Get To Know How Hawthorn Fruit Is Being Used

Hawthorn is the fruits or the flowers and leaves combined, of several of the more than 100 species of Crataegus, a genus of the rose family found in North America, Europe, and east Asia. In Europe, English hawthorn, C. monogyna, are used. In Chinese medicine, C. pinnatifida is used.

Traditonal and Current uses of Hawthorn

• If closely related plants are used by cultures on opposites sides of the globe, a scientific basic for that use is likely. Such is the case with hawthorn, which has been used in European, Chinese, and American traditions alike to treat heart aliments. Asian and European herbal traditions have used hawthorn in ling-term prescriptions for hypertension related to cardiac weakness, arteriosclerosis, and angina pectoris.
• Numerous pharmacological and clinical studies have shown that hawthorn fruit or berry extract improves blood flow the heart by strengthening its contractions. Hawthorn flower and leaf extracts improve circulation to the extremities by reducing resistance in the arteries. Hawthorn preparations do not produce immediate effect; rather, they must be used over a period of at least four to eight weeks to achieve therapeutic benefits.
• Anginal pectoris
• Coronary insufficiency

 How to Prepare Hawthornberries
Dried berries, leaves, flowers. Most research has been done on flowers and leaves. Standardized in Eupean to oligomeric procyanidins and flavonoids.

Dosages
 capsules: Up to nine 500-600 mg capsules a day.
Tea: Steep 1 tsp of dried berries in a cup of hot water for 10-15 minutes.
Tincture: 10-30 drops up to 3 times a day. Or follow manufacturer's or practitioner's recommendations.

Medicinal Use of Ginger

Ginger is the dried or fresh root of a member of the ginger family native to the Old World tropics.

Uses of Ginger

Cultivated for millennia in both china and India, ginger reached the west at least 2000 years ago. Most of the thousands of prescriptions in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) are combination of many herbs, and ginger is used in nearly half to meditate the effects of other ingredients, to stimulate the appetite, and to calm the stomach. In European herbal traditional, ginger is primarily use to stop nausea and quiet and stomach upset.

Ginger is now recognize for treating stomach upset and easing symptoms of motion sickness. It is believe to reduce nausea by increasing digestive fluids and absorbing and neutralizing toxins and stomach acid. It increase bile section and tones the bowel.

It has been studied for its antibacterial, anti-fungal, pain-relieving, anti tumor, and other properties. Six clinical studies have looked at gingers potential to reduce motion sickness. Four European studies reported positive results, while two American studies gave negative findings. In an English study, thirty-six volunteers were given either ginger or a common anti-motion sickness drugs.

When Blindfolded and subjected to a spinning chair, those who took ginger held out an average of 5.5 minutes, while those who took the conventional drug became ill after 3.5 minutes. Another study involved eighty naval cadets at sea. Those who took a placebo developed seasickness. Those who were given ginger root capsules had fewer cold sweats and less nausea. However, a 1988 NASA study that tested ginger in forty-two volunteers concluded it was ineffective in relieving motion sickness. Clearly, more studies are needed.

Ginger has been shown to reduce the stickiness of blood platelets and may thereby reduce the risk of atherosclerosis. Limited studies suggest ginger may reduce morning sickness and nausea after surgery. Both uses require a physicians supervision.