Hawthorn leaf and fruit monograph

Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), whose leaves and fruit are used in phytotherapy, is recognized for its beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system. The leaves, rich in flavonoids and oligomeric proanthocyanidins, have a moderate cardiotonic, vasodilatory and heart-rate-regulating action. Fruits, for their part, contain mainly flavonoids, phenolic acids and pectins, contributing to antioxidant and cardiovascular protective activity. Taken together, these constituents give hawthorn useful properties in the management of mild cardiac disorders, palpitations of nervous origin and moderate hypertension, with good tolerability and few side effects.