse soon after the study started. The reason for this is not clear, but one possibility is that hawthorn might have interacted with drugs the patients were taking.
  • Side effects of hawthorn can include dizziness, nausea, and digestive symptoms.
  • Hawthorn may interact in harmful ways with drugs, including some heart medications. If you’re taking medication and you’re considering using hawthorn, consult your health care provider.
  • Little is known about whether it’s safe to use hawthorn during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.

Keep in Mind

  • Take charge of your health—talk with your health care providers about any complementary health approaches you use. Together, you can make shared, well-informed decisions.

For More Information

NCCIH Clearinghouse

The NCCIH Clearinghouse provides information on NCCIH and complementary and integrative health approaches, including publications and searches of Federal databases of scientific and medical literature. The Clearinghouse does not provide medical advice, treatment recommendations, or referrals to practitioners.

Toll-free in the U.S.: 1-888-644-6226

Telecommunications relay service (TRS): 7-1-1

Website: https://www.nccih.nih.gov

Email: info@nccih.nih.gov (link sends email)

PubMed®

A service of the National Library of Medicine, PubMed® contains publication information and (in most cases) brief summaries of articles from scientific and medical journals. For guidance from NCCIH on using PubMed, see How To Find Information About Complementary Health Approaches on PubMed.

Website: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), National Institutes of Health (NIH)

ODS seeks to strengthen knowledge and understanding of dietary supplements by evaluating scientific information, supporting research, sharing research results, and educating the public. Its resources include publications (such as Dietary Supplements: What You Need To Know) and fact sheets on a variety of specific supplement ingredients and products (such as vitamin D and multivitamin/mineral supplements).

Website: https://ods.od.nih.gov

Email: ods@nih.gov (link sends email)

Key References

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NCCIH has provided this material for your information. It is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your health care provider(s). We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with your health care provider. The mention of any product, service, or therapy is not an endorsement by NCCIH.

Last Updated: August 2020