Hawthorn tincture: effective and affordable means

Wild hawthorn is used to treat heart disease, insomnia, dizziness, and nervous fatigue. The inflorescences and ripened fruits of this shrub are traditionally used as medicinal raw materials. The healing power of hawthorn was known in the 1st century BC and was described by the ancient Greek healer Dioscorides. From the berries and flowers of hawthorn, broths and infusions were prepared, but the preparation recipe was kept in a strict secret, access to which only people in medicine science had access to.

During the reign of Peter the Great in Russia, the treatment of various diseases with the help of medicinal plants paid quite a lot of attention. Preparation of medicinal herbs and fruits for the pharmacies that already existed at that time was carried out in a large volume. The peasants were charged with the surrender of a certain amount of medicinal raw materials annually. Hawthorn was included in the list of medicinal plants, which was collected in large quantities.

Today, it has not lost its relevance and is recognized as an effective medicinal herbal medicine, which is actively used in folk and official medicine.

One of the dosage forms in which hawthorn preparations are released is spirit tincture from the fruit of this plant. Biologically active substances that are part of the hawthorn tincture improve the blood flow of blood vessels and arteries of the heart and brain, thereby effectively coping with vegetative-vascular dystonia and dizziness accompanying this state. The drug acts gently, reduces the excitability of the musculature of the heart, as well as the central nervous system. Heart rate as a result of this effect is normalized, and the endurance of the heart muscle increases.

Hawthorn tincture has the ability to eliminate spastic contractions of the smooth muscles of the vascular wall, resulting in increased lumen of blood vessels and arteries, reducing high blood pressure. In addition, hawthorn enhances the protection of blood vessels from the formation of cholesterol deposits in them, dissolving it and thereby providing an anti-sclerotic effect.

While receiving tincture from hawthorn fruit, the general body tone improves, the effects of mental and physical fatigue factors are eliminated, hemodynamics improves and the functional ability of the heart and brain is restored.

Factory preparations are prepared at the rate of 100 grams of berries per 1 liter of the preparation, and ethanol in 100 grams of tincture contains at least 70 percent. Tincture of hawthorn can be prepared at home, the ratio of ingredients may be different in accordance with one or another recipe.

Tinctura crataegi - this is how doctors designate an infusion of alcohol from hawthorn berries, using Latin. The drug is packaged in the factory in dark glass bottles of 25, 40 or 100 ml. Alcohol tincture is taken before meals. When dosing the drug before use, drops are counted - 15-20 drops are prescribed at one time.

Active active ingredient are hawthorn berries, which are saturated with:

• organic acids - ursolic, citric, caffeic, oleanic, kretegusovoy, chlorogenic, malic;
• flavonoids - vitexin, quercitin, hyperoside, hyperin;
• glycosides - flavone, triterpene;
• vitamins - A, C, P, E, F, B;
• fatty oils;
• tannins;
• pectins;
• carotenoids;
• minerals - zinc, copper, manganese, iron, chromium, selenium, molybdenum, potassium, calcium and others.

Traditionally, the beneficial properties of hawthorn are used to treat diseases of the heart and blood vessels. Tincture from the fruits of this plant has proven effectiveness over many years of observation and helps with such conditions as:

• increased arterial blood pressure;
• coronary heart disease;
• bradycardia of various etiologies;
• arrhythmias of various types, including atrial fibrillation;
• paroxysmal tachycardia;
• atherosclerotic vascular pathologies;
• neurosis and neurosis-like states of various genesis, including angioneurosis;
• climacteric age-related changes in the body.

Hawthorn is used as a medicine as an independent component, and in combination with other components of plant origin. In addition to treating the heart, hawthorn tincture has other indications for use:

• improved brain function - increases mental alertness, reduces fatigue, stimulates blood circulation, improves mood and eliminates insomnia;
• normalizes blood viscosity, prevents blood clots and the accumulation of cholesterol deposits on the walls of blood vessels;
• reduces the permeability and fragility of blood vessels and capillaries, prevents the appearance of spontaneous microstrokes, subcutaneous hemorrhages;
• has a sedative effect, which does not inhibit the attention and speed of reactions, but eliminates the effect of increased neuro-psychic arousal;
• improves digestion, reduces gas formation in the intestines, stimulates the production of pancreatic enzymes and bile;
• reduces inflammation in the body;
• inhibits the development of atypical cancer cells;
• has a slight diuretic effect, while removing slags and accelerates metabolic processes;
• affects the process of collagen production in the body, which is useful for the work of the joints and helps to keep the skin young, improving its turgor and elasticity;
• lowers elevated blood glucose levels in diabetes mellitus.

Hawthorn, like many other drugs, has not only medicinal properties, but also some contraindications. Tincture on alcohol from the fruit of this plant is not recommended for use in the following cases:

• children and pregnant women, as well as nursing mothers;
• slow performance of the heart, expressed in low pulse rate;
• traumatic brain injury;
• stroke;
• alcoholism;
• individual allergic intolerance.

Reviews of doctors suggest that starting to acquaint your body with drugs made from hawthorn, is also best with decoctions or infusions. Only after observing the body's response to these medicines can one proceed to the use of alcohol-based infusions.

When purchasing a tincture of hawthorn fruit in a pharmacy, an instruction is attached to the preparation, which states how to properly take this drug. Tincture is recommended to use before meals, not more than 20 drops per dose, the number of receptions per day should not be more than 3. The drug can be taken in courses for two weeks, after which a break is required. The number of therapeutic courses per year will be determined by your doctor.

According to the observations of doctors it is better not to use hawthorn tincture along with food, as some categories of products may have an undesirable reaction against the background of this drug. This medicine is not recommended for those who suffer from alcohol dependence or are treated for it by means of drugs of prolonged action. This tool is not suitable for those who drive vehicles or work with moving machinery.

Hawthorn - this is not a harmless drug, so you need to treat it carefully, avoiding an overdose. Before you start taking hawthorn 3 times a day, take the first dose and watch your state of health. If there are signs of allergic reactions, you should refuse further use of the drug.

It is very important to remember that constantly, without taking breaks or disrupting the dosage, you cannot drink hawthorn. When it is used uncontrollably, bradycardia can develop, which slows down the heart rate, which causes a number of undesirable consequences for the whole organism. In addition, there may be a lasting effect of lowering blood pressure with accompanying dizziness, nausea and vomiting.

It is not recommended to take hawthorn, including alcohol tincture from it, on an empty stomach. This can cause acute intestinal colic or nausea. Especially if you drink this drug with cold water. It should be taken into account that hawthorn tincture while taking it with drugs from the group of cardiac glycosides can enhance their effect on the body. Therefore, the feasibility of such a joint application should be clarified with the doctor.

Hawthorn tincture is not recommended to be taken together with alcoholic beverages, as it threatens to increase the alcoholic effects on organs and systems. In case of overdose of alcohol tinctures, the body will react according to the type of alcohol intoxication. In this case, gastric lavage, forced diuresis and symptomatic therapy will be required.

In the pharmacy network, hawthorn for alcohol is released without a doctor's prescription. Tincture should be stored in a dark place at a temperature not exceeding +15 degrees Celsius. Care should be taken to ensure that children do not have free access to this drug. Shelf life of the drug is 3 years from the time of its release and subject to the temperature of storage.

Tincture of hawthorn fruit in the pharmacy chain is sold at an affordable price - 100 milliliters of the drug costs from 38 to 55 rubles. Most often, the price depends on the region - in large cities, prices are slightly higher than in smaller cities or villages. The low price of this medicine is explained by the availability and prevalence of the raw materials from which it is made. Alcoholic tincture of hawthorn has in its assortment any pharmacy, deliveries are carried out by various Russian pharmaceutical factories.

Hawthorn tincture has analogues, one of which is the homeopathic drops “Kretegus”, where the hawthorn is represented as a single component. The drug is taken in 15 drops at a meal with diseases of the heart and blood vessels.

Hawthorn is a part of multicomponent drugs:

• Cardiovalented - drops for internal use, having in the composition of hawthorn, valerian, adonizid. The drug is available on the basis of alcohol.
• "Valemidin" - antispasmodic and sedative alcohol-based drug, which contains hawthorn, motherwort, valerian, mint, diphenhydramine.
• Amrita - tonic and fortifying agent, containing water and alcohol extracts from hawthorn, rosehip, ginger, juniper berries, cardamom seeds, licorice root, thyme roots.

Quite often, in the treatment and prevention of atherosclerotic vascular changes, doctors recommend the use of hawthorn tincture in combination with 30% propolis tincture.

If you have a hawthorn growing in the country, having collected its fruits in the late fall or during its flowering period - its flowers, you can prepare the medicines yourself at home. Preparation of healing drinks, decoctions, tinctures will not take you much time, but the benefits of these funds you will get very tangible.

When picking fruits or flowers of wild hawthorn, note that the best place to gather is to choose the edge of the forest or the bank of the river, lake - at the same time try to avoid collecting medicinal raw materials from plants that are located near the roads and near industrial enterprises.

For the preparation of tinctures, you can use medical alcohol, diluting it to 70 degrees, or make tincture on ordinary vodka. The preparation process consists in the following: take 1 part of medicinal raw materials (flowers or berries) and pour it with 3 parts of alcohol.

The composition is clogged and cleaned in a dark cool place so that it is infused. At the same time, from time to time, the container with the composition should be shaken - so the ingredients will be better to give their nutrients. After 30 days, the composition must be filtered and it will be ready for use.

In addition to tincture, hawthorn can be used to prepare various types of medicinal drinks. The tool can consist not only of hawthorn, but also include other useful components:

• Medicinal tea. To make it, make a mixture, taking in equal parts of the inflorescence of hawthorn, chamomile, motherwort grass and dried lady roe. Brew the mixture at the rate of 1 tablespoon to 250 milliliters of water. The drink should be infused, after which it is filtered and drunk a cup three times a day. This tea is useful for the body as a supporting agent with enhanced mental and physical exertion.
• Vitamin drink. This tool is brewed in a thermos for the night, and in the morning you can already drink it. In a thermos with a glass flask you need to put three tablespoons of dried rosehips and hawthorn, and then pour them with boiling water up to 2 liters. You can insist 12 hours or a full day - the longer the time of infusion, the higher the concentration of the drink. Before use, the composition must be filtered and poured into a storage tank, which can be removed in the refrigerator. Take a drink should be one glass per day. The tool supports the body well during the off-season, stimulates the immune system, improves brain and heart function.

• Hawthorn and Chokeberry Syrup. Take 1300 grams of fresh hawthorn and chokeberry. Pour them with three liters of boiling water and close the container so that the composition can infuse in a warm place. After 24 hours, drain the composition, fold the berries. For each liter of berry juice is taken 1 kilogram of sugar. Juice and sugar are mixed and boiled on low heat for about 10-15 minutes until sugar is completely dissolved. Hot syrup is poured over cans and cleaned for storage in a dark cool place. Take a syrup in a teaspoon three times a day for the treatment of the heart, neurosis, insomnia.
• Balsam on alcohol. Take 500 grams of fresh berries of hawthorn, black currant and rosehip. To the berries add ground ginseng root in the amount of 100 grams. Pour the mixture with two liters of boiling water and bring to a boil, then close the lid and let it brew.A day later, the composition is filtered and mixed with sugar in a 1: 1 ratio over low heat until boiling. Alcohol or vodka is added to the finished syrup in a ratio of 100 milliliters of syrup to 30 milliliters of alcohol. Then the balsam is thoroughly mixed and sealed in bottles for storage. Apply the balm can be a teaspoon three times a day for dizziness, arrhythmias, vegetative-vascular dystonia.

Medicines prepared at home, no less effective drugs produced industrially. Using hawthorn-based products, you can even relieve headaches and prevent an attack of epilepsy.

Against the background of hawthorn preparations, sleep improves, mood swings become less noticeable, irritability decreases, memory improves, the heart and blood vessels improve, the immune system and the overall tone of the whole organism increase.

Infusions and decoctions of hawthorn can be taken even to people suffering from diabetes and metabolic disorders. Hawthorn has a low calorie content, which is 53 kilocalories per 100 grams of fresh fruit, so you can use the berries for overweight people and those who follow a certain diet. Experts believe that no more than one cup of berries can be eaten per day, otherwise an upset stomach may occur, accompanied by nausea and vomiting and intestinal colic. Therefore, applying hawthorn, it is very important to follow the rules of its use and adhere to the recommended dosages.

Pregnant women can take non-alcoholic preparations of hawthorn in the form of infusions and decoctions, but it is best to do this in the second or third trimester of pregnancy. Against the background of hawthorn intake, an extra volume of fluid is eliminated from the body, swelling passes, and the kidneys and urinary system improve.

To learn how to make hawthorn tincture at home, see the following video.